16 replies to this topic

[rocket gary]

Hi all, is Ammonium perchlorate safe to store iv read online some where that it can self detonating can any one shed some light on this thanks ?

[RFD]

Ammonium nitrate is well documented for detonating but i havnt seen anything about ammonium perc,thats not to say it hasnt happened i just havnt heard about it,providing its kept dry and seperate from fuels and heat sources all should be well,if unsure then the brutal obvious choice is 'don't do it!!.

[rocket gary]

thanks for the reply and i think ill risk it just wonderd

[CCH Concepts]

i have a few grams of ammonium nitrate that was part of a kit i brought off of ebay. its granulated into like 3mm balls I'm assuming due to its hygroscopic nature. i have it in a glass jar with plastic lid. should i be worried about this? i hadn't thought i was a problem without a fuel.

[BrightStar]

Hi all, is Ammonium perchlorate safe to store iv read online some where that it can self detonating can any one shed some light on this thanks ?

Ammonium perchlorate confined in large quantities (1000s of tonnes) has been known to detonate when subject to fire. In smaller quantities it won't, even if attempts are made to initiate it. The US authorities recently proposed reclassifying AP as an explosive, a big problem for the rocketry guys, but after testing found that it couldn't be used as such.

For our hobby the major hazard is Ammonium chlorate, which can be accidentally formed it AP mixes with chlorates. This is highly unstable and will explode or self-combust unpredictably. The safety recommendation is never to use AP and chlorates in the same workshop.

The fertiliser grade ammonium nitrate you can buy in the UK is intentionally made and certified to be very resistant to detonation. As an oxidiser it's fairly useless due the hygroscopic nature but may be considered safe to store. Better to just use it on the lawn...

[rocket gary]

thanks for the info so i should be fine as not quite got a 1000 tones hehe just wanted to make sure storeing it was ok

[Creepin_pyro]

PEPCON anyone?



: P

[CCH Concepts]

there is clips on youtube of the nitrate being shot witha rifle and it detonating. but if thats what it takes i dont see there being a problem. only use ive seen for it so far is smoke b**b. which is why its never been used.

[seymour]

Ammonium perchlorate can detonate, and is probably more sensitive to detonation that many of us think. I've heard of cases where it has detonated while being ball milled, and reduced in a blender. Both times it was just NH4ClO4, not a composition.

I don't know exactly how it compares to Ammonium perchlorate as an HE, but I suspect that the reason AN is used for blasting, not AP, is because AN is much cheaper.

For storage, you do not need to worry, unless you are storing it in the oven, or in an open tray next to your chlorate grinding blender.

When making compositions with it, treat it with respect. It is known to be slow burning (not always true), but that does not mean it is unreactive. I'd treat it with a similar respect to what people have for Potassium Chlorate.

[CCH Concepts]

without going into banned topics, i am very interested to know why some chems have a HE propetry.

and does this count for any comp that will explode unconfiinded on an impact. like the chlorate/sulphur (death mix).

[digger]

without going into banned topics, i am very interested to know why some chems have a HE propetry.

and does this count for any comp that will explode unconfined on an impact. like the chlorate/sulphur (death mix).

Be very careful where you take this. There is a big difference between deflagration and detonation. Look it up.

Basically deflagration is flame propagation / decomposition that is slower than the speed of sound (this does not mean it won't create a bang unconfined), Detonation is a reaction/decomposition that is propagated by a shock wave (faster than the speed of sound).

Why do some chems have this property. Sorry this is out of the scope of these forums as we do not do detonation, not even with flash powder, although it can be done with certain types using very specific techniques.

Edited by digger, 17 November 2009 - 06:54 PM.

[CCH Concepts]

cheers for answering. I'm guessing from the tone of the answer i should leave this subject here though. also I'm not sure if it something i should google, I'm always worried some man in an office somewhere will start looking closely at me if i google the wrong things.

[CanadianPyro]

I believe Ammonium Perchlorate is only classified as a HE when the particle size is below a certain point, somewhere around 15µm. Above that, it's classified an an oxidizer only.

Not touching on the HE properties question, since that type of discussion is banned on these forums. Don't worry about using Google search; information is still free at the time of this writing.

[pyrotrev]

AP doesn't really support full detonation properly, even when properly initiated except when confined in large amounts (and we're talking a tonne or more - don't suppose you'll be needing that much ).

[seymour]

Need... No.

Want....