WO2022153314A1 - A process for blasting - Google Patents

A process for blasting Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2022153314A1
WO2022153314A1 PCT/IL2022/050065 IL2022050065W WO2022153314A1 WO 2022153314 A1 WO2022153314 A1 WO 2022153314A1 IL 2022050065 W IL2022050065 W IL 2022050065W WO 2022153314 A1 WO2022153314 A1 WO 2022153314A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
explosive
amount
mixture
fracture
blasthole
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/IL2022/050065
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Boaz HAYOUN
Original Assignee
Tamar Israeli Advanced Quarrying Co. Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
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Publication date
Application filed by Tamar Israeli Advanced Quarrying Co. Ltd filed Critical Tamar Israeli Advanced Quarrying Co. Ltd
Publication of WO2022153314A1 publication Critical patent/WO2022153314A1/en
Priority to IL304351A priority Critical patent/IL304351A/en

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Classifications

    • FMECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F42AMMUNITION; BLASTING
    • F42DBLASTING
    • F42D1/00Blasting methods or apparatus, e.g. loading or tamping
    • F42D1/08Tamping methods; Methods for loading boreholes with explosives; Apparatus therefor
    • F42D1/18Plugs for boreholes
    • FMECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F42AMMUNITION; BLASTING
    • F42DBLASTING
    • F42D1/00Blasting methods or apparatus, e.g. loading or tamping
    • F42D1/08Tamping methods; Methods for loading boreholes with explosives; Apparatus therefor
    • FMECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F42AMMUNITION; BLASTING
    • F42DBLASTING
    • F42D1/00Blasting methods or apparatus, e.g. loading or tamping
    • F42D1/08Tamping methods; Methods for loading boreholes with explosives; Apparatus therefor
    • F42D1/20Tamping cartridges, i.e. cartridges containing tamping material
    • FMECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F42AMMUNITION; BLASTING
    • F42DBLASTING
    • F42D1/00Blasting methods or apparatus, e.g. loading or tamping
    • F42D1/08Tamping methods; Methods for loading boreholes with explosives; Apparatus therefor
    • F42D1/24Tamping methods; Methods for loading boreholes with explosives; Apparatus therefor characterised by the tamping material

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  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • General Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Drilling And Exploitation, And Mining Machines And Methods (AREA)
  • Electrical Discharge Machining, Electrochemical Machining, And Combined Machining (AREA)

Abstract

A method of quarrying is provided which utilizes a plurality of blastholes with reduced amounts of high explosives.

Description

A PROCESS FOR BLASTING
TECHNOLOGICAL FIELD
The invention generally concerns a method of blasting and increasing efficiency of a blasthole explosion at reduced explosive amounts.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Blastholes are vertical holes that are generally drilled from the surface and vary in diameter and depth. The purpose of blastholes is to induce cracks in the geology of rock surrounding the blastholes, in order to facilitate further drilling and mining activity. Thus, the number of holes formed in a given area may vary greatly. For the purpose of achieving an effective explosive potential, a density of holes in a certain predefined distribution pattern, as well as an amount of explosive in each hole is predefined.
The initial holes are charged with explosives with different compositions and performances. Higher velocity explosives are typically used for hard rock in order to shatter and break the rock, while low velocity explosives may be used in soft rocks to generate more gas pressure and a greater effect. While explosives such as black powder and dynamite were used in the past, the most common explosive in quarrying today is based on a mixture of ammonium nitrate and fuel oil (ANFO) in dry mix, slurry, or emulsion form.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
In a typical quarrying procedure as well as in many deep ground-clearing procedures, a number of vertical holes are drilled into the ground rock and are subsequently filled with explosives and capped with solid matter such as rock, sand, clay and mixtures thereof. Detonation of the explosives in each hole causes the rock to break or collapse. Thereafter, the rock is removed or the process repeated one or more times.
The inventor of the technology disclosed herein has developed a blasting process, e.g., for deep-ground clearing or mining/quarrying purposes, which utilizes a “modified blasthole” in which a substantial amount of an explosive typically used in blastholes is replaced with a waste non-explosive material that is contaminated with minute amounts of a random, at times unidentified explosive material. The modified blasthole not only maintains the explosion potential characteristic of blastholes utilizing conventional amounts of the explosive, but in some cases the observed potential exceeds that observed for the conventional blast field.
