Efficacy of ANFO /ANFO Blends in

Blasting Applications

1
 Ammonium Nitrate

Ammonium Nitrate (NH4NO3) is an

inorganic salt having molecular weight
80.
It is abundantly used in explosives
formulation
It provides oxygen for detonation,
It delivers highest energy of 960 kcal/kg
with fuel oil.
2
Technology Partners for Manufacturing porous Prills

 UHDE, Germany

 Stamicarbon, Netherlands

 Grand Pariosse, France

 Norsk Hydro, Sweden

Deepak Fertilisers Have Acquired The Top Notch Technologies In LDAN Production

3
 ANFO/ANFO Blends

Key Questions

Is it Globally preferred
Way Forward for product ? If so, why ?
introduction in Mining ANFO/ANFO
Blends

Are there Techno- commercial

Is it Possible to establish in benefits ??
large scale in India ?

Is it Safe & Environmentally friendly ?

Through our Presentation we try to answer the above Questions

 Is it Global Preferred Product ?

Globally Mining companies prefers ANFO/ANFO Blends

5
 Global Supplier

Product Basket
Global Supplier Straight
ANFO ANFO Blends
Emulsion
Orica Yes Yes Yes
Dyno Nobel Yes Yes Yes
Maxam Yes Yes Yes
AEL Yes Yes Yes
Austin Powder Yes Yes Yes
Indian Explosive Manu. ---- Yes ----

Globally in mining operations, the explosive product of choice has become

ANFO/ANFO blends ( B.L.Hansen & K.S. Atkinson; Dyno ,USA).
 Volume

Total Explosives '000 tonnes ANFO / ANFO Blends

4000

3600
4873
VOLUME IN KMT

3898

1600

1500
1197
1184

1065

644

926
515

744

70
USA LATIN AMERICA FORMER USSR AFRICA INDIA CHINA AUSTRALIA
REGION

Advance mining region uses 80-85% of ANFO/ANFO Blends

 Selection of Expl - Global practices
The relationship between type of explosive & type of rock can be represented as below:

Hard Doped ANFO

Emulsion Blends
Rock Strength

Straight emulsion are very rarely used

Light
Soft/Medium ANFO ANFO

ANFO ANFO

Low High
Fracture Intensity

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 Strength of Explosives

SHOCK Impedance of
+ ENERGY
Explosives
Energy
GAS
ENERGY

P wave Velocity X Sp. Gravity = VOD (Explosive)

X Density ……………..Affects Fragmentation
Gas Energy = HEAVE ENERGY
Affects degree of muckpile Looseness & Digability
Cost Vs Saving – Model

D&B Post Blast

activities activities

Loading &
Hauling
20-30%
Drilling Crushing
15-20%
Blasting Maint
50-
60%

If there is 0.01$ inc. in explosive costs , you may get $1.0

benefit 10
 Structure of ANFO

AN
HSD Prills
absorbe
d by Air
Porous Spaces
Prills

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 Hard, Brittle Rock
Small crushed Many cracks form
zone

Rock cannot
bend easily
Free
face

Cracking is important
Cracks travel well
 Blasting process

1 Blasthole crushing (detonation pressure)

2 Shock wave reflections
3 Cracks form

Impact Eject

Force Vibration transmission

Blasting process Crack Extension by Gases

4 Gases wedge into cracks

5 Rock gets thrown out and tumbled

Gases Eject Fragments

Gases wedge
into cracks

Fragmentation is defined
Techno-Commercial
Benefits - ANFO

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 Loading Pattern
115 mm 115 mm

3 M tr

Stemming

3 M tr
8 Mtrr

57 Kg EMULSION

8 Mtr
Explosive
41.5 Kg ANFO

Loading Density: 8.3 Kg/M tr Loading Density: 11.4 Kg/M tr

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 Results of blast with ANFO and Bulk
Explosives

• Impact of Heave Energy-ANFO • Impact of Shock Energy-Emulsion

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 Explosive Type And Rock Mass Properties

 Medium Hard Rock lies between

UCS, 70-100 MPa

 ANFO has appropriate VOD for

effective fragmentation in medium
hard strata

 Gas/heave/bubble energy is
dominant in ANFO which contributes
in fragmentation of rock

 About 60 % fragmentation is
attributed to heave energy and only
20 % to shock energy.

