ADCP in Ocean Current Measurement of Caofeidian Port

1. Where is Caofeidian Port?

Caofeidian Port is in Caofeidian District, Tangshan City, Hebei Province of China. It is one of the major ports on the Bohai Sea and has developed into an important pivot for various shipping business.

Port Scale and Throughput

In recent years, Caofeidian Port has grown dramatically and boasts a considerable scale. It consists of several terminals dealing in various types of cargo. Therefore, its annual yield is a high value due to the presence of massive bulk cargo kind like iron ores, coals, grains, amongst others. It is also becoming highly busy with handling containers, and the throughput is continuously evolving upwards. With this rise in volume of yield, it also gains competitiveness in regional and nationwide trade systems.

Routing and Business

The port is part of an ongoing network of shipment routes. For the mainland, these form frequent links with big-sized ports along the Chinese coast for carrying goods inland. Internationally it has trade relations at its level with the Asian, European, and other parts' terminals. The business operations undertaken by Caofeidian Port vary from importing and exporting raw materials serving such industries as steelmaking, power generation to the transport of finished products.

Management and Operation of the Port

Caofeidian Port is run by a professional staff with the use of advanced management systems and technologies. The port authority is therefore responsible for the entry and exit of ships and for effecting proper berth allocation to ensure smooth cargo handling processes. They also focus on safety management by instituting strict safety regulations to protect the lives and properties of the people concerned in the operation of ports.

Port Facilities

The port is also well complemented with modern facilities: deep-water berths allowing bigger vessels, hence encouraging the high volumes of bulk cargo and the rising container throughput; and modern quay cranes and gantry cranes at the container terminals for efficient loading and unloading. In bulk cargo handling, there are facilities such as conveyor belts, stockyards, and appropriate machinery for loading, which also can handle various types of bulk cargoes with a high degree of efficiency.

Channel and Direct Shipping

In Caofeidian Port, there exist well-maintained channels with good depths that allow ships of different sizes to pass through. Shipping services have thus been able to connect some key international ports directly. The transport time has thereby been greatly reduced, hence giving trade an added advantage in competitiveness. For example, direct route into the Northeast Asia Ports has considerably fostered closer ties in economic activities and trade between Caofeidian and those regions.

2. Why is it necessary to measure the ocean currents of Caofeidian Port?

Influence on Ship Navigation

Ocean current measurement at Caofeidian Port has paramount importance for navigation purposes. Ocean currents are pivotal in determining the speed and course of ships operating both while entering and leaving the port. This will provide captains of ships with the proper understanding of existing conditions to make better choices on speed and course adjustment for easier and safer navigation. This helps in the prevention of collisions and other navigation hazards in ports like Caofeidian, where many ships may be in operation at any one time.

Influence on Handling Cargo

The flow of currents can also affect the efficiency of the cargo handling operations: strong or unpredicted currents may challenge the operation of some machinery used for loading or unloading cargo, such as cranes. Measuring currents permits the port authorities to plan better the cargo handling operations according to the current status, and to minimize the waiting time of ships, improving the general efficiency of the work.

It is also used for general environmental monitoring in the area of Caofeidian Port. Currents would affect the distribution of pollutants-for instance, the flow direction of oil spills and other contaminants. Provided with adequate current data, prediction of the direction where pollutants would spread is allowed; hence, one would be in a position to take timely preventive and remedial measures for the protection of the marine environment at the port. On the other hand, ADCP current meter is much more sophisticated and manageable means of measuring ocean currents than traditional methods; therefore, it would be exceedingly useful in Caofeidian Port operations.

3. How do the ADCPs using the Doppler principle work?

Measurement Principle

The Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler(ADCP) work on the principle of the Doppler. When the ADCP sends an acoustic signal into the water, this signal is scattered by particles and other substances present in the water. Since the water particles are moving with the ocean current, the frequency of the scattered signal received back by the ADCP current profiler will be different from the transmitted frequency through the Doppler effect. 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 mounted on ships. In the movement process in the Caofeidian Port area, the ship-mounted ADCP doppler continuously sends and receives acoustic signals while moving. It is able to measure the currents of the ocean at different depths along the path that the ship passes. The data obtained can be used for analyzing the current conditions within the area where the ship will be sailing, which would serve very useful information regarding ship navigation and operation.

Fixed ADCP

Fixed ADCPs are normally deployed at fixed locations in Caofeidian Port-for example, at piers or buoys. These ADCP flow meter do not move and monitor the ocean current around them constantly. They can provide long-term and stable current data, which is useful to understand the overall current patterns and changes in the Caofeidian Port area over time.

4. What is required for superior measurement of Caofeidian Port currents?

Equipment Requirements For such high-quality measurement of currents in Caofeidian Port, several aspects of the equipment have to be put into consideration.

Material Reliability

The material of the equipment applied should be highly reliable. They have to withstand the harsh conditions of a marine environment - for example, corrosion caused by sea water, high humidity, and possible impacts from floating objects.

Small Size, Light Weight, and Low Power Consumption

An instrument has to be small and lightweight to facilitate installations and transportation, which is very important in shipborne ADCPs. Low power consumption allows operating time with rarely changed batteries or low power supply that applies to both fixed and shipborne ADCP meter.

Low Cost for Mass Measurement

In this regard, the measuring device must be of reasonably low cost to enable large-scale measurement in Caofeidian Port. With this, various ADCPs can be laid at different positions in the port to obtain more comprehensive data on currents.

The Advantage of Using Titanium Alloy for ADCP Casing

There are several advantages of using titanium alloy, which makes it just perfect for ADCP casing. First, the corrosion resistance of the titanium alloy is very good, and it can effectively resist the erosion of seawater, which ensures that the equipment can maintain long-term stability and reliability. Second, it has a high strength-to-weight ratio, indicating that it can provide enough strength under a relatively low weight, satisfying requirements of small size and lightweight. Thirdly, the thermal stability of the titanium alloy is good, which is beneficial to guarantee the normal operation of the equipment in different temperature environments.

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

According to the Use Purpose

When choosing the equipment for the current measurement in Caofeidian Port, the purpose of use shall be considered.

Shipborne ADCP

If the measurement is mainly carried out on ships, then the ADCP profiler will be shipborne. It goes with the movement of the ship and is able to measure currents in different areas of the port as the ship navigates.

Sitting-Bottom ADCP

For the long-term and fixed-point monitoring of currents in a certain place in Caofeidian Port, the best device to be used is a sitting-bottom ADCP. It is generally installed at the seabed and can monitor the currents around it continuously.

Buoy-Type ADCP

Then for those applications that require the real-time monitoring of currents in a certain area of Caofeidian Port, ADCP can be installed on a buoy-type device. This buoy can just float at the surface of the water and detect the currents around it.

Selection Based on Different Frequencies

The various frequencies of ADCPs account for different water depths. For example, the 600 kHz ADCP is suitable for water depths within 70 m. Current data with higher resolution in fairly shallow water. 300 kHz ADCP is suitable for water depths up to 110 m, while 75 kHz ADCP will go much deeper, up to 1000 m, which can therefore measure current precisely at different depths according to the real condition of the water depth in Caofeidian Port.

The owners would like some economical options, and for those, some popular ADCP brands include Teledyne RDI, Nortek, and Sontek. However, a Chinese brand is highly recommended: China Sonar PandaADCP. It is totally made up of titanium alloy material and its price-performance ratio is amazing. You can visit its website below for more information. https://china-sonar.com/.

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