	US 11,993,550 B2
	Water resistance additive for particulate ammonium nitrate-fuel oil (ANFO) explosives
Michael Feustel, Köngernheim (DE); Matthias Krull, Harxheim (DE); Ian James Tolliday, Victoria (AU); Christopher Robin Collins, Victoria (AU); Maja Franjic, Victoria (AU); and Thomas Roy, Bochum (DE)
Assigned to CLARIANT INTERNATIONAL LTD, Muttenz (CH)
Appl. No. 16/093,609
Filed by Clariant International Ltd., Muttenz (CH)
PCT Filed Mar. 13, 2017, PCT No. PCT/EP2017/055769 § 371(c)(1), (2) Date Oct. 12, 2018, PCT Pub. No. WO2017/186400, PCT Pub. Date Nov. 2, 2017.
Claims priority of application No. 16167343 (EP), filed on Apr. 27, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2019/0071372 A1, Mar. 7, 2019
Int. Cl. C06B 23/00 (2006.01); C06B 31/28 (2006.01)

CPC C06B 23/009 (2013.01) [C06B 23/001 (2013.01); C06B 31/285 (2013.01)]

33 Claims

1. A process for improving the water resistance of a particulate ammonium nitrate fuel oil explosive, comprising the step of adding a fuel oil containing at least one oil soluble polymer, to an explosive composition comprising at least one particulate ammonium nitrate, wherein

the particulate ammonium nitrate fuel oil explosive is not in the form of an emulsion and comprises less than 2 wt.-% of water, and

the at least one oil soluble polymer is

a copolymer (i) of ethylene and at least one vinyl ester, acrylic ester, methacrylic ester, and/or alkyl vinyl ether, wherein the copolymer (i) has linear polymethylene sequences with an average length PS(i) of 12 to 40 consecutive methylene groups, the average length PS(i) being calculated according to the formula

a homo- or co-polymer (ii) of esters, amides, and/or imides of ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acids, wherein the homo- or co-polymer (ii) has linear polymethylene sequences with an average length PS(ii) of 12 to 40 consecutive methylene groups, the average length PS(ii) being calculated according to the formula

wherein

m₁, m₂, . . . m_gare the molar fractions of the comonomers in the polymer and the sum of the molar fractions m₁to m_g=1,

w_1i, w_2j, . . . w_gpare the proportions by weight of the individual chain lengths i, j, . . . p of the alkyl radicals of the different comonomers 1 to g, and

n_1i, n_2j, . . . n_gpare the chain lengths i, j, . . . p of the alkyl radicals of the comonomers 1 to g,

wherein terminating methyl groups of alkyl residues are included in the chain lengths of the alkyl residues; and

wherein an amount of the at least one oil soluble polymer added to the explosive composition is 0.05 to 5.0 wt.-% of the weight of the at least one particulate ammonium nitrate in the explosive composition.