ADCP in Payra Port's Ocean Current Measurement

1. Introduction to Payra Port

Payra is comparatively a new deep-sea port in Bangladesh, located in the Patuakhali district, and as such emerging as an important maritime hub in the country.

Location and Geographical Significance

It enjoys strategic importance because of its location in the Bay of Bengal with respect to domestic and international trade. It stands at the vicinity of major shipping lanes and is well-placed to handle the growing maritime traffic in the region.

Port Scale and Throughput

Volume: Payra Port is being developed on a large scale, with an extended area of the quay, giant-sized container ships, bulk carriers, and oil tankers. Infrastructure development is endless, adding more ships and cargo to it. Development of storage facilities has also been carried out with a view to dealing with various types of goods such as containers, agriculture, and industrial raw materials.

Throughput: Still in the growth phase, it is likely to increase manifold in the coming years. It is targeted to handle a sizeable portion of Bangladesh's imports and exports. Imports could include machinery, petroleum products, and construction materials. Exports may include garments, agricultural produce, and other manufactured goods.

Routes and Business

Alignments Routes: The port has been aligned with various shipping routes. It is capable of directly linking the ports in Asia, Europe and Middle East. These routes are very important in fostering trade and economic development.

Business: The major business activities involve cargo-handling services related to general cargo, containers, and bulk cargo. It provides services like warehousing, logistics support, and customs-clearance. It also focuses on industrial development in the nearby areas with a view to accelerating economic growth in the region.

Management and Operation of the Port

The Port is managed by a well-organized administrative and operational system. The port authority keeps operations concerning control of ship traffic, berth allocation, and cargo handling procedures. Advanced technologies are applied in order to optimize the operations with regard to safety and security.

Safety and security are very paramount. It has laid down strict safety regulations that protect ships, cargo, and personnel. The port has security arrangements that deterrent illegal activities like smuggling and terrorism. Environmental protection forms an integral part of this port's management strategy in minimizing the impact caused by port activities to the marine environment.

Facilities at the Port

Modern quay and gantry cranes serve the container terminals to handle the enormous number of containers in the shortest time; the storage yards are designed in a way that allows for speed, easy access, and organization.

Bulk Cargo Terminals: These consist of conveyor belts for bulk cargo, stockpiles, and loading machinery. Bulk cargo facilities dealing with commodities like grains, ores, and coal are designed to allow for great precision with only a little spillage occurring.

Liquid Cargo Terminals: Pipelines, storage tanks, and loading arms can be utilized in the port for handling liquid cargo. Those would be helpful for hazardous products such as petroleum and chemicals, for which it will permit the processing and transport to be done efficiently and safely.

Channel and Direct Shipping

These are activities like dredging the channels in the port to the correct depth suitable for allowing big ships. It is in the process of establishing more such direct links in the near future as it offers direct shipping services with key regional ports. These direct links raise the stature of the port in international trade and transport.

2. Importance of Measuring Ocean Currents in Payra Port

For Navigation of Ships: Measurement of ocean current is very important for navigation. These currents can have a great impact on speed and course for ships. In a busy port, such as that of Payra, where real captured current information allows masters to have the accuracy needed for more precise adjustments in speed and course to avoid collision, quicker, and more efficient docking and undocking procedures. For example, if a huge container ship is coming into the port, it must take into account the current to enable smooth and safe entry.

Cargo Handling Operations: The fluctuation of currents in the ocean can have a great impact on cargo-handling operations. In cases when the current is unstable or extremely strong, operating cranes and other handling equipment may have lower precision during these periods. With measurement of currents, it may be possible for a port to schedule cargo-handling operations at times most opportune from the point of view of current conditions, to keep the wait times of the ships at a minimum and maximize all the work effectively. For Environmental Monitoring: In case of an oil spill or any other pollutant, the current data will be helpful in predicting the direction and speed of contaminant travel. It shall therefore, assist the port in taking timely, preventive, as well as remedial measures to protect the marine environment. ADCP current profiler offers a more sophisticated means of measuring ocean currents as opposed to conventional means; hence, it is highly advantageous for the operations at Payra Port.

Operational Principle of ADCP

Doppler Principle: By principle, an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) depends on the Doppler principle. To this end, each time a transmitted acoustic signal is sent into the water by an ADCP, the signal undergoes scattering by particles and other substances in the water. Because of the Doppler effect, the water particles are moving with the ocean current, so the frequency of the scattered signal received back by the ADCP meter will be different from the transmitted frequency. In this respect, measurement of frequency shift will calculate the velocity of the water particles and hence the velocity of the ocean current.

