diver's liquid

[Ljudska]

"'Diver's Liquid' is an explosive solution of ammonium nitrate in liquid ammonia. It was considered as a monopropellant for rockets, in Germany before WWII.

that's from wikipedia. link (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ammonium_nitrate#Use_in_explosives)

if you google "diver's liquid" (with quotes) you only get 10 results, one's wikipedia and the rest are patents.

one of the patents is for "An explosive composition consisting essentially of an admixture of from 55 to 97 percent by weight of par- ticulate ammonium nitrate having a particle size of from about 8 to 100 mesh, from about 3 to 54 percent by weight of Diver's liquid, and from 0.3 to 6 percent by weight of water and containing in admixture about 0.5 percent of methyl cellulose, based on the combined weight of Diver's liquid plus the weight of water present."

what is this stuff? what sort of proportions does it go in?
does the ammonia have to be anhydrous or can it be NH4OH solution? ...maybe as an ammo-ammonal (aqueous amonia, aluminum powder, ammonium nitrate, maybe some primary) mix? one of the patents notes that ammonium nitrate in ammonia is "a good solvent of metals."

[asilentbob]

Liquid ammonia. IE NH3(l). IE no water. IE bordering on cryogenic temperatures, lots of fumes that will probably kill you. No , it can't be aqueous ammonia and its not going to be a primary explosive.

I have no idea what the proportions would be. If your interested in it why haven't you calculated proportions for optimum OB?

[MH-iforgotmypassword]

if its mixed with water how exactly are they gonna keep it anhydrous? - I'm not sure but it looks that way, maybe its trace water.
And I think the methylcellulose is to gel it.

http://www.sil.si.edu/smithsoniancontributions/AnnalsofFlight/text/SAOF-0010.txt

The requirements for such a system were numer-
ous. Our special interest concerned instant ignition
and complete reaction in the chamber. Many acci-
dents showed us how difficult it is to avoid an igni-
tion delay that results in a flashback of the com-
bustants into the propellant tank, and to maintain
a controllable pressure distribution (Figure 1). In
close cooperation with I. G. Farben we experi-
mented with the so-called "Divers' Liquid," a solu-
tion of ammonium nitrate in ammonia, named
monergole H. This solution could easily be con-
troled, from the point of view of safety, yet its cor-
rosiveness and the fact that the mixture tended to
separate brought up new difficulties. Another
trouble was that the ammonium nitrate, when
atomized, caused deposits on the injector elements,
constricting their cross section, while a strong vapor-
ization of nitrous oxide was observed. We could not
eliminate this phenomenon. With monergole A, a
solution of nitrous oxide in ammonia, we overcame
most of the difficulties. We even succeeded in mak-
ing the engine explosion proof by installing high-
heat-absorbing material in the piping system, but
could not achieve absolute safety from shock waves
caused by detonations. These results brought about
suspension of further experiments, although we be-
lieved that, due to the extraordinary simplicity of
this type of engine, the monergoles would remain


Also, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypergolic_propellant has some fun chemical combinations, but almost no info on monergoles
The etymology makes it likely that it would autoignite... anyone?

[delusional_reality]

I wouldn't be surprised, ammonia is a great fuel (a few people have converted their cars to run on it) it was even used in rocketry, liquid anhydrous Ammonia and liquid oxygen was used in the LR99 X-15 rocket plane to achieve speeds of mach 6.7 (fastest manned plane)!

I don't like wiki's hypergolic page, it doesn't even list furfuryl alcohol and nitric acid.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OTRAG_Rocket

[Ljudska]

so i gather that "liquid ammonia" is the NH3- and not the NH4OH. but the mix is helped by the addition of up to 15% water, especially with the presence of a sensitizing metal powder, most notably aluminum.

sounds like a fun project to try someday but i don't have access to anhydrous ammonia or anything near it. maybe someone in farm country can pinch a propane-tankful of the stuff and a bag of 34-0-0 and try it out.

[delusional_reality]

so i gather that "liquid ammonia" is the NH3- and not the NH4OH. but the mix is helped by the addition of up to 15% water, especially with the presence of a sensitizing metal powder, most notably aluminum.

sounds like a fun project to try someday but i don't have access to anhydrous ammonia or anything near it. maybe someone in farm country can pinch a propane-tankful of the stuff and a bag of 34-0-0 and try it out.

why don't you make your own?

NaOH(s)+NH4NO3(aq) --> NH3(g) + NaNO3(aq)
you just have to figure a way to compress and refrigerate it.

I don't understand how the patent intends to work though I mean the maximum concentration of ammonia gas that can dissolve in water at S.T.P, is 28% IIRC, so I'd imagine you'd need a way to add the NH4NO3 and metal powder to the refrigerated and compressed ammonia... and then keep the whole mix that way, not exactly practical .

[Mokothar]

That reaction, while useful for creating highly concentrated ammonia, does not make anhydrous ammonia.

Add a distillation over magnesium sulphate however, and you might be on to something.

[wolfy_9005]

I was thinking the water would be in the NH4NO3(ammonium nitrate), as it would absorb it from the atmosphere(hygroscopic).

Not sure otherwise

[Mokothar]

Full reaction:

NaOH(s)+NH4NO3(aq) --> NH3(g) + NaNO3(aq) + H2O

[wolfy_9005]

Full reaction:

NaOH(s)+NH4NO3(aq) --> NH3(g) + NaNO3(aq) + H2O

Heated or just added together?

Im intrigued...

[delusional_reality]

Heated or just added together?

Im intrigued...


You're right Mokothar I left out the H2O because there would be water present already, although quite rightly some may turn to steam and come out with your NH3 so a desiccant would be useful as you said.
Wolfy you just add them together but take note of what is in brackets beside the formula of the NH4NO3(aq) that means in aqueous solution(dissolved in water).