What is critical line velocity, and one of the most important natural laws in dredging?
Critical line velocity varies with pipeline ID and nature of the material. Critical velocity of the slurry in the pipeline is that velocity below which material can settle to the bottom of the pipeline and cause blockage. The greater the particle size for say sand, the greater the line velocity becomes, usually measured in feet per second. Critical line velocity is also important for pumping hard clays since they tend to ball up, in some cases 12 inches in diameter, and can plug a line easily if velocity is too slow. Also as the ID of the pipeline is increased for a given material, say sand, the corresponding line velocity is increased, critical velocity, than for a smaller ID pipeline and the same material. Contact Mud Cat for critical line velocities for sand in varying pipeline ID’s.
