Dredging vessels use mud pumps, which are impurity pumps. Based on the structural characteristics of their impellers, such as equal inlet and outlet widths and typically 3-5 blades, companies have shifted their focus to improving the dredging concentration because, from a comprehensive benefit perspective, the economic benefits of increasing the mud pump’s suction concentration by 5% far outweigh the cost savings from increasing its efficiency by 5%.
Furthermore, achieving the former is less difficult than achieving the latter, given the already high efficiency of current mud pumps. To further improve dredging efficiency and increase the suction concentration of the mud, the idea arose to move the mud pump out of the engine room and install it on the cutterhead, bringing it as close as possible to the suction inlet. This allows the underwater mud pump, unaffected by cavitation, to achieve a higher suction concentration.