Can a dredge concentrate in-situ material as it digs?
This is one of the basic laws of dredging and it cannot be violated. A dredge can only pump the material as it exits in the water in its “in-situ” state and can add no concentration of material. Generally, when cutting more water is added to the in-situ material and the resultant slurry is diluted. For example, if a material is in-situ at 50% solids, a given dredge will dilute this material to say ranging from 17% to 25%. Beyond a slurry specific gravity of 1.5, it becomes increasingly difficult to move the slurry in the line, and shut-off can quickly occur.
