Estimation of blast heat of emulsion explosives with expanded polystyrene granules

Due to the possibility of mechanized charging of blast holes with low-density mixtures of emulsion explosives (EE) with expanded polystyrene granules, there exists a considerable interest in using these mixed explosives to create blast hole charges when performing gentle blasting operations in open pits. However, for efficient implementation of the gentle blasting using low-density emulsion explosives, it is necessary to know their detonation properties, of which the specific blast heat is the most important. This paper presents a method for determining this value, which is of a considerable interest for the practical application of these emulsion explosives. The author wishes to express his gratitude to G.F. Fokina and A.D. Argentova for their help in preparing this article.