ADCP in Ocean Current Measurement in Praia Port

1. Where is Praia Port?

Praia Port is based in the city of Praia, which is the capital of Cape Verde. It is one of the essential maritime infrastructures that plays a major linking role in local and international trade.

Port Scale and Throughput

Scalability: The medium infrastructural size of the port with a good number of berths, the ability to handle different types of vessels is good. It is well equipped in the quay area to assist in the different phases of loading and unloading. Storage facilities are designed to handle various types of cargo: food, construction materials, and fishing products.

Throughput: Its annual throughput is of great importance for the local and regional economy. Main import products include consumer goods, machinery, and fuel. The main export products are fishing products and some local handicrafts. Tourism also plays a role, represented mainly by cruise ships and other tourist vessels that increase the traffic in the port.

Routes and Business

Routes: Praia's Port is part of a deep structure of shipping routes. This port has a lot of connections with other Cape Verdean harbors and links with other international harbors, too, from Europe, Africa, and the Americas. These routes will be useful in order to import and export goods, but also to tour around.

Business: The major activities of the port pertain to cargo-handling services for general goods and fishing products. Besides this, it also facilitates the tourism industry through docking and passenger-handling services. Added to these are other facilities pertaining to fishing like fish-processing plants and cold storage of fish.

Port Management and Operation

This port has an efficient management system that handles entry and exit, berth allocation, and all cargo-handling operations. At the same time, modern technologies enable the optimum performance of operations with a view to achieving safety and security.

The utmost concern is the safety and security. For example, strict safety regulations govern the protection of ships, cargo, and personnel. The port also installs security measures that may help discourage illegal activity and protect the integrity of the goods. Environmental protection is part of port management in order to decrease the footprint of port activities on the ocean and its surrounding environment.

Port Facilities

Fishing-related facilities: Owing to its importance, it has fish-unloading facilities, cold storage for the preservation of fishes, and facilities for fish processing that give assurance of quality from catch to market.

Cargo - handling Facilities: General cargo is handled with the availability of cranes and other loading - unloading equipment. The storage areas store different kinds of goods, that is, food, construction materials, and other imports.

Tourism-related Facilities: Tourist vessels have facilities to dock at the port, with passenger embarkation and disembarkation sites. This is complimented by the existence of tourist information centers, restaurants, and shops.

Channel and Direct Shipping

It has good channels that are kept well to allow for easy passage of ships. It provides direct shipping services with major ports in Cape Verde and at the international level. These direct links add competitiveness to the port, apart from facilitating smooth transport of goods and people.

2. Why do we have to measure the ocean currents of the Praia Port?

Continuous measurement of the ocean currents is important in Praia Port. First, ship captains should be informed about the current information regarding currents to handle vessels safely and efficiently. The currents can alter speed and course, and with this information at a busy port like Praia, ship captains are afforded more precise adjustments. This will make quite a difference to avoid collision and allow docking and undocking more efficiently, particularly in cruise ships and other large vessels.

The ocean flow can contribute a lot to cargo-handling operations. If there are unstable or too-strong currents, it may turn out to be very problematic to work with cranes and other handling equipment. Current measuring allows the port authorities to schedule cargo-handling operations in such a way that reduces waiting times for ships and performs the work in a more efficient manner.

The measurement of the ocean current is very important in the context of environmental monitoring. In case of a subjected oil spill or other pollutant, the current data will provide information regarding the spread direction and speed at which the contaminants take place. This can help the port take timely precautionary measures and remedial action for the protection of the marine environment. Compared to the traditional techniques of ocean current measurement, ADCP offers a more advanced and convenient way. It is, thus, highly useful for operations at Praia Port.

3.How do Doppler principle ADCPs work?

Measurement Principle

The principle behind the working of Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) is the Doppler principle. In operation, when an ADCP current profiler transmits an acoustic signal into the water, the signal is scattered by particles and other substances in the water. Because 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 will be different from the transmitted one. By measuring this frequency shift, the velocity of the water particles and hence the velocity of the ocean current can be calculated.

