ADCP in Ocean Current Measurement of Guangzhou Port

1. Location of Guangzhou Port

Guangzhou Port locates at Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China. It is one of the biggest and most important ports in China, enjoying a long and glorious history in water transportation.

Port Scale and Throughput

Guangzhou Port is large in scale with many port areas and terminals. Its annual throughput is also gigantic, with just about all kinds of cargo passing through its facilities. It is a very important node in China concerning container transport, and a big part of China's international trade containers pass through it. In addition to containers, it also transports bulk cargo such as coal, iron ore, and grains, and liquid cargo like oil and chemicals in large volume.

Courses and Business: It connects different shipping courses all over the world and offers regular liner services to major ports in Asia, Europe, America, and Africa. Business operations of Guangzhou Port vary from traditional cargo handling and transportation to value-added services, including warehousing, distribution, logistics processing, and even cruise ship operation service. It promoted China's foreign trade and economic exchanges with the whole world.

Port Management and Operation

Equipped with state-of-the-art management systems and technologies, Guangzhou Port is managed by a professional team. This, in turn, simply implies that the port authority should be responsible for entry and exit in their area of jurisdiction, ensuring efficient berthing allocation and smooth flow of operations in handling cargo efficiently. In addition, they focus on safety management through strict enforcement of regulations on safety for protection of life and properties of the people who engage in these activities within the port area.

Facilities of the Port

It is fitted with ultra-modern facilities in the port area. Numerous deep-water berths are available to accommodate the world's largest container ships and bulk carriers. Modern quay cranes, gantry cranes, and automated handling systems are also provided within the container terminals so that loading and unloading of containers can be done rapidly and efficiently. Similarly, the storage areas comprise large warehouses for general goods and special storage tanks for liquid cargo.

Channel and Direct Shipping

Guangzhou Port possesses richly dredged channels that are deep enough for the navigation of large vessels. The establishment of direct shipping services to most of the major international ports in the world has already been established, which could greatly shorten the transportation time and improve trade competitiveness. For instance, direct routes to the ports in Southeast Asia and Europe have promoted closer economic and trade ties with Guangzhou.

2. Why would we need to measure the ocean currents in the Guangzhou Port?

Impact on Navigation of Ships

Ocean currents must be measured as accurately as possible in Guangzhou Port for navigational purposes. Currents can directly impact the speed and course of ships that are entering or leaving the port area. When the captains of the ships are aware of the current conditions, they are in a better position to take decisions regarding adjustment of speed and course for safer and more efficient navigation. In such a busy port as Guangzhou, with a number of ships operating at any given time, the knowledge of currents helps in preventing collisions and other navigation hazards.

Influence on Cargo Handling Another factor affecting efficiency in cargo handling operations may be the flow of currents. If they are too strong or unpredictable, they can be an obstacle to operating equipment used in loading and unloading, such as cranes. Measuring the currents allows the port authority to plan better when performing cargo-handling operations, taking into account current conditions and avoiding unnecessary waiting by ships, thus making the work more effective.

Ocean current measurement in the Guangzhou Port area is important in environmental monitoring. Currents can affect the dispersal of pollutants, such as oil spills and other contaminants. With good accuracy in current measurement, one can easily forecast the direction of pollutant spread, thus enabling timely preventive and remedial measures toward protection of the marine environment in this port. Therefore, ADCP current meter is much more state-of-the-art and easy to use compared to the traditional methods of measurement of ocean currents; hence, it is very useful for the operation of Guangzhou Port.

3. How do Doppler Principle ADCPs work?

Measurement Principle

The basis for the working principle of Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler(ADCP) is the Doppler principle. When the ADCP current profiler sends an acoustic signal into the water, the signal will be scattered by particles and other substances present in the water. As a result of the Doppler effect, due to the movement of the water particles with the ocean current, the frequency of the scattered signal received back by the ADCP doppler will be different from the transmitted frequency. It is possible to calculate the velocity of the water particles and hence the velocity of the ocean current by measuring this frequency shift.

