Oxygen balance

Oxygen balance (OB, OB%, or Ω) is an expression that is used to indicate the degree to which an explosive can be oxidized,[1] to determine if an explosive molecule contains enough oxygen to fully oxidize the other atoms in the explosive. For example, fully oxidized carbon forms carbon dioxide, hydrogen forms water, sulfur forms sulfur dioxide, and metals form metal oxides. A molecule is said to have a positive oxygen balance if it contains more oxygen than is needed and a negative oxygen balance if it contains less oxygen than is needed.[2]

An explosive with a negative oxygen balance will lead to incomplete combustion, which commonly produces carbon monoxide, which is a toxic gas. Explosives with negative or positive oxygen balance are commonly mixed with other energetic materials that are either oxygen positive or negative, respectively, to increase the explosive's power. For example, TNT is an oxygen negative explosive and is commonly mixed with oxygen positive energetic materials or fuels to increase its power.[3][4]

  1. ^ "The Oxygen Balance for Thermal Hazards Assessment". iomosaic.com. Retrieved 2022-10-11.
  2. ^ Meyer, Rudolf; Köhler, Josef; Homburg, Axel (2007). Explosives (6th ed.). Wiley VCH. ISBN 978-3-527-31656-4.
  3. ^ Campbell J (1985). Naval weapons of World War Two. London: Conway Maritime Press. p. 100. ISBN 978-0-85177-329-2.
  4. ^ U.S. Explosive Ordnance, Bureau of Ordnance. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of the Navy. 1947. p. 580.