ADCP in Dalian Port's Ocean Current Measurement

1. Where is Dalian Port?

Dalian Port is found in Dalian, Liaoning Province, China. Dalian Port lies in the Bohai Sea area and is among the most important ports in Northeast Asia.

Port Scale and Throughput

Scale: The port has a large area and a complex housing several terminals. It is fitted with deep-water berths for the receiving and handling of large-sized container ships, bulk carriers, and oil tankers. The infrastructure at the port is well-developed, with extensive quay facilities along with large areas for storage.

Throughput: It has a pretty high annual throughput. Among the other bulk ports, this is the one dealing mainly with containers, coal, iron ore, grains, and petroleum products. The container throughput has grown gradually, with the place turning out to be an important link in the international network for container transport.

Routes and Business

Route: Shipping routes from Dalian Port head toward all directions. The route network covers most major ports along the Chinese coast and extends toward Japan, South Korea, Russia, and other countries both in Asia and Europe. These routes are very important in promoting regional and international trade. Business: It is a diversified undertaking that is engaged in importation and exportation with varied raw and semi-processed industrial and agricultural products, including energy resources; a number of activities also undertakes around its core operations, including warehousing, logistics, and value-added processing.

Manaangement and Operation of the Port

The entry and exit of ships, allocation of the berth, and the handling of cargo are controlled by the port authority through an effective management system that develops and maintains the port. Ensuring full optimization of activities, highly technological operations such as automated cargo-handling equipment and intelligent shipping-scheduling systems are employed. Safety and security are highlighted. Strict safety regulations protect personnel, cargo, and ships, while measures to protect the marine environment against the possible harm of port activity are instituted.

Port Facilities

Container Terminals: The container terminals are well-equipped with modern quay cranes and gantry cranes of high speed and capacity for loading and unloading. Yards have modern container-stacking systems in order to improve storage efficiency. It is also equipped with bulk cargo facilities, which include conveyor belts, stockyards, and loading equipment; the flow of numerous types of bulk materials, such as ores and grains, may be handled on these facilities with high efficiency and at minimum loss. Liquid Cargo Terminals: The network of pipelines, storage tanks, and loading arms connects liquid cargo terminals. Safety systems integrated into the terminals for handling petroleum products and other liquid chemicals include spill-containment and fire-protection measures.

Channel and Direct Shipping

Dalian Port holds well-maintained and deep-enough channels for big vessels. It offers direct shipping services to major international ports, such as Japan and South Korea, thereby enhancing its competitiveness and trade facilitation. These direct routes enable shorter times in transportation at a low cost for the products, which promotes closer economic and trade relations.

2. Why do we need to measure ocean currents in Dalian Port?

Impact on the Navigation of Ships

Obviously, the measurement of the ocean currents in Dalian Port is very important for the navigation of ships. Currents resist or affect the speed and course at which ships can enter or leave the port. Accurate current information is necessary at a busy port like Dalian, where shipping traffic is on the high side, to enable captains of ships to adjust their speeds and courses more precisely. This will help in avoiding collisions and facilitate quicker docking and undocking procedures.

Influence of Cargo Handling

Currents could give a reason in influencing the effectiveness of cargo-handling operations: for example, strong or unpredictable currents at the time of loading/unloading bulk cargo or containers prevent the handling of cranes and other gear. Current measurements enable the port authorities to plan better for cargo handling operations, taking into consideration such currents to decrease the waiting times of ships and enhance the efficiency of work in general.

Environmental Monitoring

Ocean current measurement represents one of the most important sources of information about environmental monitoring in the area of interest. In case, for some reason or another, a current is measured and the velocity and direction could be forecast to reach any point by contaminants, so that the port takes necessary preventive and remedial action to mitigate marine environmental impact in due time. This makes ADCP's mode of measuring ocean currents more advanced and convenient compared to the traditional methods, thus a greater benefit to the operations of Dalian Port.

