The blasting gallery method of mining thick coal seams in India envisages the use of specially designed approved types of non-incendive explosive-cord system meeting stringent statutory requirements. The Indian government imposed a ban on the nitroglycerine explosives from 1 April 2004. Development of an alternative non-nitroglycerine based explosive-cord system for continuation of production from blasting gallery method in India was a national issue as well as a technological challenge.
Development of an approved new emulsion explosive and cord system gave a new life to the blasting gallery method and also paved the way for the complete phasing out of nitroglycerine explosives in India. The newly developed explosive has a cover of flame retardant polymer tube. The paper discusses drilling and blasting practices in the blasting gallery method and the ban of nitroglycerine explosives in India and presents a comparison of the newly developed explosive-cord system with the earlier used nitroglycerine based system.
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