An emulsion explosive is a water-in-oil or oil-in-water explosive where microscopically fine droplets of an oxidizer salt solution are suspended in either water or oil. Emulsifiers stabilize the mixture to prevent separation, while bulking agents control density and sensitivity. As each microcell is oil-coated, emulsion explosives have excellent water resistance and do not rely on packaging. They maintain consistency over a wide temperature range and have high stability.

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EMULSION EXPLOSIVE
Very high VOD, high water resistance; very much safer.
Two phases explosive
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Water in oil (W/O)emulsion explosive
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Oil in water (O/W) emulsion explosive
in which inner phase is composed of a super-saturated solution of oxidizer salts suspended as
microscopically fine droplets (appox. 2 micron) in water, which are surrounded by continuous outer oil
phase contains the fuels and consists primarily of diesel fuel and waxes. The emulsifying agents are used
to stabilize the mixture so that the components do not separate and the nitrate in the solution do not
crystallise. The emulsion thus formed is stabilised against liquid separation by an emulsifying agent.
A bulking agent for density control is then dispersed throughout the basic emulsion matrix. The bulking
agents can be either ultra fine bubbles or artificial bubbles like glass, resin, plastic or some other
materials. Combination of this material can be made for densities from 0.80-to 1.35 g/cc. The bulking
agent determines and controls the sensivity of the emulsion products, which affects whether the final
product is detonator sensitive or blasting agent requiring a booster for initiation. Since each micro cell is
coated with an oily exterior, the emulsion has excellent water resistance and don’t rely on a package for
their ability to function in water. This explosive is developed by the Atlas Powder Company.
It is found in two verities as follows
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The emulsion explosives have the following advantages:
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Physical properties
It has the unusual properties of retaining essentially the same consistency over a wide temperature
range. There is very little difference in the viscosity and nature of the products between 200 to 900. The
stability of the emulsion is excellent.