In utilizing the scrap or waste materials, which may be from civilian as well as military sources, the inventor has provided in a single process a solution to two existing environmental concerns: use of large amounts of explosives that are conventional in ground clearing and mining, as well as elimination of contaminated scrap. Processes of the invention not only provide a reduction in the amount of the explosive needed for blasting, e.g., for ground clearance or mining/quarrying, thus being safer and more cost effective, but also provide a venue to ridding the environment of explosive- contaminated materials that would have been otherwise discarded or buried in ground landfills. Following explosion of the blastholes constructed according to the invention, the contaminating explosives are fully consumed by the ensuing heat, leaving behind no measurable contaminants.
As demonstrated herein, at least 30% of the explosive material commonly used in blastholes was replaced with a naive material mixture comprising a non-explosive material in an amount of at least 95wt% and contaminating amounts of an explosive material that is randomly associated with the non-explosive material. In other words, more than 30% of an explosive, such as a fracture explosive, that is typically used in a blast field, or in blastholes, is replaced with a mixture comprising only up to 5wt% explosive material. Despite the great reduction in the amount of explosives used, the explosive potential or strength is maintained or improved.
The inventor has also demonstrated that by utilizing a modified blasthole according to the invention, in an array arrangement of blastholes in a given blast field, the number of blastholes may be reduced per ground area. This is due to the increased effect associated with the modified blastholes.
Thus, in a first aspect, the invention provides a process for blasting, e.g., for clearing a ground region or for mining/quarrying, the process comprising introducing into or charging one or a plurality (two or more) of blastholes (a) an explosive, such as a fracture explosive, and (b) a mixture comprising or consisting at least one (inert) nonexplosive material contaminated with at least one explosive material, wherein the amount of the at least one explosive material in the mixture is substantially a contaminating amount, e.g., an amount that does not typically exceed 5wt% of the weight of the mixture; and initiating an explosion.
In some embodiments, the process comprising separately charging a blasthole formed in a ground geography (a) at least one predetermined amount of a fracture explosive and (b) at least one predetermined amount of a mixture comprising or consisting at least one non-explosive material contaminated with at least one explosive material, wherein the amount of the at least one explosive material in the mixture is a contaminating amount, wherein any predetermined amount of the mixture is provided between two predetermined amounts of the explosive.
The invention also provides a process of forming a blasthole, the process comprising
-into a blasthole formed in a ground geography (e.g., a rock), separately introducing or charging (a) at least one predetermined amount of a fracture explosive and (b) at least one predetermined amount of a mixture comprising or consisting at least one (inert) non-explosive material contaminated with at least one explosive material, wherein the amount of the at least one explosive material in the mixture is a contaminating amount, e.g., not exceeding 5wt% of the weight of the mixture, wherein any predetermined amount of the mixture is provided between two predetermined amounts of the fracture explosive.
In other words, the blasthole is first charged with an amount of the fracture explosive, followed by an amount of the mixture, and further with another amount of the fracture explosive. The fracture explosive and the mixture, as defined, are not mixed but rather charged separately. Typically, each blasthole contains two fractions or layers of the fractured explosive and a single amount or a single layer of the mixture that is charged between the fracture explosive layers.
In some embodiments, the blasthole is charged with two or more amounts of the explosive, such that any two amounts are separated by an amount of the mixture.
In some embodiments, the process comprises:
-into a blasthole formed in a ground geography (e.g., a rock),
(a) introducing or charging a first amount of a fracture explosive,
(b) introducing or charging a mixture comprising or consisting at least one (inert) non-explosive material contaminated with at least one explosive material, wherein the amount of the at least one explosive material in the mixture is a contaminating amount, e.g., not exceeding 5wt% of the weight of the mixture, and
(c) introducing or charging a second amount of the fracture explosive.
Putting it differently, the process comprising
(a) charging a blasthole formed in a ground geography with a first amount of a fracture explosive,
(b) charging a mixture comprising or consisting at least one non-explosive material contaminated with at least one explosive material, wherein the amount of the at least one explosive material in the mixture is a contaminating amount, and
(c) charging a second amount of the fracture explosive
In some embodiments, the process further comprises clogging or covering or plugging the blastholes with a solid material to substantially ground level.
In some embodiments, the process comprises
-drilling one or more blastholes in a ground geography (e.g., a rock),
-introducing into the one or more blastholes a first amount of a fracture explosive,
-on said amount of the fracture explosive introducing a packed mixture comprising or consisting at least one (inert) non-explosive material contaminated with at least one explosive material, wherein the amount of the at least one explosive material in the mixture not exceeding 5wt% of the weight of the mixture,
-on said packed mixture introducing a second amount of the fracture explosive, and
-clogging the blasthole with a solid material to substantially ground level.
