A slurry wall is a civil engineering technique used to build reinforced concrete walls in areas of soft earth close to open water, or with a high groundwater table. This technique is typically used to build diaphragm (water-blocking) walls surrounding tunnels and open cuts, and to lay foundations. Slurry walls are used at Superfund sites to contain the waste or contamination and reduce potential future migration of waste constituents, often with other waste treatment methods. Slurry walls are a "well-established" technology but the decision to use slurry walls for a certain project requires geophysical and other engineering studies to develop a plan appropriate for the needs of that specific location. Slurry walls may need to be used in conjunction with other methods to meet project objectives.
Exposed slurry wall of the World Trade Center at Ground Zero
Hydromill trench cutter
Clamshell-type slurry wall excavator
A set of slurry wall guide walls before excavation
A slurry is a mixture of denser solids suspended in liquid, usually water. The most common use of slurry is as a means of transporting solids or separating minerals, the liquid being a carrier that is pumped on a device such as a centrifugal pump. The size of solid particles may vary from 1 micrometre up to hundreds of millimetres.
The particles may settle below a certain transport velocity and the mixture can behave like a Newtonian or non-Newtonian fluid. Depending on the mixture, the slurry may be abrasive and/or corrosive.
A slurry composed of glass beads in silicone oil flowing down an inclined plane
Potato starch slurry