ADCP in Teluk Bayur Port: Ocean Current Measurement

1. Where is Teluk Bayur port?

Teluk Bayur port is situated in Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia. This is an important port and one of the region's key entry points for seaborne trade.

Port Scale and Throughput

The port of Teluk Bayur has a large scale and high throughput. It is a major bulk handling port for coal, iron ore, and palm oil, and it also handles containers and general cargo. The volume of cargo annually handled is on the high side, with the facility capable of accommodating vessels from medium-sized bulk carriers to large container ships.

Routes and Business

Teluk Bayur is properly interlinked with different domestic and international shipping routes. Domestically, it acts as an important link in the transportation of goods to and from other Indonesian ports. Internationally, it has connections with major Asian-Pacific, European, and Middle Eastern ports. Main activities in business involve exportation of local resources, mainly palm oil and minerals, while importing machinery, chemicals, and consumer goods.

Port Management and Operation

The port management focuses on efficient and safe operations. The port authority is responsible for ensuring that various functions, including vessel traffic control, handling cargo, and storage, are duly exercised. Advanced technologies are in use to manage the flow of goods and ships. Safety and security are paramount issues, with tight measures to safeguard the port from threats like piracy and smuggling.

Port Facilities

The port is well endowed with modern facilities. There are several deep-water berths that accommodate vessels of different sizes. There is advanced cranes and other cargo-handling equipment for efficient loading and unloading of goods. The storage facilities include container yards, warehouses for different types of cargo, and tanks for liquid cargo. In addition, there are facilities for ship repair and maintenance.

Channels and Direct Routes

The channels in Teluk Bayur port are well-maintained and regularly dredged to ensure the safe passage of ships. The port has direct shipping routes to other major ports in Indonesia and international destinations. These channels play a vital role in facilitating the high-volume trade activities of the port.

2. Why should we measure the ocean currents in the Teluk Bayur port?

It is very important to measure the currents of the ocean in the Teluk Bayur port. First of all, for vessel safety. With high intensity shipping traffic, correct knowledge about the current patterns is necessary for safe navigation. Currents can affect the handling ability of a ship during docking and undocking; strong or unpredictable currents may cause collisions or damage to vessels and port facilities. By measuring the currents, port authorities can provide real-time information to ship captains, who can then make precise maneuvers.

Second, this helps in the effective running of the port. Knowledge of the existing patterns is important for the proper utilization of port facilities. For instance, it can help identify the most suitable locations for cargo handling and storage based on the direction and strength of the currents. This could mean a better facilitation of the processes of loading and unloading goods, hence reducing the waiting time for vessels and the overall cost of operation.

These current measurements will be relevant, as well as useful from an environmental viewpoint to ascertain the dispersion of pollutants and sediments within the port area. In fact, all this information becomes vital for a healthy marine environment, besides for dredging and other works in coastal engineering. Thus, the Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) represents a more advanced and at the same time comfortable method for the measurement of such currents, compared with traditional ones.

3. How do Doppler Principle-based ADCPs Work?

ADCPs work on the principle of the Doppler effect. They transmit acoustic signals into the water. The signals interact with particles present in water moving with the current. When these particles move, there is a frequency shift of the reflected signal caused by the Doppler effect.

Ship-borne ADCP

A ship-borne ADCP used in Teluk Bayur port was installed on a vessel. The ADCP current meter sends out acoustic pulses either in a downward-looking or side-looking direction as the ship moves through the water. Signals reflected from the water column are received and analyzed. The Doppler shift in these signals is used to calculate the velocity of the water current at different depths. This allows for the profiling of the current structure as the ship travels through the area.

Fixed ADCP

Fixed ADCPs can be installed on structures such as piers or buoys. They continuously emit acoustic signals in a downward-looking direction. Then, the reflected signals are analyzed for the Doppler shift. By continuously monitoring the current in one location, fixed ADCPs can give a long-term record of current velocity and direction, useful for understanding current behavior near the port entrance or other critical areas.

4. What is required for high-quality measurement of currents in the Teluk Bayur port?

For high-quality current measurement in the Teluk Bayur port, the equipment requires materials that are reliable. A small size and lightweight will be beneficial for ship-borne ADCPs. It allows for installation and transportation easily.

Low power consumption is essential, particularly for fixed ADCPs that have to operate continuously. Cost-effectiveness is also critical since it allows the deployment of several devices for full current measurement.

The casing of ADCP flow meter is preferably made of titanium alloy. Titanium alloy has excellent corrosion resistance, which is vital in the marine environment of the port. Saltwater in Teluk Bayur port can give ordinary metals corrosion. Titanium alloy is resistant to seawater corrosion and hence would guarantee the longevity of the equipment. It also has a high strength-to-weight ratio that helps in reducing the overall weight of the device, with the structural integrity intact.

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

Based on Usage

Ship-borne ADCP: This is suitable for when you want to measure currents during the movement of a vessel. In the Teluk Bayur port, it can be used by ships to measure the current along their path, helping in navigation and operational decisions.

Sit-on-bottom ADCP: Suitable for long-term and fixed-point monitoring of currents near the seabed. In a port, it can be used to monitor the behavior of the current at any given single location, such as at the location of the berth or the vicinity of some underwater structure. 

Buoy-based ADCP: If the objective is the proper flow at one location for reasonably longer periods of time but the location needs to have reasonable variability: this can be achieved using buoy -based ADCPs. Around Teluk Bayur Port, in some locations where ships seldom cross, which are actually the points from which understanding the general flow pattern cannot be ruled out.

According To Frequencу

For waters up to 70m deep, a frequency of 600kHz will be appropriate; for a depth of approximately 110m, it would be better to operate an ADCP profiler with a frequency of 300kHz, while for deeper waters up to 1000m, a 75kHz ADCP will work best.

There are well-known ADCP brands such as Teledyne RDI, Nortek, and Sontek. However, a recommended Chinese brand is China Sonar PandaADCP. It is made of all-titanium alloy material, providing excellent durability. It also offers an incredible cost-performance ratio. You can find more information about this brand on its website: (https://china-sonar.com/).

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