ADCP in Port Ocean Current Measurement: Shipborne ADCP

Shipborne ADCPs are installed on ships. During the movement of the ship in the Guangzhou Port area, ADCP flow meter continuously sends and receives acoustic signals. It can measure the current at different depths along the path followed by the ship. Data gathered can be used to perform analyses of the current conditions in the area in which the ship is sailing, which is very useful for the purpose of navigation and other operations of the ships.

Fixed ADCP

The fixed ADCPs would typically be installed in a particular position in the Guangzhou Port, for example, on piers or buoys. These ADCP meter will not move themselves but keep monitoring the currents of the ocean continuously. These will be able to provide current data over a long period of time with much stability, which is quite useful for learning the overall current patterns as well as changes that take place in the area of Guangzhou Port over some time.

4. What's needed to measure the quality of Guangzhou Port currents?

Equipment Requirements

In the measurement of currents in Guangzhou Port, several problems must be considered for the equipment.

Material Reliability

The materials of the manufacture of these pieces of equipment should be highly reliable. They need to stand harsh marine conditions, like corrosion by seawater, high humidity, and impacts from floating objects.

Small Size, Light Weight, and Low Power Consumption

The equipment should be compact, with lightweight construction to make the instruments easily installable and transportable, a factor that is very relevant for shipborne ADCPs. Low power consumption is also highly desirable because longer continuous measurements can be achieved without frequent replacement of batteries or high power supply, which, again, is very favorable for both fixed and shipborne ADCP profiler.

Low Cost for Mass Measurement

This would make large-scale measurement possible in Guangzhou Port at a relatively low equipment cost. Therefore, a number of ADCPs may be placed at different locations of the port to facilitate the collection of more comprehensive current data.

The Benefit of Using Titanium Alloy in ADCP Casing

The material of titanium alloy is ideal for ADCPs casing. A few evident advantages are inherent. First, it has great resistance to corrosion, which is able to effectively resist the corrosive effect of seawater and guarantee long-term stability and reliability in working conditions. Second, it has a high ratio between strength and weight; that is to say, at a relatively low weight it can provide sufficient strength, meeting the requirements of small size and light weight. Thirdly, the excellent thermal stability of the titanium alloy will be conducive to the equipment working normally under different temperature conditions in the Guangzhou Port area.

5. Selection of Equipment for Current Measurement?

Use Purpose

To select the equipment for measuring the current in the Guangzhou Port, one needs to consider its purpose first.

Shipborne ADCP

ADCP is suitable if the measurement is mainly done on ships. In this way, it can move along with the ship and measure the currents in the various areas of the port during the movement of the ship.

Sitting-Bottom ADCP

A sitting-bottom ADCP could be deployed for the Guangzhou Port at a certain location for long-term and fixed-point currents' monitoring. It is usually installed at the seabed and will continuously monitor the currents that have occurred around it.

Buoy-Type ADCP

The buoy-type ADCP is applicable for specific areas of the Guangzhou Port that need real-time monitoring of currents. The buoy can float on the water surface, and the ADCP on it can measure the currents around it.

Based on Different Frequencies

Different frequencies are suited for different water depth conditions. For instance, 600 kHz ADCP is typically suited for water depths within 70 m. It can provide more detailed current data in the area of relatively shallow water. 300 kHz ADCP fits for water depths up to 110 m, while 75 kHz ADCP is suitable for much deeper water, up to 1000 m. In this way, it is possible to conduct an accurate measurement of the currents at different depths according to actual conditions of water depth in Guangzhou Port.

Some very well-known brands in ADCP are Teledyne RDI, Nortek, and Sontek. However, for those looking for cost-effective options, the Chinese brand China Sonar PandaADCP is highly recommended. This is made up of all-titanium alloy material with an incredibly good cost-to-performance ratio. You may visit its website for more information at https://china-sonar.com/.

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