New Technologies
The advent of modern technologies in manufacture of explosives including emulsions lead IBP to radically change the original technology from Ireco Inc. and introduce new and cost effective technologies in both slurry and emulsion products. However, the original Ireco’s slurry technology obtained in 80’s was modified through in house marketing and R&D efforts and made superior to that of emulsion technology. Therefore, the superior techno-economic advantages of site mixed slurry explosives over that of bulk emulsion explosives were made available and the majority of IBP’s plants (9 out of 14) continue to produce highly improvised bulk slurry explosives.
The site mixed slurry explosives, as the name suggests are manufactured on site in a specially designed truck (called pumptruck) by carrying non-explosive ingredients in separate chambers, mixing them in tailor-made proportions and pumping them in liquid form directly in to bore holes. The poured mixture acquires the characteristics of an explosive within about ten minutes of pumping and solidifies slowly to the shape of the bore hole. Unlike bulk emulsions, the SMS can be pumped in various densities ranging from 0.6 g/cm³ to as high as 1.20 g/cm³ and the energy can be varied to produce twenty different types of chemically balanced explosive products to exactly the suit the rock conditions and achieve techno-economic advantages for the customers. The system eliminated the need for packaging, inventory, storage and handling of various types of explosives and thus lowered direct costs to customers..
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