Phase stabilized ammonium nitrate and method of making the same

• US 6,372,191 B1
• Filed: 12/03/1999
• Issued: 04/16/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Autoliv ASP Incorporated (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Autoliv ASP Incorporated (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Inventors: Taylor, Robert D., Mendenhall, Ivan V., Smith, Robert G.
• Primary Examiner(s): LANGEL, WAYNE A
• Application Number:
  US09/454,958
• Time in Patent Office: 865 Days
• Field of Search: 423/275, 423/396
• US Class Current: 423/396
• CPC Class Codes: C01C 1/18 Nitrates of ammonium
• CPC Class Codes: C06B 31/28 the salt being ammonium nitrate

Abstract

A phase stabilized ammonium nitrate and a method of making the same wherein ammonium nitrate is stabilized through the presence of a stabilizing metal diammine dinitrate without requiring or necessitating the isolation of explosive metal tetrammine nitrate complexes.

Claims

1. A method of making a phase stabilized ammonium nitrate, the method comprising:

drying and heat treating an aqueous slurry containing ammonium nitrate and a combination of at least one transition metal nitrate and an ammonia source, the ammonia source being present in at least a stoichiometric amount relative to the at least one transition metal nitrate for formation of a corresponding transition metal diammine dinitrate, to form a phase stabilized ammonium nitrate.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the phase stabilized ammonium nitrate contains at least about 1 wt. % of a diammine dinitrate of the at least one transition metal.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the phase stabilized ammonium nitrate contains at least about 10 wt. % of a diammine dinitrate of the at least one transition metal.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the phase stabilized ammonium nitrate contains at least about 15 wt. % of a diammine dinitrate of the at least one transition metal.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one transition metal nitrate is a nitrate of a transition metal selected from the group consisting of copper, nickel, zinc and combinations thereof.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one transition metal nitrate comprises a nitrate of copper.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the ammonia source is selected from the group consisting of ammonium bicarbonate, ammonium carbonate, ammonium carbamate, ammonium hydroxide, anhydrous ammonia and mixtures thereof.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the aqueous slurry contains sufficient quantities of transition metal nitrate and the ammonia source to provide at least two moles of ammonia per mole of transition metal provided by the transition metal nitrate.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the drying comprises spray drying.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the heat treating comprises heating to a temperature of no more than about 135°

C. for less than 10 minutes.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the diammine dinitrate of the at least one transition metal is formed in a solid state reaction.

12. A method of making phase stabilized ammonium nitrate, the method comprising:

combining, in an aqueous slurry, at least a nitrate of one transition metal selected from the group consisting of copper, zinc, nickel and combinations thereof and an ammonia source, in at least a stoichiometric amount relative to the transition metal nitrate for formation of a corresponding transition metal diammine dinitrate, to form a first precursor;

forming a second precursor to the phase stabilized ammonium nitrate, the second precursor being in the form of a slurry containing the first precursor and ammonium nitrate,

drying the second precursor to form a third precursor to the phase stabilized ammonium nitrate, the third precursor having the form of a powder, and

heat treating the third precursor to form a phase stabilized ammonium nitrate comprising ammonium nitrate containing at least about 1 wt. % of a diammine dinitrate of the at least one transition metal.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the phase stabilized ammonium nitrate contains at least about 10 wt. % of a diammine dinitrate of the at least one transition metal.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the phase stabilized ammonium nitrate contains at least about 15 wt. % of a diammine dinitrate of the at least one transition metal.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the nitrate of at least one transition metal is a nitrate of copper.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein the aqueous slurry contains sufficient quantities of transition metal nitrate and the ammonia source to provide at least two moles of ammonia per mole of transition metal provided by the transition metal nitrate.

17. The method of claim 12 wherein the drying comprises spray drying.

18. The method of claim 12 wherein the heat treating comprises heating to a temperature of no more than about 135°

C. for less than 10 minutes.

19. The method of claim 12 wherein the diammine dinitrate of the at least one transition metal is formed in a solid state reaction.