In some embodiments, the blasthole(s) is/are equipped with an initiation system. The initiation system provides the initial energy required to detonate an explosive used for blasting. As known in the art, initiation systems require an initial energy source, a distribution network to deliver the energy to each blasthole, and an in-hole component to initiate a detonator- sensitive explosive, e.g., the fracture explosive. The initiation system may be an electric or non-electric and may contain various combinations of cord and initiators either as separate components or integrated. In some embodiments, the initiation system is configured to initiate the first and/or second amount of the fracture explosive. The initiation systems may be any of those known in the art. In some embodiments, each blasthole is loaded or charged with the explosives and mixtures as disclosed herein and is further equipped with a detonator (blasting caps); a safety fuse; a squib; a detonating cord; an igniter cord; and/or igniters, as known in the art.
The one or more amounts of the fracture explosive and of the mixture according to the invention may be independently introduced or charged or loaded into the blasthole by means known in the art. Such means may involve machinery, automated charging unit and other equipment conventionally used in mining.
The blast field may be any land region in which ground clearance, mining or quarrying is desired. Typically, the ground geography is a rock land region. The number of blastholes and hole pattern may vary based on a number of parameters relating to the land to be cleared, the explosive and the depth of clearance required. The basic blasthole array is a single -row, a square, a rectangular or a staggered array, as depicted for a square blast field configuration in Fig. 1. Irregular arrays may also be used to take in irregular areas at the edge of a regular array. The lateral distance between holes in a row a pattern may vary and in fact may increase when utilizing blastholes according to the invention.
By utilizing a modified blasthole according to the invention, an array arrangement of blastholes may comprise a number of blastholes that is smaller than a number of blastholes typically used for achieving the same explosion potential or destruction power, per given ground area (see for comparison Fig. IB). Typically, a reduction of at least 10% in the number of blastholes for a given ground area may be achieved by utilizing a modified blasthole according to the invention. In some embodiments, the reduction in the number of blastholes may amount to 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, or 55% of the number of blastholes used in an arrangement of blastholes per given ground area. This reduction is typically achieved by spacing out the blastholes in the ground area such that the distance between each blasthole is greater than acceptable.
As known in the art, an “explosion potentia or explosive strength determines the ability of an explosive to move a surrounding material such as solid mass in a confined blasthole. The potential is related to the total gas yield of the reaction, and the amount of heat produced. The potential of an explosive is the total work that can be performed by the gas resulting from its explosion, when expanded adiabatically from its original volume, until its pressure and temperature are reduced, e.g., typically to atmospheric pressure and 15°C. The potential is therefore the total quantity of heat given off at constant volume when expressed in equivalent work units and is a measure of the strength of the explosive. Instead of increasing the amount of explosive used per blasthole, same or higher explosion strengths are obtained when replacing at least 30wt% of the explosive with the mixture of the invention.
The explosive used in a blasthole may vary. Depending inter alia on the depth of the blasthole, the ground composition, other parameters relating to drilling and loading considerations, the blast design as well as to explosive economics different explosive materials or compositions may be utilized. Typically, the explosive is a high explosive or a “fracture explosive” , as used herein. The high or fracture explosive typically used in blasting, e.g., mining or quarrying, is an energetic material that detonates to produce a high-intensity shock wave and large volumes of gas which, when confined in a blasthole, expands rapidly to break the rock. Typically, the fracture explosive of choice may be selected based on its strength (as measured against various standards), density, sensitivity to initiation, water resistance and velocity of detonation (VOD) (i.e., the speed at which an explosion propagates along the blasthole). Non-limiting examples of fracture explosives include dynamite, black powder, slurries, water gels, nitroglycerine- based explosives (such as nitroglycerin-based dynamite as “straight dynamite”, blasting gelatin, and nitroglycerine combinations with salts and fuels, as known in the art), and ammonium nitrate fuel oil (ANFO) in various forms.
In some embodiments, the fracture explosive is ANFO or ANFO-emulsion blends, heavy ANFO, and gels of ANFO.
As stated and demonstrated herein, the amount of the explosive used in a blasthole may be reduced by at least 30% when a mixture of a non-explosive material containing a contaminating amount (e.g., no more than 5wt%) of an explosive material is used. The “mixture” referred to herein, is a random mixture or collection, at times an inhomogeneous mixture, of scrap and waste materials that are contaminated with an explosive material, not necessarily with a fracture explosive. The scrap or waste material is a naive material, namely a material that is neither an energetic material nor an explosive material and which makes 95% or more of the mixture weight. The scrap or waste material may be clothing products, gloves, laboratory products, wood, metals, plastics and other polymers or composites or any other material that has come into contact with any explosive material and is thus contaminated. In some embodiments, the material from which the scrap or waste material may be made of is selected amongst fabrics, polymers, paper products, wood and others. In other words, the scrap or waste material in a mixture is a material contaminated with an explosive material.
