Shot Exploder

blasting machine, a portable electric current source for the reliable firing of electric detonators. A distinction is made among magneto, dynamo, and capacitor types. The most common are the capacitor shot exploders, in which a storage capacitor is the current source. These shot exploders operate on the principle of a relatively slow (10-20 sec) accumulation of electrical energy in the capacitor from a low-power primary current source and a rapid (several microseconds) delivery of the stored energy into the blasting circuit to set off the explosion. Depending on the primary current source, shot exploders are subdivided into inductor (with small generators), storage-battery (with small, sealed storage batteries), and battery types (with miniature galvanic batteries). They are also subdivided according to the outer housing into explosion-proof types, which will not cause an explosion of methane-air mixtures; and the standard types, which are designed for conditions where there is no dangerous gas or dust. A high-frequency explosion-proof capacitor shot exploder was developed and used in the USSR during the late 1950’s; it converted the capacitor current into a high frequency by an electron tube, thus making it sparkproof.

As a rule, shot exploders are designed to operate over a temperature range from -10° to 30° C. They are used extensively in blasting work and military operations.