ADCP's Application to Ocean Current Measurement in Bergen Port

1. Location of Bergen Port

Bergen Port is located in Bergen, Norway-a city on the south - western coast of Norway. It faces the North Sea, having been strategically positioned and enjoying proximity to major shipping lanes.

Port Scale and Throughput

Bergen Port is one of the busiest in Norway; it has a great quantity of freight throughout the year with general goods, bulk commodities, and containers. The port also acts as a crucial hub for various vessels that come and go into the port for both national and international trade.

Routes and Business

It has several cruise and ferry lines. The Hurtigruten coastal express is one of the most famous services that frequent Bergen Port and connects it with the towns in Norway's coast. There are also international ferry lines crossing to other European ports by connecting Bergen and facilitating passengers and freight. In the cargo business, this port handles everything from raw minerals to manufactured consumer goods.

Port Management and Operation

The port is managed by professional port authorities. The authorities are responsible for the maintenance of the infrastructure of the port, ensuring that the operations run smoothly, and enforcing safety and environmental regulations. They coordinate with shipping companies, terminal operators, and other stakeholders to optimize the movement of vessels and cargo.

Port Facilities

The facility at Bergen Port has modern infrastructure. There are unequal berths, some having large lengths and draft to allow different sizes of vessels to berth. Large-scale cargo handling equipment like cranes, forklifts, and conveyor belts characterize the port. In addition to storage facilities, there are both warehouses and open-air areas where different types of cargo can be stored.

Waterways and Direct Navigation

The port has well-maintained waterways. The depth of the main channels is sufficient to enable big-sized ships to navigate safely. Bergen Port has direct navigational links with many major European ports and some international destinations. In this way, it is easy to transport goods, and this really facilitates trade operations.

2. Why should we measure the ocean currents in Bergen Port?

Navigation Safety

Precise ocean current measurements inside Bergen Port are essential for safe navigation. Rich morphology along the coastline of Norway, together with contributions from the North Sea, might lead to variable and sometimes strong currents. That would enable the captains of the ships, provided they know the speed and direction of flow, to plan their routes better, make course corrections in advance, and hence eliminate risks like running aground or hitting other vessels.

Improvement of Port Operations

Ocean current information helps in the improvement of port operations. In the berthing or un-berthing vessels, for example, knowledge of the current assists terminal operators in the choosing of the appropriate time and manner. Currents interfere with the handling of floating cranes and other port-related equipment. In addition, long-term trends of the ocean currents assist in the planning and expansion of port facilities.

Environmental Protection

The dispersion of pollutants within the port area partly occurs through ocean currents. These measurements allow environmental managers to predict such spreads in the event of an oil spill or other contaminants and take necessary precautionary measures in advance for cleaning, to protect the marine ecosystem and the surrounding coastal environment.

In this respect, Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) is a new and handy tool developed for ocean current measurement in Bergen Port. It assures high-precision and real-time data, thus ideal for the complex requirements of port-related current measurements.

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

Measurement Principle

The ADCPs make use of the Doppler effect. When an acoustic signal is transmitted from the ADCP current meter into the water column, the sound waves reflect off suspended particles in the water, such as plankton and sediment. If these particles are moving due to the water current, the frequency of the reflected sound waves will be different from the transmitted frequency. This frequency shift is recorded by an ADCP profiler capable of calculating velocity from the known frequency shift-the so-called Doppler equation-only after the given signal frequency in relation to moving particles is entered into the machine.

Details of Specific Methods of Measurement Port Currents

Shipborne ADCP

This device is attached to a boat that is underway. As a result, it will measure at many depths alongside its track when the ship has been sailed upon the water current. This is further useful for achieving a wide area view of prevailing conditions within the port. Such an example application includes mapping in general current pattern areas within each part of the Bergen Port that will be very useful in mega-scale navigation.

Fixed ADCP

The fixed ADCPs are installed in a fixed location in the port, like on the seabed or on some fixed structure. The ADCPs will be able to continuously monitor the current conditions of that particular point for a very long period. This will be of great importance to understand the long-term trend and local variation of currents in areas such as near the berth or narrow channels of Bergen Port.

4. What is required for high-quality measurement of currents in Bergen Port?

Equipment Reliability

For high-quality current measurement over Bergen Port, the ADCP current profiler equipment should be highly reliable. The harsh conditions of the ocean, such as saltwater, waves, and temperature variations, mean that the equipment must be able to resist these without malfunctioning.

Size, Weight, and Power Consumption

The ADCP should be of small size and lightweight. It makes the instrument easier to install, especially under conditions of tight space, for example, for small boats and compact port constructions. Low power consumption is an important factor since it allows running the instrument continuously, especially when fixed-installed ADCPs run on battery or solar-powered systems.

Low Cost

To make the ADCP meter affordable for large-scale measurements in a port area, it should be as cheap as possible. In this way, it can be multiplied if required to result in appropriate current data.

Selection of Materials

The casing of the ADCP flow meter should be made from titanium alloy. Titanium alloy is resistant to corrosion; this will be important for the long run in the salty marine environment of Bergen Port. It is both strong and light, fitting into the requirements for durability and easiness of installation.

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

Based on Usage

• Shipborne ADCP: Suitable for the large-scale survey of the port area. The ship-borne ADCP shall be useful if the ship wants to obtain in a very quick way an estimation of the actual current field within a large window. The instruments can easily be installed on the hull of the ship, providing real-time data during its motion.
• Sit-on-bottom ADCP: This shall be applied for long - term measurement at specific locations in the port. For example, it can sit on the seabed near the entrance of any channel or close to a berth and continuously record the current data.
• Buoy-mounted ADCP: Useful in gathering data at the surface of the water and for areas where a fixed-bottom installation is not feasible. It has the ability to move with the flow of water while providing data on surface-layer currents.

Based on Frequency

• ADCP at 600kHz will be deployed for water of depths up to 70 m. It offers high-resolution data in shallow water and is currently widely distributed across large parts of Bergen Port, mainly near the shoreline or in some inner port channels.
• A 300kHz ADCP will be suitable for water depths of up to 110 m and can be applied for areas with medium depth in the port.
• For deeper areas, like in the main shipping channels of Bergen Port, where in some places it can reach a depth of 1000 m, a 75 kHz ADCP would be needed. Some of the well-recognized ADCP brands in the market include Teledyne RDI, Nortek, and Sontek.

However, for those looking for cost-effective yet high-quality options, the Chinese brand China Sonar PandaADCP is highly recommended. It is made of all-titanium alloy material, ensuring excellent durability in the marine environment, and offers an incredible cost-performance ratio. You can visit their website at https://china-sonar.com/ for more information.

Here is a table with some well known Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler(ADCP) instrument brands and models.