ADCP in Haikou Port's Ocean Current Measurement

1. Where is Haikou Port?

Situated in Haikou, capital of Hainan Province, China, Haikou Port is one of the main ports in the South China Sea area and has a history in the sea going back centuries.

Port Scale and Throughput

Haikou Port is relatively reasonably sized, with various terminals handling a wide variety of cargoes. Its annual throughput consists of several cargo types, including containers, bulk cargo such as grains and ores, and liquid cargo of oil and chemical types. For several years now, the port has been in continuous development; recently, throughput has tended to increase, at least, further confirming its leading role in regional and international trade.

Routes and Business This apart, there is an excellent network of shipping routes that connect the port domestically and internationally. The domestic connections include regular services with major ports along the Chinese coast, while international trade links extend to major ports in Southeast Asia, the South Pacific, and other regions. Import and export of general merchandise, transportation of energy resources, handling of industrial raw materials-these are some of the broad ambits of business operations that come within the purview of Haikou Port.

Management and Operation of the Port The Haikou Port is managed by a professional team introducing advanced management systems and technologies. The port authority organizes entry and exit activities of ships, efficiently organizing berth allocation to prevent wasting even a single minute. In addition, they ensure that the cargo handling activities go on smoothly and attach great importance to the work of safety management, establishing severe safety regulations to protect the life and property of people related to the port activities.

Facilities at the Port The port is well facilitated with the modern facilities of deep-water berths, with a depth of water access for bigger vessels to approach quite nearer to the portsite. Advanced quay cranes and gantry cranes are provided in the container terminals for quick turnover of containers. Extensive storage areas, including large warehouses for general merchandise, are available, supplemented by special storage tanks for liquid cargo.

Channel and Direct Shipping

It has well-maintained channels, through which various sizes of ships can pass through. Some direct shipping services have been established with some key international ports, thus reducing transportation time and increasing the competitiveness of trade by a large margin. To be specific, direct routes to the following ports in Southeast Asia have fostered closer economic and trade ties between Haikou and the said regions, and a good promotion foundation has been developed.

2. Why is the measurement of the ocean current at Haikou Port necessary?

Impact on Ship Navigation

The main importance of accurately measuring ocean currents in Haikou Port is to guide ships accordingly. Ocean currents can affect the speed at which ships enter and leave the port, including the course they are on. With the prevailing conditions clearly understood, it can enable ship captains to make more informed decisions regarding their speed and course adjustments for safer and efficient navigation. A knowledge of the currents is also preventive of collisions and other navigation hazards in the busy port of Haikou when many ships are operating at any given time.

Influence on Handling Cargo

Ocean currents can even interfere further with the efficiency of cargo handling operations. In cases where the current is too strong or unpredictable, certain problems could be presented to the operation of cranes and all sorts of loading and unloading equipment. Measuring currents, therefore, allows the port scheduling cargo-handling operations with much more effectiveness while considering the state of the current, which will help to reduce waiting times for ships and enhance overall work effectiveness.

It will contribute much to environmental monitoring in the Haikou Port area. Currents may affect the dispersion of pollutants, like oil spills and contaminants. With accurate current data, one can go ahead and predict the spread direction of pollutants and take timely preventive and remedial measures to protect the marine environment of the port. Therefore, ADCP current meter is a better and more convenient way of measuring ocean currents c pared to traditional methods. The time-saving ability will be a massive help to Haikou Port in its operations.

3. How do ADCPs using the Doppler principle work?

Measurement Principle

In Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP), measurement is based on the Doppler principle. If an ADCP current profiler sends an acoustic signal into the water, particles and other substances in the water scatter it. Since the water particles are in the ocean current, due to a well-known effect-the Doppler effect-the scattered signal frequency received back by the ADCP doppler will be different from the transmitted frequency. The velocity of the water particles, and with it the velocity of the ocean current, can be computed using measurements of that frequency shift.

ADCP in Port Ocean Current Measurement: Shipborne ADCP

Shipborne ADCPs are fixed onto ships. While the ship moves in the area of Haikou Port, it operates by continuously transmitting and receiving acoustic signals. It can measure the currents of different depths along its path. This will be useful for analyzing the current conditions in the area in which the ship is navigating and thus provide very important information to the ships for navigation and other purposes.

Fixed ADCP

For instance, some fixed ADCPs are deployed on pier or buoy at certain spots in Haikou Port. These ADCP flow meter never move but always monitor the ocean current around them. Long-term steady current data can be provided, which is useful for understanding the general pattern and time changes of current in the Haikou Port area.

4. What's required to make high-quality measurement of currents in Haikou Port?

Equipment Requirements

In the measurement of currents in Haikou Port, various factors related to equipment should be observed.

Material Reliability

The material of the equipment used in such an exercise should be of high reliability. It means the material used can withstand the marine environment characterized by seawater corrosion, high humidity levels, and any other possible impacts that may emanate from floating objects.

Small Size, Light Weight, and Low Power Consumption

Small size and light weight allow equipping more easily and administratively, particularly for shipborne ADCP meter. Low power consumption is also very important because long time operating reduces the need to change batteries frequently or to provide excessive power supplies for ADCPs, both fixed and shipborne.

Low Cost for Mass Measurement

First of all, it should not be too expensive to enable large-scale measurements in Haikou Port. In such a case, it is possible to deploy more ADCPs at different locations in the port, thus receiving more comprehensive current data.

The Advantage of Using Titanium Alloy for ADCP Casing

Titanium alloy is a good casing for ADCP profiler. There are a number of its beneficial features. First, the corrosion resistance of titanium alloy is very excellent. It is able to resist the corrosion brought about by seawater to guarantee long-term stability and reliability of the device. Second, its strength-to-weight ratio is very superior, meaning this material will be able to provide adequate strength with relatively low weight to meet the requirements of small size and light weight. Thirdly, titanium alloy enjoys good thermal stability, which is conducive to the normal function operation of the equipment under various temperature environments in the Haikou Port area.

5. How to Choose the right equipment for current measurement?

According to the Use Purpose

In selecting equipment for use in measuring current in Haikou Port, one considers the purpose of the use.

Shipborne ADCP

If most of the measurement is done on ships, then a shipborne ADCP will be the proper choice, as it moves along with the ship and the measurements are covered in different areas of the port when the ship navigates.

Sitting-Bottom ADCP

It can be concluded that a sitting-bottom ADCP would serve best for long-term and fixed-point monitoring of the currents at a certain position in Haikou Port. Generally, it is mounted on the seabed, which can monitor the currents around it continuously.

Buoy-type ADCP

In applications requiring real-time monitoring of currents in a particular area inside the Haikou Port, a Buoy-type ADCP would be suitable. It can float on the water surface, and the ADCP on it can measure the currents around it.

Based on Different Frequency Selection

Different frequencies of ADCPs are suitable for different water depths. For instance, 600 kHz ADCP is suitable for water depths within 70 m. Because it can provide more detailed current data in areas of relatively shallow water, 300 kHz ADCP is suitable for water depths up to 110 m. Meanwhile, 75 kHz ADCP is suitable for much deeper water, up to 1000 m. So, according to the actual condition that the measured water depth varies greatly in Haikou Port, the precision measurement of the current of different layers can be realized.

Some popular brands of ADCP include Teledyne RDI, Nortek, and Sontek. If you're looking for cheaper varieties, people seem to recommend one from the Chinese brand: China Sonar PandaADCP. Built with all-titanium alloy material, it's an exceptionally inexpensive device. Cost-effective, really. Check them out on their webpage https://china-sonar.com.

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