subject: All You Need To Know About Dredging Pumps [print this page] Before we get to know what Dredging pumps are and how they work, let us first understand the concept of Dredging. This process is excavating the earth and moving it to a different location with the help of machinery. Water is the medium for dredging to work and this is why it is only possible on water bodies like oceans, lakes, rivers and seas. Dredging is commonly used for replenishing beach areas, mining, keeping waterways clean but it is not limited to these and can be employed for a variety of other tasks.
How it works?
Before excavating the earth beneath the water layer, it is agitated so that the earth mixes well with water. This is called agitation and it is done with the help of a cutter head or auger. This mechanical device rotates and it turbulates the earth below.
Then it is about seizing the mix of water and the earth. This mixture is called slurry and to control it, a vacuum suction is employed. This is where dredging pumps are required and they are the ones which create the vacuum. The rotating impeller installed in the pumps make the slurry move forward and with the help of centrifugal force it is discharged out of the front section.
Dredging pumps create the vacuum and with it the required pressure to move the slurry. If the mixture has to be moved for long distances then pipe as put on the discharge head. This is how a dredging or a slurry pump works.
Why use dredging?
This advanced method of using dredging pumps for removing earth has various advantages over the traditional ways. Where first, the water has to be removed and the mud should dry before excavating, Dredging can easily be done without dwelling into any such requirements. Hence cleaning lakes and reservoirs is done with the help of a slurry pump.
It is also helpful in exhuming elements like Phosphorus which can ignite when in contact of oxygen. It is thus possible to move such elements around without losing them to oxidation. Similarly, rivers which are perennial can also be cleaned with the help of Dredging pumps. Therefore it can be assumed that this method of excavating trash, metals, elements and earth is certainly the most efficient and its empirical use makes it vital for governments, industries and proprietors. Therefore, the use of dredging pumps makes good sense.