How to Solve Foam Issues in High-Salt Shield Tunneling Water? Chemi Tech's Professional Solution

During shield tunneling construction, circulating water systems in high-salt geological conditions often generate substantial persistent foam. This foam not only reduces slurry density and cutting-carrying capacity, leading to decreased tunneling efficiency, but may also overflow, polluting the work environment and even interfering with equipment monitoring systems, becoming a significant obstacle to project progress.

Traditional defoamers often fail rapidly in the complex aqueous systems characterized by high salinity and high solid content, unable to deliver lasting and stable defoaming and foam suppression effects. Addressing this common industry challenge, the Chemi Tech R&D team has developed a specialized defoamer series tailored for high-salt shield tunneling water environments through in-depth technical research. The core advantage of this series lies in its unique molecular design, which maintains activity in high ionic strength environments, rapidly penetrates and destabilizes foam films, while providing long-term inhibition of new foam formation.

Our solution is implemented in three specific steps. The first step is on-site diagnosis and technical evaluation, where our engineers sample and analyze the salinity composition, pH, and slurry components of the tunneling water to accurately identify the foam cause. The second step involves customized product selection and pilot testing, matching the most suitable defoamer type from our product portfolio and conducting small-scale on-site trials to verify defoaming speed and persistence. The third step is formulating a scientific dosing protocol and providing full-process technical support. We determine the optimal injection points and dosage based on tunneling speed and circulating water volume, ensuring consistent defoaming performance without adversely affecting other slurry properties.

In a tunnel project traversing complex strata in Eastern China, the contractor faced severe foam issues caused by high-salt groundwater. After implementing our customized defoaming solution, foam on the slurry tank surface dissipated rapidly within minutes of addition. Slurry performance regained stability, tunneling speed was effectively maintained, and the foam problem was fundamentally controlled throughout the construction section, earning high recognition from the construction team.

Chemi Tech is committed to providing reliable chemical solutions for underground engineering construction. Confronting the defoaming challenges in high-salt shield tunneling water, we offer professional products and technical services to help you overcome construction obstacles and ensure smooth, efficient project advancement.