σc (Uniaxial compressive
strength), MPa
Source: Drilling & Blasting- Jimeno Lopez
 There is a lot of Deepak in Explosives

• Indirectly Attached To Source • Directly Attached To Source

AN Manufacturers
AN Manufacturers

Explosives
Manufacturers Assured Supply Everytime
Priorities Accident
Profits Limitations
Loss
End Users (90% AN
of Deepak
End Users (68% of
Fertilisers)
AN of Deepak We make you self-reliant
Fertilisers)

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The Right Explosives - Why ANFO ?

ANFO Emulsion
o Formulation cannot be o Formulation can be altered.
altered. ANFO will always Can have anywhere between
Consistency
have 94% AN 65% to 75% AN

ANFO
o Lowest blasting cost
o Highest energy
o Best fragmentation
Lowest TCO o Lowest ground vibration
Emulsion
o High per unit blasting cost
o Moderate energy. RWS
always lower than that of
ANFO
o Inferior fragmentation and
muck looseness. Affects
productivity of downstream
processes

ANFO Emulsion
Security of
o Self reliance o Dependence on 3rd party
Supplies
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 Summary of Global Practice

 ANFO/ANFO Blends are preferred explosives world-wide.

 Globally, all dry holes are blasted with ANFO/ANFO Blends .

 Holes with little water, are loaded with ANFO Blends at the bottom
and ANFO at the top.

 All wet holes are loaded with Emulsion doped with Porous Prilled
Ammonium Nitrate .

 Straight emulsion are very rarely used.

Why Blasting Engineers are taking all the trouble of charging ANFO
with Liner in wet holes where ever possible ??

In India we use mostly Straight Emulsion

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 ANFO /ANFO Blends Vs Emulsion

ANFO/ANFO Blends Emulsion

• Lower per unit Energy Cost. • Higher per unit Energy Cost.

• Lower Density product -0.72 gm/cc to • Higher density product -1.15 to

0.85 gm/cc 1.21 gm/cc

• Higher gas( heave) energy. • Higher shock energy.

• Generate less vibration & fines • Higher fines and vibration.

• Suitable for soft to medium- hard rock • Not suitable for highly stratified
rock
ANFO has 25% higher gas energy which results in better fragmentation &
looseness of muck pile 23
 Techno-commercial Benefits ?

 Improved Powder Factor due to lower density

 Better Fragmentation & Loose Muck Pile due to higher gas

energy leading to

 Better bucket fill factor,

 Improved cycle time & higher productivity of loading &hauling
equipment
 Reduced secondary blasting cost
 Minimum Wear & Tear of HEMM

Blasting with ANFO/ANFO blend has positive effect on Downstream

Mining activities & is more Environmental friendly
 ANFO /ANO Blends Vs Emulsion

Fuel Oil- 5.0 %

Fuel -6%

Water -18-22%
AN – 94%

AN/Oxidiser – 72-
78%
ANFO.
No Water
Easy to balance formulation
You know what you are using Bulk Emulsion.

Due to higher Oxidiser content ANFO/ ANFO Blends have more Energy
 Mine to Mill

Improved fragmentation and loose muck pile impacting downstream

mining activities including Cycle time & maintenance of HEMM
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 Summary -Techno-commercial
Advantage

 Improved Powder Factor – By 15%-20% through reduced Explosive

charge/hole

 Better distribution of energy and high gas energy leads to better

Fragmentation and Loose muck pile------ Reduces Cycle time by 5-6 % and
Maintenance cost by 20%

 Higher productivity of Mine and faster exposure of ore.