In some embodiments, the mixture is provided as shreds or as mechanically processed pieces of scrap or waste material, as defined. In some embodiments, the mixture is provide in a packed form, contained within or provided in an enclosure of a size and shape suitable for introducing into the blasthole. In some embodiments, the mixture is provided within an elongated tube of a diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the blasthole. The elongated tube may be made of a polymeric material, plastic, that is consumed during the explosion.
The scrap or waste material contains a contaminating amount” of the at least one explosive. In other words, the at least one explosive is randomly present or associated or adhered on the scrap or waste material in a total amount that does not exceed 5wt%, relative to the amount of mixture used. In some embodiments, the amount of the explosive is 5, 4, 3 or 2wt% of the total weight of the mixture. In some embodiments, the amount of the explosive is at least 0.1% of the total weight of the mixture. In some embodiments, the amount is between 0.1 and 5wt%, or between 1 and 5wt%, or between 2 and 5wt%, or between 1 and 3wt%.
The at least one explosive material present in the mixture may be any military grade or civilian grade explosive material as known in the art. The explosive may be selected amongst primary, secondary or tertiary explosives. In some embodiments, the explosive material is selected from acetone peroxide, alkali metal ozonides, ammonium permanganate, ammonium chlorate, azidotetrazolates, azoclathrates, benzoyl peroxide, benzvalene, 3,5-bis(trinitromethyl)tetrazole, chlorine oxides, copper acetylide, copper azide, cyanogen azide, cyanuric triazide, diacetyl peroxide, l-diazidocarbamoyl-5- azidotetrazole, diazodinitrophenol, diazomethane, diethyl ether peroxide, 4-dimethyl aminophenylpentazole, disulfur dinitride, ethyl azide, explosive antimony, fluorine perchlorate, fulminic acid, fluorine azide, chlorine azide, bromine azide, hexamethylene triperoxide diamine, hydrazoic acid, hypofluorous acid, lead azide, lead styphnate, lead picrate, manganese heptoxide, mercury fulminate, mercury nitride, methyl ethyl ketone peroxide, nickel hydrazine nitrate, nickel hydrazine perchlorate, nitrogen trichloride, nitrogen tribromide, nitrogen triiodide, nitroglycerin, nitronium perchlorate, nitrosyl perchlorate, nitrotetrazolate-n-oxides, octaazacubane, pentazenium hexafluoroarsenate, peroxy acids, peroxy mono sulfuric acid, silver azide, silver acetylide, silver fulminate, silver nitride, tellurium tetraazide, tert-butyl hydroperoxide, tetraamine copper complexes, tetraazidomethane, tetrazene explosive, tetranitratoxycarbon, titanium tetraazide, triazidomethane, TNT, RDX, blackpowder, ANFO and others.
In some embodiments, the at least one explosive is selected amongst acetylides of heavy metals, aluminum containing polymeric propellant, aluminum ophorite explosive, amatex, amatol, ammonal, ammonium nitrate explosive mixtures, ammonium nitrate explosive mixtures, aromatic nitro-compound explosive mixtures, ammonium perchlorate explosive mixtures, ammonium perchlorate composite propellant, ammonium picrate, ammonium salt lattice with isomorphously, substituted inorganic salts, ANFO, baratol, baronol, BEAF [1, 2-bis (2, 2-difluoro-2-nitroacetoxyethane)], blackpowder, black powder based explosive mixtures, blasting agents, blasting caps, blasting gelatin, blasting powder, BTNEC [bis (trinitroethyl) carbonate], bulk salutes, BTNEN [bis (trinitroethyl) nitramine], BTTN [1,2,4-butanetriol trinitrate], butyl tetryl, calcium nitrate explosive mixture, cellulose hexanitrate explosive mixture, chlorate explosive mixtures, composition A and variations, composition B and variations, composition C and variations, copper acetylide, cyanuric triazide, cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine [RDX], cyclotetramethylenetetranitramine [HMX], cyclonite [RDX], cyclotol, DATB [diaminotrinitrobenzene], DDNP [diazodinitrophenol], DEGDN [diethyleneglycol dinitrate], detonating cord, detonators, dimethylol dimethyl methane dinitrate composition, dinitroethyleneurea, dinitroglycerine [glycerol dinitrate], dinitrophenol, dinitrophenolates, dinitrophenyl hydrazine, dinitroresorcinol, dinitro toluene- sodium nitrate explosive mixtures, DIPAM, dipicryl sulfone, dipicrylamine, display fireworks, DNPD [dinitropentano nitrile], DNPA [2,2-dinitropropyl acrylate], dynamite, EDDN [ethylene diamine dinitrate], EDNA, ednatol, EDNP [ethyl 4, 4 -dinitropentano ate], erythritol tetranitrate explosives, esters of nitro-substituted alcohols, EGDN [ethylene