Appreciation post: switching from a 4-inch to a 6-inch suction line on my cutterhead dredge in Mobile Bay

We were only moving about 80 cubic yards an hour and the pump was always cavitating, especially in the clay layers. After we swapped the line out last spring, our production jumped to 130 yards an hour and the pump runs smooth as glass now. Has anyone else seen a big jump just from upsizing the suction line diameter?

2 comments

2 Comments

stellafisher10d ago

Man, I used to be the guy who would just crank up the pump speed to fight cavitation. Figured a bigger line was extra cost for no real gain. Seeing your numbers from Mobile Bay is a real eye-opener. That jump from 80 to 130 yards is huge, and smooth pump run time is worth its weight in gold. Might have to rethink my whole approach on our next setup.

faith_lopez489d agoTop Commenter

Bigger lines just add cost and complexity for a problem a good pump can already solve.