Ammonium nitrate explosion hazards
Opasnosti od eksplozije koje potiču od amonijum nitrata
Keywords:
ammonium nitrate; explosion; accident; handling; storage; transport
Abstract
Ammonium nitrate (AN) primarily is used as a fertilizer but it is also very important compound in the production of industrial explosives. The application of ammonium nitrate in the production of industrial explosives was related with the early era of Nobel dynamite and widely increased with the appearance of blasting agents such as ANFO and Slurry, in the middle of the last Century. Throughout the world millions of tons of ammonium nitrate are produced annually and handled without incident. Although ammonium nitrate generally is used safely, accidental explosions involving AN have high impact resulting in loss of lives and destruction of property. The paper presents the basic properties of ammonium nitrate as well as hazards in handling of ammonium nitrate in order to prevent accidents. Several accidents with explosions of ammonium nitrate resulted in catastrophic consequences are listed in the paper as examples of non-compliance with prescribed procedures.References
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COMPRESSED GAS ASSOCIATION (1963) Standards for solid ammonium nitrate. (Nitrous Oxide Grade, Specifications, Properties and Recommendations For Packaging, Transportation, Storage and Use). 2nd ed. New York: Compressed Gas Association Inc.
EUROPEAN FERTILIZER MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION (2000) Production of Ammonium Nitrate and Calcium Ammonium Nitrate, Booklet No. 6 [Online]. Available from: http://www.fertilizerseurope.com/fileadmin/user_upload/user_upload_prodstew/documents Booklet_nr_6_Production_of_Ammonium_Nitrate_and_Calcium_Ammonium_Nitrate.pdf [15/04/15].
ELVERS, B. (1989) Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry, Vol. A2. 5th ed. Weinheim: Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, pp.243-252.
FRENCH MINISTRY OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (2008) Explosion in a nitrogenous fertiliser plant 21 September 1921 Oppau Germany [Online] Available from: http://www.aria.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/wp-content/files_mf/FD_14373_oppau_1921_ang.pdf [04/10/15].
FRENCH MINISTRY OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (2013) Explosion in the AZF fertilizer plant September 21st, 2001 Toulouse France [Online] Available from: http://www.aria.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/wp-content/files_mf/FD_21329_TOULOUSE_DP_JLC_GB_29072013.pdf [05/03/15].
GLOBAL SECURITY (2004) Train-wreck and Explosion [Online] Available from: http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/dprk/ryongchon-magery.htm [05/02/15].
HEATHER, D. (2002) A review of past ammonium nitrate accidents and lessons learned. In: Presentation at the "Workshop on Ammonium Nitrate",
Ispra, January 2002. Ispra: European Fertilizer Manufacturers Association.
HIGHBEAM RESEARCH (2004) [Online] Available from: http://static.highbeam.com/u/unitedpressinternational/may242004/ [05/25/04].
HIP-AZOTARA (2015) Safety Data Sheet - Ammonium Nitrate 34.8%N. Pančevo: HIP- Azotara.
HISTORY (2015) 1947 Fertilizer explosion kills 581 in Texas [Online] Available from: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/fertilizer-explosion-kills-581-in-texas [04/12/15].
KRIČAK, L. et al. (2010) Basic principles of handling ammonium nitrate (In Serbian). In: Proceedings of the 9 th International Scientific Conference OMC 2010, Vrnjačka Banja, October 2010. Belgrade: Yugoslav Opencast Mining Committee, pp.100-109.
MELLOR, J. (1922) A Comprehensive Treatise on Inorganic and Theoretical Chemistry, Vol. 2. London: Longmans Green.
NYGAARD, E.C. (2006) Safety of Ammonium Nitrate. Porsgrunn: International Society of Explosives Engineers.
SAFETY IN ENGINEERING (2013) Three Significant Ammonium Nitrate Accidents [Online] Available from: www.safetyinengineering.com [05/07/15].
SUSLICK, K. (1992) Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, Vol.2. 4th ed. New York: John Wiley & Sons, pp.698–705.
TÉLÉVISION FRANÇAISE 1 (2003) [Online] Available from: http://www.lci.fr/news/france/2003/0,,1394620-VU5WX0lEIDUy,00.html [10/03/03].
THINKSPAIN (2004) Lorry explodes after collision in Castellón [Online] Available from: http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/3324 [02/11/15].
UNITED NATIONS (2009) Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods, Model Regulations. 16th ed. [Online] Available from: http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/trans/danger/publi/unrec/rev16/English/Volume1.pdf [04/12/15].
US DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE (1972) Hazards of Chemical Rockets and Propellants Handbook Vol. 2, Solid Rocket Propellant Processing, Handling, Storage and Transportation. Springfield: National Technical Information Services.
Published
2015-12-31
How to Cite
Negovanović, M., Kričak, L., Milanović, S., Đokić, N., & Simić, N. (2015). Ammonium nitrate explosion hazards. Podzemni Radovi, (27), 49-63. https://doi.org/10.5937/podrad1527049N
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