glycol dinitrate], ethyl-tetryl, explosive conitrates, explosive gelatins, explosive mixtures containing oxygen releasing inorganic salts and hydrocarbons, explosive mixtures containing oxygen releasing inorganic salts and nitro bodies, explosive mixtures containing oxygen releasing inorganic salts and water insoluble fuels, explosive mixtures containing oxygen releasing inorganic salts and water soluble fuels, explosive mixtures containing sensitized nitromethane, explosive mixtures containing tetranitromethane (nitroform), explosive nitro compounds of aromatic hydrocarbons, explosive organic nitrate mixtures, explosive liquids, explosive powders, flash powder, fulminate of mercury, fulminate of silver, fulminating gold, fulminating mercury, fulminating platinum, fulminating silver, gelatinized nitrocellulose, gem-dinitro aliphatic explosive mixtures, guanyl nitrosamino guanyl tetrazene, guanyl nitrosamino guanylidene hydrazine, guncotton, heavy metal azides, hexanite, hexanitrodiphenylamine, hexanitrostilbene, hexogen (RDX), hexogene or octogene and a nitrated N-methylaniline, hexolites, HMX [cyclo-l,3,5,7-tetramethylene 2,4,6, 8-tetranitramine; Octogen], hydrazinium nitrate/hydrazine/aluminum explosive system, hydrazoic acid, igniter cord, igniters, initiating tube systems, KDNBF [potassium dinitrobenzofuroxane], lead azide, lead mannite, lead mononitroresorcinate, lead picrate, lead salts, lead styphnate [styphnate of lead, lead trinitroresorcinate], liquid nitrated polyol and trimethylolethane, liquid oxygen explosives, magnesium ophorite explosives, mannitol hexanitrate, MDNP [methyl 4,4-dinitropentanoate], MEAN [monoethanolamine nitrate], mercuric fulminate, mercury oxalate, mercury tartrate, metriol trinitrate, minol-2 [40% TNT, 40% ammonium nitrate, 20% aluminum], MMAN [monomethylamine nitrate], mononitrotoluene-nitroglycerin mixture, monopropellants, NIBTN [nitroisobutametriol trinitrate], nitrate sensitized with gelled nitroparaffin, nitrated carbohydrate explosive, nitrated glucoside explosive, nitrated polyhydric alcohol explosives, nitrates of soda explosive mixtures, nitric acid and a nitro aromatic compound explosive, nitric acid and carboxylic fuel explosive, nitric acid explosive mixtures, nitro aromatic explosive mixtures, nitro compounds of furane explosive mixtures, nitrocellulose explosive, nitroderivative of urea explosive mixture, nitrogelatin explosive, nitrogen trichloride, nitrogen tri-iodide, nitroglycerine [NG, RNG, nitro, glyceryltrinitrate, trinitroglycerine], nitroglycide, nitroglycol (ethylene glycol dinitrate, EGDN), nitroguanidine explosives, nitroparaffins explosive grade and ammonium nitrate mixtures, nitronium perchlorate propellant mixtures, nitrostarch, nitro-substituted carboxylic acids, nitrourea, octogen [HMX], octol [75 % HMX, 25 % TNT], organic amine nitrates, organic nitramines, PBX [RDX and plasticizer], pellet powder, penthrinite composition, pentolite, perchlorate explosive mixtures, peroxide based explosive mixtures, PETN [nitropentaerythrite, pentaerythrite tetranitrate, pentaerythritol tetranitrate], picramic acid and its salts, picramide, picrate of potassium explosive mixtures, picratol, picric acid (manufactured as an explosive), picryl chloride, picryl fluoride, PLX [95% nitromethane, 5% ethylenediamine], polynitro aliphatic compounds, polyolpolynitrate- nitrocellulose explosive gels, potassium chlorate and lead sulfocyanate explosive, potassium nitrate explosive mixtures, potassium nitroaminotetrazole, pyrotechnic compositions, PYX (2,6-bis(picrylamino))-3,5-dinitropyridine, RDX [cyclonite, hexogen, T4, cyclo-1, 3, 5, -trimethylene-2, 4, 6, -trinitramine; hexahydro-1, 3, 5-trinitro-S- triazine], salutes, salts of organic amino sulfonic acid explosive mixture, silver acetylide, silver azide, silver fulminate, silver oxalate explosive mixtures, silver styphnate, silver tartrate explosive mixtures, silver tetrazene, slurried explosive mixtures of water, inorganic oxidizing salt, gelling agent, fuel and sensitizer, smokeless powder, sodatol, sodium amatol, sodium azide explosive mixture, sodium dinitro-ortho- cresolate, sodium nitrate-potassium nitrate explosive mixture, sodium picramate, special fireworks, styphnic acid explosives, tacot [tetranitro-2,3,5,6-dibenzo-l,3a,4,6a tetrazapentalene], TATB [triaminotrinitrobenzene], TEGDN [triethylene glycol dinitrate], Tetrazene [tetracene, tetrazine, l(5-tetrazolyl)-4-guanyl tetrazene hydrate], tetranitrocarbazole, tetryl [2,4,6-tetranitro-N-methylaniline], tetrytol, thickened inorganic oxidizer salt slurried explosive mixture, TMETN [trimethylolethane trinitrate], TNEF [trinitroethyl formal], TNEOC [trinitroethylorthocarbonate], TNEOF [trinitroethylorthoformate], TNT [trinitrotoluene], torpex, tridite, trimethylol ethyl methane trinitrate composition, trimethylolthane trinitrate-nitrocellulose, trimonite, trinitroanisole, trinitrobenzene, trinitrobenzoic acid, trinitrocresol, trinitro-meta-cresol, trinitronaphthalene, trinitrophenetol, trinitrophloroglucinol, trinitroresorcinol, tritonal, urea nitrate, xanthamonas hydrophilic colloid explosive mixture and others.
