… ", "Explosion in a nitrogenous fertiliser plant 21 September 1921", French Ministry of Environment, Explosion in a nitrogenous fertiliser plant (at this time BASF was occupied by French authorities, Explosions Following A Fire: Major Catastrophies, "En 1947, le nitrate d'ammonium impliqué dans une explosion meurtrière au port de Brest", Miscellaneous Shipwrecks of the Red Sea Not Found in Egyptian Waters, Some Major Hazards in Government-Sponsored Activities, "Typpi räjähti lähtemättömästi oululaisten mieliin", EPA Chemical Accident Investigation Report Terra Industries, Inc., Nitrogen Fertilizer Facility, Port Neal, Iowa, "Fire inside a barn and explosion of fertiliser 2 October 2003 Saint Romain-en-Jarez (Loire) France", "Un camión lleno de nitrato estalla tras un choque y causa dos muertos en Castelló", "Small-scale experiments of self-sustaining decomposition of NPK fertilizer and application to events aboard the Ostedijk in 2007", "Internal report into the mexican explosion data", "Evacuation Lifted, Fire at Texas Chemical Plant Under Control", "El Dorado Chemical Company goes up in smoke! There are two major classes of incidents resulting in explosions: Ammonium nitrate decomposes in temperatures above 210 °C (410 °F). Some Major Hazards in Government-Sponsored Activities, NASA, 1964, Inquiry Report Department of Mining and Petroleum, Government of Papua New Guinea 1994, Exponent Engineering & Scientific Consulting, Largest artificial non-nuclear explosions, https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/191408086.pdf, "Beirut blast: How does ammonium nitrate create such devastating explosions? 2. In this study, an explosion combustion phenomenon of ammonium nitrate (ρ=1.7kg/cm3) was used instead of the explosive PETN and the ultra-high-speed destruction phenomenon of aluminum cylinder was analyzed. Burning ammonium nitrate in an open field, for instance, isn't likely to result in an explosion, Rae said. 2. With such a powerful blast, ammonium nitrate has been used by armies around the world as an explosive. The nitrate ion is polyatomic, meaning it is composed of two or more ions that are covalently bonded. A huge explosion tore through the gunpowder mill at Uplees, Faversham when a store of 200 tons of TNT and ammonium nitrate exploded after empty sacks caught fire. A mixture of ammonium nitrate and acetic acid ignites when warmed, especially if concentrated [Von Schwartz p. 322 1918]. ... Use spark-free and explosion-proof equipment. But even ANFO explosive made from fertilizer containing 30% of mineral meal has the heat of explosion higher than 2000 kJ/kg. Ammonium nitrate is made all over the world and is relatively cheap to buy. Bales of hay and straw were being stored on the mezzanine and ≈500 kg apples kept in the cold storage rooms. The resultant dust explosion from as little as 35 grams of aluminum powder per cubic meter of air can yield overpressures in the order of 0.6 million Pascals 7 (MPa). https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ammonium-nitrate-beirut-explosion Washington] U. S. Dept. This is a well-known hazard with some types of NPK fertilizers and is responsible for the loss of several cargo ships. The mix powder obtained by mixing aluminum powder (ρ=2.7kg/cm3) and ammonium nitrate was used instead of the explosive PETN, and an explosive combustion phenomenon was … A number of explosions in which ammonium nitrate and aluminum are mixed with carbon, hydrocarbons, with or without oxidizing agents has occurred [Mellor 5:219 1946-47]. Tragically, this … In addition, finely dispersed mixture of four components (ammonium nitrate, aluminum, powdered sugar, and TNT in a proportion of 76: 8: 12: 4) was used. ANE is an emulsion of ammonium nitrate, fuel and water. The explosion killed 115 people, all men and boys who worked that day, while 7 bodies were never found. In 1921, about 4,500 tonnes of ammonium nitrate caused an explosion at a plant in Oppau, Germany, killing more than 500 people The deadliest industrial accident in … The ammonium and nitrate molecules break down, and a large amount of oxygen gas is suddenly formed. Ammonium Nitrate is used