ADCP in Port Ocean Current Measurement: Shipborne ADCP

Shipborne ADCPs are installed on ships. While the ship moves in the area around Praia Port, ADCP profiler continuously transmits and receives an acoustic signal. It can measure the ocean currents at various depths along the path the ship is navigating. The data collected may be used in a current condition analysis in the area in which the ship is sailing and may give valuable information to the vessel for navigation and other operations. For example, a freighter coming to the port can adjust the course according to the current at this instant with the help of a shipborne ADCP.

Fixed ADCP

The fixed ADCPs are usually deployed at fixed sites within Praia Port, such as piers or buoys. These ADCPs are fixed and measure the flow of the currents close to their location all the time. They can provide long-term and stable data about currents, which is very suitable for description and analysis of the general trend in current patterns and variations over time. For example, a bottom-moored ADCP current meter installed near a fish-unloading dock would deliver detailed data about the flow currents around that area, thus helping to enhance the docking of fishing boats in that area.

4. What is required for accurate measurement of the currents in Praia Port?

Equipment Requirements

Material Reliability: Materials used in the equipment should be highly reliable. It should be resistant to the harsh conditions at sea, including high corrosion by seawater, high humidity, and possible impacts due to floating objects. In Praia Port, where they have to face permanent exposure to sea conditions, high demands exist for materials that will guarantee long-lasting service life.

Small Size, Low Weight, and Low Power Consumption: Smaller-sized, lightweight ADCP doppler is desirable in installation and operation, especially for shipborne ADCPs concerned about these factors. In this respect, low power consumption could keep the equipment running for a long time without needing to replace the batteries frequently or have a high-power supply, which is very important for both fixed and shipborne ADCPs. Hence, ease of installation and operation at Praia Port, where there exists a wide range of vessels of different sizes and types, is quite significant.

Low Equipment Cost for Mass Measurement: In order to carry out large-scale current measurement in the port, the cost for equipment should be relatively low. This allows several ADCPs to be deployed at different locations in the port for more current data. Since many parts of the port need coverage, the need for such affordable equipment is great indeed.

Advantage of Using Titanium Alloy for ADCP Casing

Titanium alloy is a great material in ADCP flow meter casing. Firstly, it has super excellent corrosion resistance which can combat effectively against the corrosive effect of seawater. That ensures, in Praia Port, long-term stability and reliability of the equipment. Another reason is that the material has high strength with a relatively low weight, which will enable the ADCP to provide enough strength while keeping the weight relatively low. This will meet the small size and lightweight requirements by facilitating ADCP meter installation and operation. Thirdly, titanium alloy has good thermal stability, which is in favor of the normal operation of equipment in different temperature environments in the Praia Port area.

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

Based on the Use Purpose

Shipborne ADCP: When the measurement is done chiefly on ships, then the shipborne ADCP is suitable. The shipborne ADCP will be able to move with the ship to make measurements into different areas of the port as the ship navigates. For cargo ships and cruise ships, shipborne ADCPs can deliver real-time current information for safe navigation on Praia Port.

Sitting-Bottom ADCP: They will also provide a sitting-bottom ADCP flow meter as an alternative for long-term fixed-point monitoring of the current at a certain position in Praia Port. Normally, it will be installed on the seabed and monitor continuously the currents around. In areas with access to the port entrance and critical docking sites, a sitting-bottom ADCP shall be installed to provide stable and long-term current data.

Buoy - Type ADCP: In applications where real - time current monitoring is needed in a particular area of the port, buoy - type ADCPs are suitable. The buoy can float on the water surface and the ADCP on it can measure the currents around it. In areas like the middle of the port or near the fishing areas, buoy - type ADCPs can provide useful information about the current.

Selection Based on Different Frequencies

Different frequencies of ADCPs are used depending on the water depth. In fact, a 600 kHz ADCP current meter will be adequate for water depths within 70 m. This will ensure that more current details are given for relatively shallow water areas. For example, in Praia Port, this would be useful near the shore or in shallower parts of the port. The 300 kHz ADCP meter is intended for as shallow as 110 m, whereas the 75 kHz ADCP doppler will best suit much deeper water, up to 1000 meters. These different frequencies allow the measurement of currents at different depths in the Praia Port, according to real conditions of water depth.

There are several well - known ADCP meter 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.