The invention further provides an auxiliary explosive material for use in combination with a high or a fracture explosive in blasthole ground blasting, e.g., for use in a blasting or mining/quarrying or ground clearing purposes, the auxiliary material comprising or consisting a non-explosive material and at least one explosive material in an amount not exceeding 5% of the total amount of the auxiliary material. In other words, the auxiliary explosive material comprises or consists at least 95wt% of a nonexplosive material and up to 5wt% of at least one explosive material.
The invention also provides an auxiliary explosive material for use in blasthole for reducing an amount of a high or a fracture explosive used for blasting, e.g., for mining/quarrying or ground clearing purposes, the auxiliary material comprising or consisting a non-explosive material and at least one explosive material in an amount not exceeding 5% of the total amount of the auxiliary material.
In some embodiments, the auxiliary explosive material comprises scrap or waste materials selected from fabrics, paper products, polymers, wood and others.
In some embodiments, the explosive material may be any one of the explosives listed herein.
The invention further contemplates use of an auxiliary explosive material as disclosed herein in a method of mining or in a method of clearing a ground area.
The invention further provides a process for reducing an amount of a high or a fracture explosive material in a blasthole while maintaining explosion potential substantially unaffected or the same, the process comprising replacing at least 30% of the high or fracture explosive with a mixture as disclosed herein.
The invention further provides a process for reducing an amount of a high or a fracture explosive material in a blasthole while increasing explosion potential, the process comprising replacing at least 30% of the fracture explosive with a mixture as disclosed herein.
The invention further provides a blasthole array, at least a number of the blastholes in said array are modified blastholes according to the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In order to better understand the subject matter that is disclosed herein and to exemplify how it may be carried out in practice, embodiments will now be described, by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figs. 1A-B depict a square region of a blast field including an array of blastholes. Fig. 1A depicts a field having a larger number of blastholes per ground area as compared to the field of Fig. IB having fewer blastholes, each being a modified blasthole according to the invention.
Fig. 2 is a schematic side view of blastholes charged according to the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
As disclosed herein, a blast field may be any land region in which ground clearance, mining or quarrying is desired. Typically, the ground geography is a rock land region. The number of blastholes and hole pattern may vary based on a number of parameters relating to the land to be cleared, the explosive and the depth of clearance required. The basic blasthole array is a single -row, a square, a rectangular or a staggered array. A square blast field configuration 100 is depicted in Fig. 1A, wherein the blastholes 10 are arranged substantially equidistance from each other. The distances 20 and 30 between the blastholes in each array may vary depending on a plurality of variables and considerations known in the art.
By utilizing a modified blasthole according to the invention, an array arrangement of blastholes may comprise a number of blastholes that is smaller than a number of blastholes typically used for achieving the same explosion potential or destruction power, per given ground area. A reduction in the number of blastholes 10 may be achieved by increasing the distances 20 and 30 shown in Fig. 1A to distances 20A or 30A, respectively, as depicted for a blast field 200 in Fig. IB. Typically, a reduction of at least 10% in the number of blastholes for a given ground area may be achieved by utilizing a modified blasthole according to the invention.
