New design cutter dredger: multifunctional and up to 15 meters deep!

The latest development from Bell Dredging Pumps is the Bell Cutter Dredger 250-M. The M, from Multifunctional, it owes to the fact that no fewer than three dredging heads can be installed for all kinds of different soil types. In addition, this dredger has a suction and cutting depth of up to 9 or up to 15 meters. Thijs van den Outenaar, sales engineer at Bell Dredging Pumps, talks about the new design.

Clever minds

"The BCD 250-M is available in diesel-powered or all-electric versions. With a total power of 405 kW, it is possible to achieve a dredging capacity of 1,250 m3 per hour of water and solids. But what makes the machine so multifunctional are the three dredging heads. For example, there is the waterjet-assisted cutting head for compact layers of sand and clay. The water jet assisted double cutting head with double cutting power for even harder materials, and the sand head, also equipped with water jet nozzles for loose materials such as silt, loose sand and gravel. Thus, virtually any surface can be tackled with one machine."

Major advantages

"But there are more advantages," Van den Outenaar continues: "The dredge pump itself is underwater instead of in the engine room, so you have a lower resistance in the suction pipe and therefore can achieve higher production. Also, the discharge line no longer runs through the engine room and is easier to replace when needed. The spacious climate-controlled cab has a wide view and on board is a non-nuclear density meter that calculates the BCD250-M's exact solid material production. Using the Bell Sounder System, a survey of the bottom can be made which is loaded onto the available Bell Dredge Computer so that a good picture is taken of where you need to be."

At depths of 9 and 15 meters 

Moreover, this configuration can dredge to a depth of 9 meters, or the extended version even to a depth of 15 meters. "You don't see that much," Van den Outenaar explains. "For a vessel of this class to be able to cut that deep is really unique." Van den Outenaar explains that this has to do with the design of the machine's pontoons and cutter ladder. "These are designed so strong that these greater cutter depths can be achieved." Van den Outenaar concludes, "Our latest cutter dredger is suitable for fresh and salt water, in any dredging or mining application, diesel driven or fully electric and is very accurate in calculating exact production."