3. How do ADCPs using the Doppler principle work?

Measurement Principle

The Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler(ADCP) employ the principle of the Doppler effect. When an acoustic signal is transmitted into the water by the ADCP current profiler, the signal is scattered by particles and other substances in the water. As the water particles are moving with the ocean current, due to the Doppler effect, the frequency of the scattered signal received back by the ADCP doppler will be different than the frequency transmitted. This frequency shift thus provides for calculation of the velocity of the water particles and therefore the velocity of the ocean current.

ADCP in Port Ocean Current Measurement: Shipborne ADCP

The ADCP current meter is installed on the ship. While the ship cruises in the Dalian Port area, the acoustic doppler flow meter steadily sends and receives acoustic signals. It can measure the ocean currents at each depth within its range along the path the ship traverses. The data collected provide current conditions of the area the ship is sailing in and thus serve as a very important reference to ship navigation and operations.

Fixed ADCP

Fixed ADCPs shall be installed at certain places in the Dalian Port, on piers or buoys, for instance. These do not move and continuously monitor the ocean currents around them. They can provide long-term and stable current data for understanding the general condition of the current pattern and variation in change with time over the port area.

4. What does it take to measure the currents of Dalian Port with high quality?

Equipment Requirement

Material Reliability: It is highly desirable that the materials used in the equipment are of high reliability. In other words, these devices have to bear up against the harsh marine environment, including corrosion caused by sea water, high humidity, and even impacts from floating objects. Small in size and weight, low power consumption: The compact and lightweight ADCP is quite convenient for installation and operation, especially shipborne acoustic doppler velocity meter. Low power consumption allows long-time operations of the equipment without frequent replacement of batteries or high-power supply requirements, which play a significant role for both fixed and shipborne ADCP flow meter.

Low Price for Mass Measurement: For large-scale current measurements in the port, the equipment cost should not be very high. This allows multiple ADCPs at several places within a port for adequate current data.

The Advantage of Using Titanium Alloy in ADCP Casings

The material that is considered best for ADCP casing is titanium alloy. It has quite a few advantages. First-class corrosion resistance can effectively resist the corrosive effect of seawater, ensuring long-term stability and reliability. Second, it has a high strength-to-weight ratio, which means that a certain strength can be ensured while keeping the weight at a relatively low level, meeting the requirements of small size and light weight. Third, the thermal stability of the titanium alloy is good, and when the temperature of the environment where the wharf area is located is different, the normal work of the equipment can be guaranteed.

5. Selection of Appropriate Equipment for Measurement of Current

Based on Use Purpose

Shipborne ADCP: Where the measurement is carried out mainly on ships, the shipborne ADCP shall be suitable. It shall be able to move along with the ship and measure currents in different areas of the port while the ship is navigating.

Sitting - Bottom ADCP: It is a better choice for long-term fixed-point current monitoring in the same spot in Dalian Port. Since it is installed on the seabed, it can permanently monitor the flow around it.

Buoy - Type ADCP: Buoy-type ADCP can be employed in those locations where real-time monitoring of the current in a particular area of the port is required. The buoy can float at the water surface, and the ADCP meter on it can measure the currents around it.

Selection Based on Different Frequency

Different frequencies of ADCP profiler suit different water depths. For example, 600 kHz ADCP is applied for water depths within 70 m. This may offer more detailed current data in relatively shallow water areas. The 300 kHz ADCP is suitable for water depth up to 110 m, while the 75 kHz ADCP is applied in much deeper water up to 1000 m. It can determine the currents at different depth ranges depending on the actual water depth conditions in Dalian Port.

There are several well - known ADCP brands such as Teledyne RDI, Nortek, and Sontek. However, for those looking for cost - effective options, the Chinese brand China Sonar PandaADCP is highly recommended. It is made of all - titanium alloy material and has an incredible cost - performance ratio. You can visit its website (https://china-sonar.com/) for more information.

Here is a table with some well known ADCP instrument brands and models.