visualplayer
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Grinding Potassium Chlorate
Hi everyone,
is it safe to grind potassium chlorate? I mean just for that material in a dedicated grinder. But in bulk, maybe 25kg per batch.
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hissingnoise
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Welcome to scimad!
And yes, on its own, without a fuel it's quite safe!
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hissingnoise
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Batches of 25Kg seems rather a lot of oxidiser ─ what are you up to, if you don't mind my asking?
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greenlight
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Yeah, I grind mine in a coffee grinder to flour like consistency with no troubles..I just don't use the same grinder for fuels.
I agree with hissingnoise, what are you planning to do with 25kg of chlorate haha.
[Edited on 10-6-2016 by greenlight]
Be good, otherwise be good at it 
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visualplayer
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No worries guys, that's completely legal. I'm just working for a pyrotechnics company.
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PHILOU Zrealone
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At industrial scale, just beware for the grease, wax, oils or traces of fuel (even traces of metal dust from friction of moving parts) that mix
intimately with the chlorate airborn dust.
After accumulation for no reason while proces is acheived safely for 100, 1000 or more times, a few grams hidden in a moving part may take fire,
deflagrate or detonate...even if moderate risk (exept in ATEX (explosive Atmosphere) or close to flamable stuffs.
We had this happening with NH4 persulfate bleaching powder for hairs into an automatic wheigter and bag closer (500g/bag).
The machine was in use for about 2 years and cleaned weekly with brushes; NH4 persulfate is not very explosive nor inflamable but here one or two
grams with grease and iron steel dust mixed intimately detonated in a discrete place of the machine and set fire to the rest of the bag into the
machine that burned with a fierce flame.
In the case of chlorate situation might be worst because of its greater sensitivity!
PH Z (PHILOU Zrealone)
"Physic is all what never works; Chemistry is all what stinks and explodes!"-"Life that deadly disease, sexually transmitted."(W.Allen)
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Marvin
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Working for a pyrotechnics company and getting your safety information from an amateur science forum. Suggest walking carefully until outside company
grounds then running away as far as you can get.
Grinding can make substances hot, and pot chlorate needs very little combustible material to sustain a detonation, especially at elevated
temperatures. It can also get damp and rapidly corrode steel and other metals, ruining equipment and absorbing dangerous ions.
Many older chlorate formulas are banned, most are shock sensitive to some degree. This can make them a lot more dangerous than equivalent perchlorate
mixtures even when made well and acid neutralised.
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visualplayer
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Off course I'll ask. I dont know how many years are you working in explosives, but if you have enough you should know that, explosion is unevitable.
Because the chemicals we use is not pure. %99,99 is never enough.
The point is how can you awoid the exessive damage and risk to lives.
So I need every bit of experience.
Phil advised grease contamination caused the fire. That'a good point. I'm using ATEX equipment with all stainless steel blades.
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hissingnoise
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Just for clarity, ATEX is an EU industrial safety directive ─ relating to "ATmosphères EXplosibles"!
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ave369
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Also, you should remember that any random organic impurity, including tiny particles of filter paper, does count as fuel and makes potassium chlorate
dangerous!
Smells like ammonia....
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