Detonation of explosive Proppant: RDX-containing water-saturated sand

Abstract

The results of experimental investigations and thermodynamic calculations of the detonation of explosive proppant, an RDX-containing water-saturating sand, are reported. The material studied is of interest for use as an explosive additive to propping material injected into hydraulic fractures of oil-bearing beds. The tests were conducted in duralumin casings with cylindrical or planar inner channels. The dependences of the detonation velocity on the RDX content in the mixture in the range of 14 to 74 wt %, RDX and sand particle size, and initial temperature are examined. The critical detonation diameter of the charge decreases with increasing content RDX in the mixture, being only several millimeters at RDX contents of 30 wt % and above. Polydisperse RDX provides a high detonability of such mixtures; use of narrow particle size RDX fractions, especially coarse (0.4–0.7 mm), significantly increases the critical detonation diameter. As the initial temperature of the mixture is increased from 20 to 90°C, the critical detonation width decreases severalfold. The detonation of mixtures in a convergent planar channel occurs at a constant rate, which differs little from the detonation velocity measured in a cylindrical channel. Reaching the place where the opening of the channel is less than the critical width, detonation fails abruptly. Thermodynamic calculations of the detonation characteristics of the explosive proppant are performed using the BKWS equation of state under the assumption that the sand component behaves as an inert additive, being in mechanical equilibrium with the detonation products of the RDX-water mixture. A satisfactory agreement with the experimental data on the detonation velocity and its dependence on the RDX content is demonstrated. This makes it possible to conclude that RDX mixed with water-saturated sand detonates within a narrow reaction zone without significant convective heat transfer to the inert additive.