ADCP in Porto Novo Port’s Ocean Current Measurement

1. Where is the Porto Novo Port?

The Porto Novo Port is located at Benin in West Africa. This port is one of the most important in this region and provides an essential service to the trade and economic activities involving the country.

Port Scale and Throughput

Scale: The port infrastructure is medium in size. It has a number of berths, accommodating various vessels-from medium-sized cargo ships to fishing boats to small- to medium-sized container ships. The quay area is substantial enough to permit the entire loading and unloading process to run smoothly. The storage facilities allow a wide variety of cargo handling, including agricultural products, building materials, and imported consumer goods.

Throughput: It is an important part of the Benin economy, its annual throughput being quite substantial. The port exports a reasonable quantity of cargo, mainly agricultural products such as cotton and cashew nuts. Its imports include machinery, fuel, and a broad category of consumer goods. Fishing also contributes to its throughput, with catches being processed and shipped from this port.

Routes and Business

Routes: There is a network of shipping routes feeding Porto Novo Port. Domestically, there are other ports in Benin to which it is connected for the distribution of goods. In the international sphere, at one level, it has trade links with ports from West Africa, Europe, and other regions. These routes form the pre-condition of the import-export business, as well as for the transport of goods to and from the hinterland.

Business: The various businesses, therefore, essentially consist of handling services in general cargo, agricultural products, and fish catches. There are also warehouse services, provision for logistics support, and customs clearance. In addition, there are fishing-related activities consisting of fish-processing plants and facilities for the maintenance and docking of fishing vessels.

Port Management and Operation

The port is managed through a management system that plans and controls the arrival and departure of ships, and it provides ships with a berth. It deals with cargo and performs all management tasks that ensure resources' optimum consumption and safety. They impose some regulations on safety, which refers to protection against ships, cargo, and workers. The environmental protection is also embraced to minimize the impacts of port activities on the local marine environment.

It includes safety and security measures, which include handling emergencies like fire and storms. The port also contains security checks against their goods and people to ensure they are not affected by any kind of harm. In addition, it includes environmental protection measures, such as waste management and pollution avoidance.

Port Facilities

Fishing-related Facilities: The port possesses fish-unloading docks due to the importance of fishing, cold-storage facilities that are used in preserving the fish, and areas where fish are processed. These facilities assist in handling the catch of fishing as well as maintaining the quality of the fish products.

Cargo-handling Facilities: This would include cranes and other loading/unloading machinery for handling general cargo and agricultural products, for which storage space is utilized to hold various types of cargo, ranging from building materials to consumer goods.

Container Terminals (where applicable): Where the port has facilities for handling containers, the terminals are equipped with cranes and arranged in yards for container storage.

Channel and Direct Shipping

The channels of the port are dredged for easy passage of ships. It has direct shipping services in all the major ports along West Africa, in addition to other international routes. These connections make the port competitive and help in effective traffic of goods.

2. Why do we need the measurement of ocean currents in the Porto Novo Port?

The measurement of ocean currents is quite vital in the Porto Novo Port. In navigation, the exact current information is very important. Currents can affect speed and course of ships, and in a port with such a wide variety of vessels, the information helps the captains to make very fine adjustments accordingly. It will help very much in collision avoidance and also in efficient carrying out of docking and undocking. For instance, knowledge of such currents is quite necessary to have when one is navigating a cargo ship loaded with agricultural produce with much semblance of accuracy through the waters of the port.

Another aspect is that cargo-handling operations can be related to the flow of ocean currents. Unstable or higher-intensity currents reduce precision in the handling by cranes and other equipment. The measurement of currents is useful in the scheduling of cargo-handling operations by the ports to minimize the waiting times for ships and maximize the output of work.

The measurements of ocean currents are highly valuable for environmental monitoring. In the event of an oil spill, or other pollutants, the data from these currents enables fairly accurate predictions of the spread direction and speed of the contaminants. Thus, the port would be able to enact timely preventive and remedial measures in order to maintain a safe, healthy marine environment. Being more sophisticated and facile in measuring ocean currents compared to the traditional methods, the ADCP therefore can be helpful in the operations of Porto Novo Port.

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

Measurement Principle

The ADCPs operate on the principle of the Doppler. When the ADCP current meter sends an acoustic signal into the water, the signal is scattered by the particles and other substances inside the water. Because the water particles in the ocean current move along with the current, the frequency of the scattered signal received back by the ADCP will be different from the frequency transmitted by it due to the Doppler effect. The calculation of this frequency shift gives the velocity of the water particles, hence giving the velocity of the ocean current.