by the military around the world as an explosive as well as in terrorist activities like the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, killing 168 people. Ammonium nitrate. The devastating explosion at a port in Beirut yesterday evening (Aug. 4) that killed more than 100 people and injured at least 4,000 seems to have stemmed from a … Lebanon blast: Ammonium nitrate behind many industrial accidents. Ammonium Nitrate: The Chemical That Caused the Explosion in Beirut. This week, a massive explosion involving ammonium nitrate rocked the city of Beirut, sending shock waves through the media.. The derailed cars included: four fuel oil tank cars, two tank cars of gasoline, three tank cars of petroleum oil, four cars of lube oil drums, three cars of liquid fertilizer, one car of fuming nitric acid and two cars of fertilizer grade ammonium nitrate. Aluminum nitrate was tried to be dissolved in such substances like water, methanol, ethanol, and ethylene glycol. 9H 2 O and the molar mass is 375.13 g mol-1.Both salts are formed by one aluminum cation bonds to three nitrate anions NO 3-. As of water, it is soluble at 160 g/100 mL at 100 °C. [citation needed] France Toulouse: September 21, 2001: 31 200-300 Aluminum nitrate is a salt composed of aluminum and nitric acid, belonging to a group of reactive chemicals - organic nitrate and nitrite compounds. Al 2 (SO 4) 3 + 3 Ba(NO 3) 2 → 2 Al(NO 3) 3 + 3 BaSO 4. For an industrial ammonium nitrate disaster to occur, a lot needs to go wrong. Pure AN is stable and will stop decomposing once the heat source is removed, but when catalysts are present, the reaction can become self-sustaining (known as self-sustaining decomposition, or SSD). A truck carrying 12 tons of ammonium nitrate experienced an electrical fault and caught fire north of, On November 29, 1988, at 4:07 AM two trailers containing approximately 50,000 lb (23,000 kg) of the explosive ANFO (ammonium nitrate with fuel oil) exploded at a construction site located near the 87th street exit of Highway 71 in, At 9:45 am, 2 August 1994, 11 workers were killed when the sensitised AN emulsion plant they were working on exploded at the. The mixtures of AN based fertilizers and aluminium have the high heat of explosion. The US president-elect says the nationwide vaccine rollout so far has been "a dismal failure". Ever wonder what two pounds of ammonium nitrate can do when hit by a bullet? Aluminum Nitrate / Molecular model of spheres Aluminum Nitrate / Molecular model beads and rods Aluminum nitrate nonahydrate / Molecular spheres model Aluminum Nitrate Nonahydrate / Molecular model beads and rods If you try this, stand far, far away! The explosion was officially announced as an accident. .css-14iz86j-BoldText{font-weight:bold;}Nearly 3,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate - taken from a ship off the coast of Beirut six years ago and then stored in a warehouse - has been blamed for the explosion that ripped through the port area of the Lebanese capital on Tuesday. In that instance, Timothy McVeigh used two tonnes of ammonium nitrate to create a bomb which destroyed a federal building and killed 168 people. "You have a supersonic shockwave that is travelling through the air, and you can see that in the white spherical cloud which travels out from the centre, expanding upwards," says Prof Sella. Potentially as dangerous as the dry aluminum reaction with oxygen is the wet aluminum reaction A truck carrying 56 tonnes rolled on a rural road, exploding shortly after the driver was rescued. Aluminum nitrate is soluble in all of these substances. .css-1xgx53b-Link{font-family:ReithSans,Helvetica,Arial,freesans,sans-serif;font-weight:700;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;color:#FFFFFF;}.css-1xgx53b-Link:hover,.css-1xgx53b-Link:focus{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}Read about our approach to external linking. (U.S. Bureau of Mines. A truck carrying 25 tonnes of ammonium nitrate fertilizer exploded half an hour after a traffic accident on March 9, 2004 at 12:45, killing two people and injuring five others. 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