The Manufacture and Use of Fine NCN for Secondary Blasting at Cominco's Sullivan Mine
E. Sadar Research engineer H. R. Hammond Supervisor, Research & Testing* Sullivan Mine, The Consolidated Mining & Smelting Co. of Canada Ltd ., Kimberley, B.C.
Cominco is making substantial savings in secondary breaking by replacing dynamite with a new nitrate-based explosive. Compared with dynamite. the. new explosive, known locally as "Fine NCN," is significantly cheaper, more effective and safer to use. It also works better than prilled NCN, which is unsatisfactory for secondary blasting because of inadequate sensitivity, low strength and awkward handling properties. A simple apparatus has been devised for pulverizing prilled NCN to a fineness practical for effective secondary breaking. Blasting systems using cheap detonating cord for initiation have been developed.
Keywords:
ammonium nitrate, detonating cord, dynamite, NCN sensitivity, Sullivan Mine, blasting, Explosives, Fines, Pulverizers, steel, Steels, Strength, test, Tests
