The present invention relates to energetic cocrystals, and to methods for using the same for treatment of a subterranean formation. In various embodiments, the present invention provides a method of treating a subterranean formation, the method including obtaining or providing a composition including energetic cocrystals. Each energetic cocrystal independently includes an energetic compound and a secondary material. The method also includes placing the composition in a subterranean formation.

An explosive mixture of a water-in-oil dispersion (matrix emulsion) and ammonium nitrate granules (prills) of fertilizer grade, mechanically sensitized by microspheres (microballs), of plastic ceramic, glass or mixtures thereof and/or by means of a chemical reaction of bubble generation (gasification), which obtains an explosive composition of greater energy, greater volume of gases, water resistant and sensitive to No. 8 detonator, with a relative density as a cartridge between 0.95 g/cm3 and 1.25 g/cm3, with a detonation rate in an unconfined medium as cartridge in the range from 3500 m/s to 5900 m/s and it is stable for a minimum period of 6 months and where the explosive mixture is used in plastic or paper cartridges (chubs) as a nitrocarbonitrate primer and/or column loading in land blasting (rocks) from soft hardness to very hard in underground mining and/or open pits.

Various embodiments of the present invention are directed towards a simulant and method relating to producing a simulant. For example, a simulant of a textured target threat includes a background material associated with a background attenuation, and a texture component(s) dispersed in the background material and associated with a component attenuation and a component characteristic. The component characteristic prevents the component attenuation of the texture component from being homogeneously dispersed throughout the background attenuation of the background material, to cause the simulant to mimic an aspect(s) of an X-ray signature of the textured target threat.

A safe and simple method for synthesizing insensitive nano-size cocrystals of high explosive materials such as HMX and Cl-20 by suspending the explosive materials in a nonsolvent solution and bead milling the solution.

An effective, safe and economical method of manufacture of an insensitive high explosive molding powder usable as a booster HE. The method preferably involving the steps of adding a binder and a crystalline high explosive to water, grinding that suspension in a bead mill until the crystalline high explosive is nano-sized, and precipitating the binder and crystalline high explosive using a spray dryer. Alternatively, an aqueous suspension of the crystalline high explosive can be ground in the bead mill and the binder subsequently added, prior to spray drying. A fatty alcohol, water defoaming/dispersant/surfactant agent can be added to the dissolved binder/suspended crystalline high explosive, to aid in the manufacturability.

An ignition composition comprising a low electron affinity material, an oxidizer and a binder. The ignition composition may be made by A1) preparing a coagulation composition by a shock-gel process using the ingredients of the ignition composition disclosed herein, which comprises: A1-a) dissolving the binder in a low-boiling-point polar solvent to provide a binder solution; A1-b) mixing the low electron affinity material and the oxidizer with the binder solution; and A1-c) adding a low-boiling-point non-polar solvent to the mixture provided by step 1-b) to precipitate the binder and form the coagulation composition; and A2) converting the coagulation composition into granular composition using a suitable method.

The invention introduces a discontinuous crystallization unit for the production of ball-shaped crystals comprising a crystallizer (1) that consists of a metallic cylindrical vessel with its inner surface of a hard material, with an oval or circular cross-section with a conical or vaulted bottom (12), fitted along its length with a duplicator (4) for cooling of the solution and/or suspension of the solution and crystals and a high-speed agitator (8) of a hard material with a drive (9) enabling speed control and thus the rate of the impact of the mechanical action of the agitator on roundness of crystals inside the vessel together with the inner surface of the vessel containing at least 2 baffles (5) of a hard material while the vessel is fitted with at least 1 orifice (10) at the top that at least independent branch of the circulation circuit (11) is connected to from the outside for the inlet of a heated solution and/or heated suspension of the solution and crystals by means of at least 1 circulation pump (2) and through at least 1 heat exchanger (3) and together with the duplicator (4) ensuring controlled periodic changes of temperatures of the crystal suspension around the cooling curve while an interconnection (13) pipeline is connected to the bottom (12) of the crystallizer (1) vessel that is connected to at least one branch of the circulation circuit (11).

An example method of preparing spherical composite powders is provided. The method includes introducing one or more starting material powders into an agitation mill. The method includes introducing a process control agent into the agitation mill, the process control agent including at least two immiscible liquids. The method includes agitating and milling the one or more starting material powders and the process control agent with the agitation mill to produce substantially spherical composite powders.

This present invention is directed to a powder comprising a composite of primary nanoparticles of aluminum and/or aluminum oxide, the nanoparticle being separated from the others by an intervening organic or polymeric material, and formed into secondary particles that are substantially larger than the primary nanoparticles.

Methods for manufacturing explosives and the explosives manufactured by the methods are disclosed. Embodiments include mechanical mixing energetic particles with a thermoset binder material. Some embodiments include mixing the particles and binder using a bladeless mixer until homogeneous. Embodiments may also include heating a mixture of high energetic molding powder and a binder material at a low temperature (e.g., 70 C.) until the binder material is partially cured. Some embodiments include breaking up the mixture into pieces about 1 mm in size to form an energetic molding powder. And some embodiments include pressing a mixture of energetic molding powder into a die.