ADCP's Application to Ocean Current Measurement in Puerto del Rosario Port

1. Where is Puerto del Rosario Port?

Puerto del Rosario is the capital city of Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands of Spain. The Puerto del Rosario Port is a significant maritime facility in this beautiful island region.

Port Scale and Throughput

It has a relatively middle-sized port facility. The type of cargo moved to and from the port includes building materials for the construction works within the island, agricultural output, and other merchandise. This is influenced by local economic activity and tourism demands. It is an important interlink in the importation and exportation of goods that the people and businesses on the island require.

Routes and Business

It has shipping routes that connect it with other Canary Islands and the Spanish mainland. The main business activities involve the transportation of goods such as building supplies, food products, and consumer goods. It also serves the local fishing industry by landing and distributing the catch, while catering for some tourist-related traffic, including small ferry services and supply ships for the hospitality sector.

Port Management and Operation

The management ensures that the port operates efficiently and sustainably through a managing team. The management team is in charge of efficient ship berthing, cargo handling processes, and the security of ships and cargo. Advanced management systems are installed to ensure smooth processing of ships and cargo, thus minimizing waiting time and enhancing efficiency. Environmental protection is also a concern, with measures in place to minimize the impact on the surrounding marine environment.

Port Facilities

The port has facilities fitting for its operation, starting with berths for various vessels: from smaller fishing boats to medium cargo ships, besides equipment for loading and unloading, such as cranes and forklifts, which would handle different cargoes. Goods have storage areas, including dry storage for non-perishable items and some cold storage for perishables. Basic facilities related to ship maintenance and refueling are also provided.

Channel and Direct Shipping

The port's channel is maintained to a depth that allows safe throughput. It has direct shipping links of paramount importance in the supply of goods to the island. The links shorten the travel time and costs hence a guarantee of a consistent supply of goods.

2. Why should we measure the ocean currents in the Puerto del Rosario Port?

Measurement of currents at the Puerto del Rosario Port is of great importance for a number of reasons. First, current data are important in ensuring safe navigation of ships. The ocean currents around the area could affect the speed and direction of ships during entry and exit from the port. Precise current information will, therefore, enable ship captains to make better-informed decisions to avoid collisions that may lead to the loss of vessels and damage to port infrastructure.

Besides, in the light of cargo handling, ocean currents can influence the stability of floating equipment used for loading and unloading. For example, if operations involve floating cranes or barges, then the effect of currents should be considered to optimize efficiency and accuracy in cargo transfer.

It forms the third basis of the importance of ocean currents to the port authority: the sediment transport calculations and maintenance of the depth in the channels and alongside berths. Regular current measurements give data that are important for dredging operations and the long-term usability of the port.

Nowadays, the ADCP current meter represents a more advanced and, at the same time, convenient method for current measurement. It can deliver real-time and multi-depth current data that may be very helpful for the operation and management of a port.

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

In general, ADCPs are based on the principle of Doppler. It transmits acoustic signals through water. After being transmitted, these signals would then scatter with moving particles or materials according to the flow of the water current. Upon returning to the reflecting layer, acoustic signals will reflect back with frequency variations based on the Doppler effect. By this principle, one would thus work out the speed at which the flow of current would move.

ADCP in Port Ocean Current Measurement

Shipborne ADCP

Shipborne ADCPs are installed on the ships themselves. In the area of the port, as the ship is moving, the ADCP current profiler shoots out acoustic pulses upward and sideways. These pulses give the velocity measurement at different depths of the current on a path the ship has covered. This information gets transmitted in real time to the ship's control system for onboard use in making any course or speed adjustment as necessary.

ADCP in Fixed

Ocean Current Measurement In the Port, the ADCPs are fixed at some locations either on the seabed or along the sides of port structure. They monitor the ocean current at the particular area continuously. Data collected from the fixed ADCP gives the current pattern of the port in the long term, which is useful for port planning and infrastructure maintenance.

4. What would be required in measuring currents around the Puerto del Rosario port?

The material used in carrying out high-quality measurement of current within Puerto del Rosario port needs to be a reliable one; that is, resistant to seawater and corrosion as a result of changing pressures. It also requires the sizes to be reduced, with minimum weight and very minimal power consumption. Compact in size, it allows installation in various locations around the port area. It ensures low power consumption, which will provide longer-term operation without frequent battery replacements or issues with power supply. Cost-effectiveness is another important issue to enable large-scale deployment of measurement equipment.

The casing of ADCP profiler is preferably made of titanium alloy. It has excellent corrosion resistance, which is very essential for long-term use in seawater. Besides this, it has a high strength-to-weight ratio, enabling it to bear high pressures without adding excessive weight. In addition, it is biocompatible, having a minimal impact on the marine environment.

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

Usage Purpose

• Shipborne ADCP: This is suitable for measuring currents during the movement of ships. It provides real - time data about the current conditions as the ship sails through the port, which is useful for navigation and operational safety.
• Sitting-bottom ADCP: This is good for long-term, fixed-point monitoring of a particular area in the port. It gives a continuing outlook on the current status at that place, which is useful for long-term current patterns and also for maintenance of the port infrastructure.
• Buoy-mounted ADCP: In cases where it is impractical to install fixed equipment on the seabed or on ships, a buoy-mounted ADCP can float on the water surface and measure the currents around it, offering great flexibility in the location of measurement.

By Frequency Type

• The 600kHz ADCP is perfect for water depth up to 70m for proper current measurement in reasonably shallow water.
• In the case of around 110m, a 300kHz ADCP will be more suitable since it is efficient to measure the current at such depth.
• For deeper waters up to 1000m, a 75kHz ADCP will be recommended for reliable current measurement.

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

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