Application of ADCP in Measuring Ocean Current in Midia Port

1. Where is the Midia port?

It is situated in Romania along the coast of the Black Sea and is part of regional maritime transportation.

During these years, Midia Port has been developed continuously, both in its scale and throughput. The port includes several berths that could accommodate vessels of different sizes, from small coastal ships to larger cargo vessels. Its annual throughput has increased steadily, with a varied range of cargo handled such as general merchandise, containers, and some raw materials for industry.

As for its routes and business, it has relations with most of the ports in the Black Sea and further afield through established shipping lanes. The port undertakes both national and international trade, allowing different regions to exchange goods.

The management and operation of the port in Midia are done by professional teams. They focus on efficient ship berthing and departure processes, cargo handling operations, and a very high level of safety and security in the port area. Facilities at the port are modern and comprehensive. Advanced loading and unloading machinery, such as quay cranes, helps in speedy transfer between ships and shores, and there is enough storage area to store goods properly. Navigation aids and communication systems also help the vessels to enter and leave the port safely.

The waterway is well-designed and maintained in accordance with the demands of vessels of various drafts. It has direct shipping routes, adding to its connectivity and thereby acting as a key maritime node in the area.

2. Why are the ocean currents in the Midia port to be measured?

It is of great significance to measure the currents in the ocean in the Midia port for proper operation and management. Measuring will enhance safety while navigating the ships. Directly, the ocean currents have their impact on ship maneuverability. By knowing the speed and direction of the currents precisely, ship captains are more informed about entry or exit from the port, including avoidance of collisions with other vessels or running aground. For example, where areas of strong tidal currents or persistent ocean currents exist, ships must turn and adjust their speed according to the currents for safe passage.

It is also helpful in optimizing port operations. With these current patterns, port authorities can schedule the berthing and unberthing of ships more efficiently. Currents can be favorable that will speed up the processes involved in loading and unloading, thus reducing the waiting time by ships and improving the port's overall throughput.

Additionally, understanding the ocean current is so important for the long-term planning of the development of port infrastructure. Currents can affect sediment transport and the stability of the seabed around the port. By having current measurement data with accuracy, decisions on the construction of new berths, dredging activities, and further extension of port facilities are able to be made in a more scientific way.

The traditional ways of current measurement have some limitations regarding accuracy and real-time monitoring. However, the ADCP current meter has become more advanced and convenient. It provides a lot of detail and in real time about ocean currents, which will help to manage the ports more proactively.

3. How do ADCPs using the Doppler principle work?

The principle of the Doppler effect is what ADCPs use. They shoot acoustic signals into the water column. In turn, these acoustic waves reflect back after interaction with moving particles in the water, such as suspended sediments or small organisms; due to the Doppler effect, there is a frequency shift in the reflected waves. This shift in frequency is measured by the ADCP profiler, and from it, it calculates the velocity of the moving particle proportional to the velocity of the ocean current.

There are two major methods of applying ADCP meter in the case of ocean current measurement in Midia Port. First, there is the shipborne ADCP: during the movement of the ship over different areas of the port waters, the ADCP current meter mounted on the ship sends acoustic signals downwards and sidewise while continuously gathering current data from various locations and at various depths. In this way, the current situation on a relatively big area of the port is obtained.

The other is the fixed ADCP, which is usually installed in a fixed location in the port, such as on a pier structure or a submerged platform. The fixed ADCP monitors the passing ocean currents all the time and provides long-term, stable data of the current characteristics in that area, useful for analyzing the regular pattern and changes of the currents over time.

4. What is necessary for high-quality measurements of Midia port currents?

High-quality measurement in the ocean currents of the Midia port requires attention to a number of factors concerning the measuring equipment themselves. First, material reliability of the equipment is paramount. Being in seawater, one should not forget that equipment can be exposed to serious corrosion and even mechanical collateral in the port area and therefore should be made with durable materials.

Smaller size, lighter weight, and lower power consumption are also desirable. With a smaller size, installation in more places around the port-on ships or on fixed installations-is made easier. Less weight simplifies transportation and installation procedures by reducing both associated costs and labor to handle them. Lower power consumption means that equipment will operate for long lengths of time without continuous power replacement or extreme use of energy.

In addition, the cost is another critical factor. For large current measurement in the port, the equipment price should be moderate. For ADCP current profiler casing material, one of the best options is titanium alloy. There are several advantages of using titanium alloy. It is highly strong and can bear the underwater pressure and mechanical forces effectively. It also exhibits excellent corrosion resistance, which means it can bear the corrosive effects of seawater for a long time and ensure long-term stability and reliability of the equipment. Besides, compared with some other metals, its relatively lighter weight will make it more suitable for different installation scenarios in the port.

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

In the selection of equipment for current measurement in Midia port, considering the specific usage requirement in this regard, if one intends to conduct mobile measurement while the ship is navigating in the port, he may use the shipborne ADCP. It might cover different parts of port waters as the ship travels around.

One might say that a good choice would be the ADCP sit-on-bottom in the case of a fixed-point, long-term monitoring at some particular locations inside the port. It can sit in one position and take constant readings of the conditions present, recording over a useful length of time for analyzing local current patterns.

If there is a need to cover more general areas with limited mobility over the water surface, a buoy-mounted ADCP might be considered.

Besides, according to the water depth, different frequencies of ADCP should be chosen. In water with a depth of less than 70 meters, the 600 kHz ADCP is normally recommended because it can provide quite accurate current profiles in more shallow waters. In cases of water with depths at about 110 meters, the 300 kHz ADCP is more appropriate. For deeper waters of up to 1000 meters, the 75 kHz ADCP is preferred for ensuring that the measurement of currents is reliable.

There are some famous ADCP brands in the market, such as Teledyne RDI, Nortek, and Sontek. However, one Chinese brand of ADCP should be mentioned, which is called China Sonar PandaADCP. It is totally made from titanium alloy material; with excellent durability and anti-corrosion performance, the cost-performance ratio is quite outstanding. You can visit its official website: https://china-sonar.com/.

Conclusion: The ADCP plays an important role in the measurement of sea currents in Midia Port. Choosing the proper equipment according to needs could be one of the contributions towards better operation and management of this port.

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