When you check on the technical sheet or ask a pump salesperson, "what is your pump capacity? You will eventually get slurry production amount. In pump industry, pump capacity always equal to slurry production capacity over period of time. What is slurry?

When we talk about pumping, water must be available to serve as medium to transfer material (Dragflow water jet ring, solution for less water or water is not available on site, read more on The Required Condition For Submersible Pump Applications?). Slurry is the mixture between water with the materials not limited to sand, gravel, clay, mud, bentonite, bitumen and so on. Slurry capacity is the combination of water capacity with material capacity over a period of time. It is very easy to understand right? Okay, let me have a test with you; refer to two photos below, can you tell me which one is slurry and which one is material?

Yes, you are correct! Photo A is photo of slurry, although only have very little amount of water (read on Are You Using The Correct Pump? if you having problem to pump high viscosity slurry shown in photo A). Photo B is pure material after the water has been extracted out.

Slurry capacity amount can be combination of lots of capacity of water with little capacity of material and vice versa. However, ultimately, in dredging and mining, the desire is to have as high as possible for capacity of material (photo B) with least capacity of water.

Is slurry production same as material production? The answer is NO. Material production rate by capacity is the capacity of pure dry materials which have produce over a period of time. High slurry capacity doesn't guarantee a higher in material production rate by capacity, because the main reason which determined the material production capacity is material production rate by capacity (read on Expecting Higher Capacity Of Material Production?).

SUMMARY

• In pump industry, pump capacity always equal to slurry production capacity over period of time.
• Pump capacity (slurry capacity) = Water capacity + Material capacity
• In dredging and mining, the desire is to have as high as possible for capacity of material with least capacity of water.

Dragflow, pumping the impossible!