A slurry chamber is a pressurised chamber located just behind the cutting head in a microtunnel boring machine (MTBM). The purpose of this chamber is to provide slurry at pressure to the cutting face so that groundwater is prevented from entering the tunnel. In addition, the cuttings are mixed with the slurry in the chamber and transported back to the surface.
Microtunnel boring machines (MTBMs) use cutting heads designed to break up the ground as the head is forced along the tunnel. The slurry is a mixture of water and chemicals like bentonite designed to keep the cuttings in suspension so that the spoil can be easily pumped to the surface. The wrong composition of slurry can cause blockages in the system and delays to the trenchless construction project. However, the right composition and effective operation of the slurry chamber ensures good mixing of slurry and spoil so that maximum drilling speed can be maintained.
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