 More Environment friendly – Less vibration by approx. 18% at distance of 100 mt,
Less dust generation & Lesser emission of obnoxious gases

Blasting with ANFO/ANFO blend improves overall Mining Productivity

Safety & Environmental friendly
Features ANFO/ANFO Blends
 More Environment friendly – Less vibration, Less Dust generation &
Lesser emission of obnoxious gases.

 Voids present in ANFO act as sensitizer. Over / under Chemical

gassing for sensitization in Emulsion may lead to misfires.

 ANFO / ANFO blends are considered safer while manufacturing, as

it involves more auguring and less pumping.

 ANFO is manufactured at normal temp, compared to high temp of

> 90-95 C for emulsion.

 Less chances of over charging in cracked holes with ANFO

 ANFO can help is disposing waste Oil generated by HEMM 28

Photo of a ANFO BMD system
 Salient points of Bulk ANFO System

• Mechanical mixing is safe.

• Fuel Oil MIXED OPTIMALLY as small quantities are
mixed at any instance.
• Mixing is very fast, 100-200 kg/min.
• Uniform mixing of ANFO is possible.
• Optimum explosive energy of ANFO is achieved.
• Delivery is mechanized and so fast.
• Larger blast can be handled which was earlier
getting restricted for various reasons.
• Manual mixing is totally eliminated.
• Workers safety; need not touch AN, FO or ANFO.
 Basic requirement

Basic requirement for operating Bulk-ANFO

system:
• A DGMS approved operating mine.
• NOC from DGMS for use of ANFO in mine.
• Licensed Bulk-ANFO system from CCE.
• Qualified blasters & system operators.
• Licensed explosive magazine for boosters & column
charges as & when required.
 Sample plant layout

• The plant layout shown (next slide) is representative, Size of

the plant layout could be around 20mt by 20mt.
• Plant should have a barbed wire fence and a gate. The gate
should be large enough for easy entry & exit of the Bulk
Mixing & Delivery (BMD) System.
• A shed of 6mt X 6mt should be provided for parking of the
Mixing & Delivery system when not in use & also to carry out
maintenance work. The shed should be high enough with a
clearance of around 3mt over the top side of the Mixing &
Delivery system. This is mainly to stand on the top of the
system comfortably or for any other necessary work.
BULK-ANFO
SYSTEM
UNDER SHED
ENTRANCE

PRILLED AN
GODOWN OFFICE

PLAN VIEW

OFFICE &
PRILLED AN
GODOWN,
ONE AFTER
ANOTHER

FRONT VIEW

ENTRANCE
 Raw Materials

• There are only 2 raw materials for ANFO:-

1) Low density prilled AN as oxidiser.
2) Diesel as fuel (FO).

• The BMD system should possess 2 main storage bins/tanks, for

the 2 main raw materials for making ANFO,
1) A bin for Prill AN,
2) A separate tank for fuel.

• The Prilled AN go-down is normally where the Prilled AN bags

are stored.
• The HSD / FO will be available from the CONSUMER PUMP of
the company.
Both the raw materials should be loaded from the respective
locations.
 Process flow chart

Following are the salient features of the process (next

slide):
• The Prilled AN is to be loaded in the AN Bin in the Mixing
& delivery system at the AN godown.
• The diesel to be loaded form the consumer pump.
• The 1st augur below the bin when operates brings the AN
in the 2nd augur which is the mixing chamber.
• The diesel gets pumped into the 2nd augur (either
vertical or inclined). The PAN & FO is mixed in this augur.
• The mixed ANFO is then carried to the 3rd augur
(horizontal), which is basically delivery augur.
• The 3rd augur carries ANFO to the flexible loading pipe
through which the ANFO is loaded into the drill-hole.
 SOURCE SOURCE DIESEL
STORE/GODOWN STORE

PRILLED AN BIN DRIVER

CABIN

FIRST AUGUR, (HORIZONTAL) AUGUR

2ND AUGUR, ANFO MIXING (VERTICAL) AUGUR

3RD AUGUR, DELIVERY (HORIZONTAL) AUGUR

BOREHOLE
Shed for Mixing & Delivery System
Thanks

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