A side view of 3 modified blastholes 10 are shown a blast field 300 in Fig. 2. The distance 20 between each blasthole may be determined as acceptable in the field. Each blasthole 10 is charged with a first amount of a fracture explosive 50, a mixture 60 comprising or consisting a non-explosive material contaminated with at least one explosive material in an amount not exceeding 5% of the total amount of the mixture, a further amount of the fracture explosive 70 and a clogging material 80. The layers are not shown to scale and may vary in amount. Nevertheless, this arrangement defines a reduction of at least 30% in the amount of fracture explosive that is used in a conventional blasthole.
Field Test 1:
In a field test, 85 blastholes were drilled 5 meters apart to a depth ranging from 2 to 6 meters. Each blasthole was filled with 26Kg of ANFO per meter.
In a nearby field, an identical test was run, wherein an inert mixture according to the invention, contained in an elongated plastic container and measuring 1 meter in length, was placed in the blasthole; thereby reducing the amount of ANFO by 16Kg per blasthole. Upon initiation of explosion, the ground was inspected to determine the effect of the exposition in each filed.
Field Test 2:
In a field test, 122 blastholes were drilled 5 meters apart to a depth ranging from 1.5 to 6 meters. Each blasthole was filled with 26Kg of ANFO per meter.
In a nearby field, an identical test was run, wherein an inert mixture according to the invention, contained in an elongated plastic container and measuring 1 meter in length, was placed in the blasthole; thereby reducing the amount of ANFO by 2.2 tons per field (out of a total of 4.4 tons used in the comparative run).
Upon initiation of explosion, the ground was inspected to determine the effect of the exposition in each filed.
Results:
Both field tests showed that the amount of explosives typically used in mining can be reduced by about 50%. Using the inert mixture of the invention resulted in an improvement in about 20% in the explosive potential. In other words, the same effect may be obtained with a lesser amount of the explosives and in a smaller blasthole distribution (less blastholes per area).
As scrap or waste materials may comprise an amount of an explosive material which identity may not be known, the inventor has tested several batches of such mixtures and has demonstrated the effectiveness of the modified blasthole irrespective of the explosive type.

Claims

CLAIMS:
1. A process for blasting, the process comprising charging one or a plurality of blastholes with (a) a fracture explosive, and (b) a mixture comprising or consisting at least one non-explosive material contaminated with at least one explosive material, wherein the amount of the at least one explosive material in the mixture is substantially a contaminating amount; and initiating an explosion.
2. The process according to claim 1, the process comprising separately charging a blasthole formed in a ground geography with (a) at least one predetermined amount of a fracture explosive and (b) at least one predetermined amount of a mixture comprising or consisting at least one non-explosive material contaminated with at least one explosive material, wherein the amount of the at least one explosive material in the mixture is a contaminating amount, wherein any predetermined amount of the mixture is provided between two predetermined amounts of the fracture explosive.
3. The process according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the blasthole is charged with two or more amounts of the fracture explosive, such that any two amounts are separated by an amount of the mixture.
4. The process according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising
(a) charging a blasthole formed in a ground geography with a first amount of a fracture explosive,
(b) charging the blasthole with a mixture comprising or consisting at least one non-explosive material contaminated with at least one explosive material, wherein the amount of the at least one explosive material in the mixture is a contaminating amount, and
(c) charging the blasthole with a second amount of the fracture explosive.
5. The process according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising clogging or covering or plugging the blasthole with a solid material to substantially ground level.
6. The process according to any one of the preceding claims, the process comprising
-drilling one or more blastholes in a ground geography,
-charging the one or more blastholes with a first amount of the fracture explosive, -on said amount of the fracture explosive introducing into the blastholes a packed mixture comprising or consisting at least one non-explosive material contaminated with at least one explosive material, wherein the amount of the at least one explosive material in the mixture does not exceed 5wt% of the weight of the mixture,
-on said packed mixture charging a second amount of the fracture explosive, and -clogging the blasthole with a solid material to substantially ground level.
7. The process according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each blasthole is equipped with an initiation system.
8. The process according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the fracture explosive is an energetic material that detonates to produce a high-intensity shock wave and large volumes of gas.
9. The process according to claim 8, wherein the fracture explosive is selected from dynamite, black powder, slurries, water gels, nitroglycerine-based explosives and ammonium nitrate fuel oil (ANFO) and blends or gels thereof.
