2750 Tons of Explosives (and fertilizer) in One Location

[ProfessorGAC]

16. Not My Experience

The liquid form of AmNO gets that way by absorbing water.
This puts it into a high concentration phase that is a combination of soluble salts, and liquid crystals.
The less stressed crystal structure lowers overall bond energy per unit volume (simpler solid phase) and lower energy per mass because of the added mass of the water.
The liquid phase is not less stable, because it's at a lower physical chemical state.
Also, it's typically sold in bulk in sealed "supersaks".
It would be easy to keep the air inside the bag below the critical humidity of 59-60%.
It's the reason why ANFO is so stable.
The separation of crystal structures in the slurry makes it much safer to work with.
ANFO can be burned! I've done it.
But, introduce a shock wave from a blasting cap & BOOM! They use it by the truckload in quarries. Really impressive to see!
The solid form of ammonium nitrate is actually the most dangerous form.
The SDS mentions nothing in the "Reactivity & Stability" section about increased danger when wet. For good reason.