ADCP Application for Ocean Current Measurement in Da Nang Port

1. Location of Da Nang Port

Da Nang Port is located along the coastline in central Vietnam. It has come to symbolize a crucial regional maritime entry.

Scale of the port and throughput capacity

Da Nang Port is relatively big in scale: many berths are possible for different vessel types, starting from small and medium-sized cargo vessels to some bigger container carriers. Speaking about the volume of throughput, this port has to cope with a quite substantial amount every year: general cargo, containers, and bulk cargo. It has always expanded its capacity to meet the demands of the continuously developing regional and international trade.

Routes and Business

It has an extensive network of shipping routes in Asia, Europe, and the Americas. There are many business activities in the port. It offers an import and export center and a distribution point for consumer goods, industrial products, and raw materials. Other services include ship-repairing, bunkering, and warehousing.

Port Management and Operations

The port is operated by professional port authorities who ensure that it runs smoothly. They ensure the port is safe, vessels arrival and departure are coordinated, and cargo handling is appropriately handled. It has modern management systems that help in the enhancement of the port resources usage for maximum productivity.

Port Facilities

Da Nang Port is a modern port with advanced facilities. It has large-scale cranes for the loading and unloading of containers and heavy-lift cargo. The storage areas are well-organized, both open-air and covered warehouses, depending on the type of goods. Facilities for handling liquid bulk cargo, such as oil and chemicals, are also available.

Channels and Direct Navigation

The port has well-dredged channels that ensure smooth navigation for vessels. The depth of the channels enables large-draft ships to enter and leave the port safely. It also has direct navigation links to many important international ports, reducing transit times and costs for shipping lines.

2. Why should we measure the ocean currents in the Da Nang Port?

The measurement of ocean currents is very important in the Da Nang Port for several reasons. First, it comes to port safety whereby an understanding of currents is important in the prediction of the movement of vessels at the berths. Strong and unpredictable current may be hazardous for mooring ships and may cause collision and even damage to port infrastructure. To this respect, proper current measurement will enable port authorities to warn in good time and take necessary precautions.

On the other hand, currents will affect the vessel stability during loading and unloading cargo handling, hence reducing efficiency. The operation might turn out to be very slow in case of poor knowledge about the current conditions, translating to a very costly undertaking for the entire port operations.

With the security of the environment, knowledge in ocean currents is important to be understood in cases of oil spills or other maritime accidents where toxic substances can cause dispersion. It can be used in the planning of response strategies and in the minimization of the impact on marine ecosystems.

For this, a more advanced and convenient way was invented, that is, measuring ocean currents. The data needed in Da Nang Port will be in real time and highly resolved, therefore it is the main need in the complex operations.

3. Working of ADCPs Using the Principle of Doppler

The principle behind ADCPs is the Doppler effect. When an ADCP current profiler sends an acoustic signal into the water, the signal scatters off suspended particles in the water column. If these particles are moving due to the water current, then the frequency of the reflected signal will be different from the frequency that was emitted. This frequency shift is measured by the ADCP profiler and is directly proportional to the velocity of the water movement.

ADCP in the Measurement of Current in Port:

Ship-Borne ADCP: Special Ways In the ship, there is installation of ship-borne ADCP on its hull. Since it is placed inside a ship that would definitely be mobile within water, its movements across will easily result in an ADCP's measurements about the current profile below it. By using this type, there will be much clarity of view concerning the prevailing currents over greater lengths around the place of measurement. The ship can be programmed to trace the specific routes, covering all parts of the port so that perfect data may be recorded.

Fixed ADCP: Fixed ADCPs are deployed at specific locations in the port, such as near berths or in channels. These units are designed to continuously monitor the current conditions at a particular point. They are often used for long-term current measurements and to provide real-time data for port operations.

4. What's required to achieve high-quality measurement of currents of Da Nang Port?

A number of issues are essential for high-quality measurement of currents in Da Nang Port.

Equipment Reliability: The materials used in the ADCP meter should be highly reliable. In the marine environment, which is very harsh, the casing of the ADCP is of great importance. It should be able to bear the corrosion, high-pressure, and mechanical stress.

Size, Weight, and Power Consumption: The ADCP should be compact and lightweight to be installed and deployed with much ease. Low power consumption is also preferred, especially for long-term measurements when the power supply might be limited. This will reduce the general cost of operation.

Cost-effectiveness: The cost of an ADCP flow meter for large-scale current measurement in a port is relatively high. If an effective low-cost solution is made available, the deployment of more units would help to capture an appropriate signature of the current field.

The casing of ADCP current meter would be made preferably of a titanium alloy. With this alloy, the corrosion resistance is excellent, very important in the saline environment of the port. Strong and light enough to meet the requirements in size, weight, and reliability, its high strength-to-weight ratio ensures ADCP works effectively at different sea conditions.

5. How to choose right equipment for current measurement?

Based on Usage Purpose

• Ship-borne ADCP: Very good for extended surveys of the port area because it can scan a large stretch of water area fast and obtain a snapshot of the current distribution.
• Bottom-moored ADCP: Can be used to monitor at one location for an extended period of time. Place it on the seafloor near important places in the port, like an entrance to a channel, for continuous recording of current data.
• Buoy - type ADCP: This is used to collect data at various water depths while floating on the water surface. It can drift with the currents, which helps in studying the surface and near-surface current patterns.

Based on Frequency Selection

• To study water within 70m depth, an ADCP of 600kHz is appropriate. It gives high-resolution data for shallow water areas.
• For depths as shallow as up to 110m, it would be much more appropriate if a 300kHz ADCP is used because it gives the best balance of range and resolution.
• ADCP with frequency 75 kHz is the unit of choice to measure in water as deep as 1000m because that can give more penetration into the water column. Some of the well-known brands in the ADCP market have Teledyne RDI, Nortek, and Sontek amongst others.

However, for those looking for a cost-effective yet high-quality option, the Chinese brand China Sonar PandaADCP is highly recommended. Made entirely of titanium alloy, it offers an incredible cost-performance ratio. You can find more information on their website: https://china-sonar.com/. This brand provides a great solution for the accurate and efficient measurement of ocean currents in Da Nang Port.

Here is a table with some well known Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler(ADCP) instrument brands and models.