A slurry is, in general, a thick suspension of solids in a liquid and may be:

• A mixture of water and cement to form concrete
• A mixture of water, gelling agent, and oxidizers used as an explosive
• A mixture of water and Bentonite used to make slurry walls
• A mixture of wood pulp and water used to make paper
• A mixture of water and animal waste used as fertilizer
• Meat slurry, a food product
• An abrasive substance used in chemical-mechanical polishing, a semiconductor manufacturing process
• A mixture of ice crystals, water and freezing point depressant, called slurry ice
• A wet-process cement rawmix
• A mixture of water, ceramic powder and various additives (e.g., dispersant) used in the processing of ceramics.
• A mixture of water and a starch (normally corn starch) used to thicken liquids to make a culinary sauce; usually for a clear sauce, as the product will be translucent. It is comparable to and often the same as a gravy.

Slurry calculations

To determine the percent solids (or solids fraction) of a slurry from the density of the slurry, solids and liquid::

$mathrm\{\%\; solids\}=100\; *\; frac\{rho\_\{solids\}(rho\_\{slurry\}\; -\; rho\_\{liquid\})\}\{rho\_\{slurry\}(rho\_\{solids\}\; -\; rho\_\{liquid\})\}$

where

$rho\_\{solids\}$ is the solids density

$rho\_\{slurry\}$ is the slurry density

$rho\_\{liquid\}$ is the liquid density.

This equation is frequently used in mineral processing where the density of the solids (ore) and liquid (water) are known and the slurry density is measured.

See also

• Coal slurry impoundment
• Slurry pipeline

References