ADCP's Application to Ocean Current Measurement in Townsville Port

1. Where is Townsville Port?

Townsville Port is located in Townsville, a city in Queensland, Australia. It lies on the northeastern coast of the Australian continent and faces the Coral Sea.

Port Scale and Throughput

Townsville is one of the big regional significant ports. Different types of wharves and berths together form this facility. Even the bulk carriers, container vessels and cruise ships could be accommodated on it. It processes mineral inflow and agricultural products every year. On the same context, the shipment of general merchandise is also significant in the region. Its processed exports provide significant export of the resources in this region. All of its imports are of quite essential value in this region.

Routes and Business

The port has vast shipping routes across major ports throughout the Asia-Pacific region and other parts of the world. Business activities that have been in operation include bulk cargo handling, container operations, cruise ships, among others. It is an essential link to international trade, enabling the exchange of goods between Australia and other countries. Other services offered at the port include repair, storage, and logistics, among others.

Port Management and Operations

Townsville Port is managed by professional port authorities that ensure efficient and safe operations. They are responsible for coordinating vessel arrivals and departures, managing cargo handling, and maintaining port infrastructure. Advanced technology and management systems are employed in the port to optimize resource allocation and enhance overall productivity.

Port Facilities

Modern facilities assist the operations of the port. These are the large-capacity cranes that load and unload cargo, the large storage areas for various types of goods, and specialized facilities for liquid and gaseous substances. Other facilities include container stacking and refrigerated cargo storage.

Channels and Direct Navigation

Townsville Port has well-maintained channels with enough depth to host even the most draught-sized vessels. Many significant international ports of the world have direct navigation links to this port, and that makes trade and transportation easy. Channels were regularly dredged in order to guarantee safe passage for ships of all sizes.

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

The measurement of currents in Townsville Port is for a number of reasons very important.

Safety of Vessel Operations

Precise knowledge about the currents will define safe navigation and mooring operations of vessels. Currents most often influence the speeds and directions, particularly in ships at the time of berthing and un-berthing phases. Measurement helps the port management provide this information with enough accuracy that will enable the ship master to make full use of the information for decision-making and hence help avoid accidental occurrences.

Efficient Cargo Handling

Currents affect the stability of vessels during loading and unloading. Knowledge about the current will enable better scheduling of these activities, reducing delays and enhancing the overall efficiency of the port. This is critical in minimizing the turnaround time of ships and optimizing the use of port resources.

Environmental Protection

Knowledge of ocean currents is indispensable in the issue of environmental protection in the port area. It allows for predicting the spread of pollutants in the case of an oil spill or other maritime disasters. This information is used in the elaboration of effective response plans and reducing the impact on the marine ecosystem and coastal environment.

In short, considering the relevance of current data with accuracy, Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) has become highly advanced and one of the most handy tools to measure the currents in Townsville Port and deliver data required for safe and efficient port operations.

3. How do ADCPs using the Doppler principle work?

The ADCPs are based on the Doppler effect.

Measurement Principle

The ADCP current meter transmits acoustic signals into the water. These signals travel through the water and bounce off particles suspended in the water column. If the water is in motion (that is, there is a current), the particles will be in motion. When the acoustic signals are reflected back to the ADCP meter, the frequency of the reflected signals will be different from the original emitted frequency. The ADCP measures this frequency shift, and from the Doppler principle, it calculates the velocity of the water movement.

ADCP in Port Current Measurement: Specific Methods

Ship-borne ADCP: This type of ADCP current profiler is installed on the bottom of a ship. While the ship moves around in the port waters, the ADCP continuously measures the current profiles beneath the ship. It gives an overall view of the current patterns in the port area and covers a large area in a relatively short length of time.

Fixed ADCPs: These ADCPs are mounted in fixed locations in the terminal, near entrances, around the berths, or in essential channels. It serves continuous and long-term data for current states at a specific point. Real-time data of paramount importance concerning the management of ports and ensuring their safety in real time is one of their most valuable advantages.

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

To perform high-quality measurement of currents at the Townsville Port, a number of aspects regarding the ADCP flow meter equipment are most critical.

Equipment Reliability: The materials used to make the ADCP must be highly reliable due to the harsh conditions found in the marine environment at Townsville Port. The casing material should be able to resist corrosion, high pressure, and mechanical stress.

Size, Weight, and Power Consumption: The ADCP shall be small and light for easy installation and deployment. It shall have low power consumption, which would be a particular advantage during extended measurement series with restricted power supplies. It may ensure operation on site for weeks or even months without any exchange of batteries and without consuming excessively large amounts of electric power.

Cost-effectiveness: Another relevant cost regarding the large-scale current measurements in the port is that of an ADCP: The availability of a relatively inexpensive, high-quality ADCP allows for the deployment of several units and thus a good understanding of the current field.

The Titanium alloy is an excellent choice for an ADCP profiler casing. It exhibits excellent corrosion resistance, which proves to be essential in the salty water of the Townsville Port. It's lightweight and highly strong, proving to be effective in ensuring longevity and reliability at different sea states of the ADCP.

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

Based on Usage Purpose

• Ship-borne ADCP: In general, large-scale surveys both inside and in the vicinity outside the port would be its indication. It does a very broad area quite rapidly and provides the overall picture on the current distribution, useful at initial site investigation and general monitoring.
• Sit-on-bottom ADCP: It is suited for long-term fixed-point monitoring. This instrument could be deployed in selected locations at the seabed inside the port for continuous recording of current data that will serve as valuable information to port operations and safety.
• Buoy-type ADCP: The buoy-type ADCPs are handy for surface and near-surface current measurements. They can drift with the currents while providing data from different water depths, thus enabling insight into the dynamic behavior of the upper water layers.

Based on Frequency Selection

• For water depth within 70m, a 600kHz frequency ADCP is recommended, which will be able to give high-resolution data in shallow waters and thus suitable for areas near the shore or in relatively shallow parts of the port.
• For depths up to 110m, a 300kHz ADCP will be more appropriate. It gives a good balance between range and resolution, allowing a reasonable depth range with fair accuracy.
• When measurements over deeper waters of up to 1000m are taken, the choice must fall to the 75kHz ADCP since it offers higher penetration depth with more accurate records of the currents for deep-sea flow conditions.

Some common ADCPs commercially available on the market are those by Teledyne RDI, Nortek, and Sontek. However, for those seeking a cost-effective and high-quality option, the Chinese brand China Sonar PandaADCP is worth considering. Made of all-titanium alloy, it offers an excellent cost-performance ratio. You can find more information on their website: https://china-sonar.com/. This brand can be a great solution for accurate and efficient ocean current measurement in Townsville Port.

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