Shipborne ADCP: Shipborne ADCPs are installed on ships. It continuously transmits and receives acoustic signals while moving with the ship inside the Payra Port area. Consequently, the ADCP profiler can measure ocean currents at different depths along the track cut by the ship. Collected data can be used to analyze current conditions in the area through which the ship is sailing, hence providing valuable information for navigation and ship operations. This perhaps applies to that situation where a tanker enters the port and orients its course to the current prevailing conditions with the help of the shipborne ADCP.

Fixed ADCP: The fixed ADCPs are usually fitted at fixed and selected locations around the area of Payra Port. Installation is usually carried out on piers and buoys. These ADCPs do not move, and during the presence in that area, they continuously monitor the currents in the ocean around them. They can deliver long-term and stable current data, providing insight into the general pattern and variation of currents at the port area over time. For example, a bottom-mounted ADCP flow meter near a container terminal will be able to deliver data on the currents in that area, thus enabling the optimization of crane operations.

4. Requirements for High Quality Current Measurement in Payra Port

Equipment Requirements

Material Reliability: Reliability of the materials applied on the equipment is vital. They have to be resistant to the heavy marine atmosphere connected with seawater corrosion, high humidity, and impacts from floating objects. Keeping in mind that the Payra Port faces the Bay of Bengal, reliable materials would make the equipment work for a long period.

Smaller in size and lighter in weight, with low power consumption: A small-sized, light ADCP current profiler would be beneficial for installation and operation in shipborne ADCPs. Equipment of low power consumption could operate for a long time with no frequent battery replacement or high-power supply requirements, which is important for both fixed and shipborne ADCPs. Noting that vessels and installations in port are quite a lot, simplicity in installation and operation is highly desired.

Large-scale current measurement in the port: The equipment cost should be relatively low. This will facilitate multiple ADCPs deployed at various locations in the port with comprehensive current data measurement. For covering different areas within a port, equipment with low costs is highly desired.

Benefit of Using Titanium Alloy for ADCP Casing

Fantastic, using a titanium alloy to make the ADCP doppler casings is great. First, it has excellent resistance to corrosion; that is, it is able to bear the corrosive effect of seawater. That means, in Payra Port, long-term stability, reliability of equipment. Second, with the high strength-to-weight ratio, it can supply enough strength while keeping the weight relatively low. This fulfills the demands of small size and lightweight for easy installation and performance of the ADCP flow meter. Third, titanium alloy is characterized by good thermal stability, propitious for the normal operation of equipment under various temperature environments in the Payra Port area.

5. How to Choose the Right Equipment for Current Measurement?

Depending on the Purpose of Use

Shipborne ADCP: When the measurement is mainly carried out on ships, then shipborne ADCP is appropriate. It can move along with the ship and measure the currents in different areas of the port while the ship navigates. In Payra Port, ships like container ships and tankers could obtain current information in real time by using shipborne ADCPs for safe navigation.

The Bottom ADCP: It is definitely capable of sitting and monitoring currents at any particular location in the Payra Port. They are usually installed on the seabed, recording continuously the current of the surroundings.For example, sitting-bottom ADCPs can provide stable and long-term current data near the entrance of the port or at critical docking areas.".

Buoy type ADCP: This comes in when real time monitoring of currents within a given area of the port is required. The buoy shall be capable of floating on the water surface, while the ADCP current meter mounted on it makes measurements of currents surrounding it. In areas like the middle of the port, or in the vicinity of liquid cargo terminals, useful current information may be derived from buoy-type ADCPs.

Selection Based on Different Frequencies

The different frequencies of ADCPs are appropriate for different water depths. As an example, 600 kHz ADCP is good for a water depth within 70 m. In relatively shallow waters, it can provide high-resolution current data. That can be utilized for Payra Port in nearshore or shallow parts of the port. The 300 kHz ADCP is suitable for as shallow water as up to 110 m, while 75 kHz ADCP can be fitted for much deeper water, up to 1000 m.

These different frequencies enable the measurement of currents at different depths in Payra Port in real water depth conditions with good accuracy. Some well-known ADCP flow meter brands include Teledyne RDI, Nortek, and Sontek. However, for those in pursuit of options that are more in line with seeking economic choices, a highly recommended Chinese brand is China Sonar PandaADCP. 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.