Process and apparatus for producing ultrafine explosive particles

Patent · 20 October 1992

OSTI ID:868505

McGowan, Michael J ^[1]

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1. Martinsburg, WV

A method and an improved eductor apparatus for producing ultrafine explosive particles is disclosed. The explosive particles, which when incorporated into a binder system, have the ability to propagate in thin sheets, and have very low impact sensitivity and very high propagation sensitivity. A stream of a solution of the explosive dissolved in a solvent is thoroughly mixed with a stream of an inert nonsolvent by obtaining nonlaminar flow of the streams by applying pressure against the flow of the nonsolvent stream, to thereby diverge the stream as it contacts the explosive solution, and violently agitating the combined stream to rapidly precipitate the explosive particles from the solution in the form of generally spheroidal, ultrafine particles. The two streams are injected coaxially through continuous, concentric orifices of a nozzle into a mixing chamber. Preferably, the nonsolvent stream is injected centrally of the explosive solution stream. The explosive solution stream is injected downstream of and surrounds the nonsolvent solution stream for a substantial distance prior to being ejected into the mixing chamber.

• Research Organization: E I DUPONT DE NEMOURS & CO INC
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-87AL42544
• Assignee: E. I. Du Pont de Nemours and Company (Wilmington, DE)
• Patent Number(s): US 5156779
• Application Number: 07/345,360
• OSTI ID: 868505
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

/264/149/422/
ability
agitating
apparatus
applying
applying pressure
binder
centrally
chamber
coaxially
combined
concentric
contacts
continuous
disclosed
dissolved
distance
diverge
downstream
eductor
ejected
explosive
explosive particles
fine particle
fine particles
flow
form
impact
improved
incorporated
inert
injected
laminar flow
method
mixed
mixing
mixing chamber
nonlaminar
nonsolvent
nozzle
obtaining
orifices
particles
precipitate
preferably
pressure
prior
process
producing
producing ultrafine
propagate
propagation
rapidly
sensitivity
sheets
solution
solvent
solvent solution
solvent stream
spheroidal
stream
streams
substantial
surrounds
thoroughly
thoroughly mix
ultrafine
ultrafine explosive
ultrafine particle
ultrafine particles
violently