ADCP in Port Ocean Current Measurement: Shipborne ADCP

Shipborne ADCPs are those installed on ships. While the ship is in motion within the area of Porto Novo Port, ADCP current profiler continuously emits and receives acoustic signals. It could measure currents at different depths along the movement path of the ship. After post-processing, data may be studied for conditions of currents in the area where the ship navigates and could be very helpful for navigation and operations. For example, a fishing boat can utilize the shipborne ADCP while deducing the most efficient path in the port waters.

Fixed ADCP

The fixed ADCPs are, in general, installed in specific places at the Porto Novo Port, whether on piers or buoys. The operation of these ADCPs is without movement and is run continuously recording the currents of the surrounding ocean. They can also provide long-term and stable current data which is useful for understanding the overall patterns of currents and their changes with time in a port area. An example of this could be a bottom-mounted ADCP current profiler near the area of cargo handling, which would give the data on currents that would help in optimizing the operation of cranes.

4. What's needed for high-quality measurement of Porto Novo Port currents?

Equipment Requirements

Material Reliability: The reliability of materials to be used in the equipment is of prime importance. They must be able to withstand the harsh marine environment, including corrosion brought by seawater, high humidity, and possible impacts from floating objects. At the Porto Novo Port, exposed to the open sea and with most varying weather conditions, including those related to rain, windstorm, cyclone, and flood, reliability in materials will definitely help the performance of the equipment in the long run.

Small Size, Low Weight, and Low Power Consumption: It is obvious that a small-sized lightweight ADCP flow meter will be advantageous for installation and operation, mainly for shipborne ADCPs. With low power consumption, the equipment could operate for a very long time without frequent battery replacements and exorbitant high-power supplies, important for fixed and shipborne ADCPs. Since the vessels at the Porto Novo Port are of different kinds, ease in the process of installation and operation is a major plus.

Low Cost for Mass Measurement: Equipment to be deployed for massive current measurement at the port should not be that costly. This is because equal deployments of ADCPs at other locations in the port could also be done simultaneously for more general data of current. Undoubtedly, with the various coverage areas of the port, cost-effective equipment is highly desired.

The use of titanium alloy for ADCP casing has the following advantages: Titanium alloy is an excellent material in ADCP current profiler casings. First, it displays excellent resistance to corrosion and, therefore, can withstand the corrosive effect of sea water. In the context of Porto Novo Port, this ensures the long-term stability and reliability of the equipment. The second aspect is that it has a high strength-to-weight ratio, which means it can bear enough strength while the weight is relatively low. This satisfies the requirement of small size and lightweight, facilitating the installation and operation of the ADCP. Thirdly, the titanium alloy has good thermal stability, which serves the normal operation of the equipment in different temperature environments in the Porto Novo Port area.

5. How to Choose right equipment for current measurement?

According to the Use Purpose

Shipborne ADCP: If the measurement is mainly carried out on ships, the shipborne ADCP is suitable. It can move with the ship to measure currents in different areas of the port as it navigates through it. In the case of Porto Novo Port, vessels like cargo ships or fishing boats can have shipborne ADCPs for current information in real time to enable safe navigation.

Sitting - Bottom ADCP: This would be good for the long-term fixed-point monitoring of the current at a specific location in the Porto Novo Port. Generally, it is installed on the seabed and is able to monitor currents continuously in its vicinity. The 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: The buoy-type ADCP will be useful in applications where real-time current monitoring in a selected area of the port is needed. A buoy can float on the water surface, and the ADCP flow meter mounted on the buoy can measure currents round its self. In areas like the middle of the port or near fishing areas, buoy-type ADCPs can give useful current information.

Selection Based on Different Frequencies

The different frequencies of ADCPs would fall within different water depths. For example, 600 kHz of ADCP current profiler is suitable for a water depth within 70 m. It could provide more detailed data concerning currents in this relatively shallow water area. For instance, at the Porto Novo Port, it would be good near shores or shallow parts of the port. The 300 kHz ADCP flow meter is suited for water depths up to 110 m, while the 75 kHz ADCP profiler is suited for much deeper waters of up to 1000 m. These different frequencies allow the accurate measurement of currents at different depths in Porto Novo Port according to the prevailing water depth conditions.

There are several well - known ADCP doppler 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.