10. The process according to claim 9, wherein the fracture explosive is ANFO or ANFO-emulsion blends, heavy ANFO, and gels of ANFO.
11. The process according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the mixture comprises scrap and waste materials contaminated with at least one explosive material.
12. The process according to claim 11, wherein the scrap or waste material is selected from clothing products, gloves, laboratory products, wood, metals, plastics, polymers and composite materials.
13. The process according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the mixture is provided as shreds or as mechanically processed pieces of scrap or waste material.
14. The process according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the mixture is provided within an enclosure of a size and shape suitable for introducing into the blasthole.
15. The process according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the contaminating amount is an amount not exceeding 5wt%, relative to the amount of mixture used.
16. The process according to claim 6 or 15, wherein the amount is 5, 4, 3 or 2wt% of the total weight of the mixture.
17. The process according to claim 16, wherein the amount of the explosive is at least 0.1% of the total weight of the mixture. - 16 -
18. The process according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one explosive present in the mixture is a military grade or civilian grade explosive material selected from primary, secondary or tertiary explosives.
19. The process according to claim 18, wherein the at least one explosive material is selected from acetone peroxide, alkali metal ozonides, ammonium permanganate, ammonium chlorate, azidotetrazolates, azoclathrates, benzoyl peroxide, benzvalene, 3,5-bis(trinitromethyl)tetrazole, chlorine oxides, copper acetylide, copper azide, cyanogen azide, cyanuric triazide, diacetyl peroxide, l-diazidocarbamoyl-5- azidotetrazole, diazodinitrophenol, diazomethane, diethyl ether peroxide, 4-dimethyl aminophenylpentazole, disulfur dinitride, ethyl azide, explosive antimony, fluorine perchlorate, fulminic acid, fluorine azide, chlorine azide, bromine azide, hexamethylene triperoxide diamine, hydrazoic acid, hypofluorous acid, lead azide, lead styphnate, lead picrate, manganese heptoxide, mercury fulminate, mercury nitride, methyl ethyl ketone peroxide, nickel hydrazine nitrate, nickel hydrazine perchlorate, nitrogen trichloride, nitrogen tribromide, nitrogen triiodide, nitroglycerin, nitronium perchlorate, nitrosyl perchlorate, nitrotetrazolate-n-oxides, octaazacubane, pentazenium hexafluoroarsenate, peroxy acids, peroxy mono sulfuric acid, silver azide, silver acetylide, silver fulminate, silver nitride, tellurium tetraazide, tert-butyl hydroperoxide, tetraamine copper complexes, tetraazidomethane, tetrazene explosive, tetranitratoxycarbon, titanium tetraazide, triazidomethane, TNT, RDX, blackpowder and ANFO.
20. An auxiliary explosive material for use in combination with a high or a fracture explosive in blasthole ground blasting, the auxiliary explosive material comprising or consisting a non-explosive material contaminated with at least one explosive material in an amount not exceeding 5% of the total amount of the auxiliary material.
21. The explosive material according to claim 20, for use in a blasting method.
22. The explosive material according to claim 21, for ground clearing, mining or quarrying.
23. An auxiliary explosive material for use in blasthole for reducing an amount of a fracture explosive used for blasting, the auxiliary material comprising or consisting a non-explosive material contaminated with at least one explosive material in an amount not exceeding 5% of the total amount of the auxiliary material.
24. A process for reducing an amount of a fracture explosive material in a blasthole while maintaining explosion potential substantially unaffected or the same, the process - 17 - comprising replacing at least 30% of the fracture explosive with an auxiliary explosive material comprising or consisting a non-explosive material contaminated with at least one explosive material in an amount not exceeding 5% of the total amount of the auxiliary material.
25. A method of quarrying, the method comprising charging a blasthole drilled into a ground with (a) a fracture explosive and (b) a mixture comprising or consisting at least one non-explosive material contaminated with at least one explosive material, wherein the amount of the at least one explosive material not exceeding 5wt% of the weight of the mixture.
PCT/IL2022/050065 2021-01-17 2022-01-17 A process for blasting WO2022153314A1 (en)

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Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR1214584A (en) * 1959-01-24 1960-04-11 Method for jamming in blasting, tamping for the implementation of this method
WO2005033618A1 (en) * 2003-10-03 2005-04-14 International Technologies, Llc Blasting

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR1214584A (en) * 1959-01-24 1960-04-11 Method for jamming in blasting, tamping for the implementation of this method
WO2005033618A1 (en) * 2003-10-03 2005-04-14 International Technologies, Llc Blasting

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IL304351A (en) 2023-09-01

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