Application of ADCP to Ocean Current Measurement in Valencia Port

1. Location of Valencia Port

Valencia Port is situated on the east coast of the Iberian Peninsula, in the autonomous community of Valencia, Spain. It represents one of the most important and busiest ports within the country.

Port Scale and Throughput

The Valencia Port is a large-scale port with huge infrastructure. It is made up of many berths, which can house small-sized coastal ships to large-scale container ships, bulk carriers, and cruise liners. The annual throughput recorded in this port is remarkably huge. The port handles massive volumes of containerized cargo that include consumer products, electronics, and automotive parts. In addition, it is also an important center for the import and export of bulk cargo like grains, minerals, and energy-related products. During the last couple of years, the port has been expanding and modernizing continuously to meet the increasing demand for sea trade.

Routes Business

The port has an extensive network of shipping routes spanning the Mediterranean Sea, connecting to major international ports around the world. It forms the most critical link in world trade between Europe, Africa, and the Americas. As a business entity, the Valencia Port operates in several businesses. For instance, it has a highly efficient container terminal that can manage high volumes of containers on any given day. The port also enjoys quite a reasonable stake in the cruise market, as a cruise terminal receives a good volume of cruise liners throughout the year, carrying tourism money with them. Along with that, it assists the local industry by acting as a channel for both raw materials as well as finished products.

Management and Operations of Port

Valencia Port is managed by an efficient and well-organized authority of the port. This authority is responsible for regulating everything, from vessel traffic control to management of port facilities. They also ensure that international standards concerning safety and the environment are met. The port management also actively promotes the development of the port by undertaking strategic planning, investing in infrastructure, and cooperating with various stakeholders. These range from shipping lines, terminal operators, logistics operators to local businesses, all of which work in coordination to make the port even more competitive.

Facilities

Valencia Port is a modern facility with state-of-the-art facilities. The container terminals are fitted with modern gantry cranes besides automated container handling systems for efficient loading and unloading operations. Storage areas are also separately provided in vast areas for the containers and even more specifically, the refrigerated variety. There is a different sort of mechanism when it comes to bulk cargo with the provision of conveyors and silos. For ship repair works and maintenance, vast dry docks and yards, besides workshops, are an integral feature in this harbor. Supporting elements like fuelling stations, supply of water and crew service arrangements also exist in plenty.

Channels and Direct Navigation

The approaches to Valencia Port are deep and well-maintained. The depth of the channels is closely monitored to ensure that vessels with large drafts can enter and leave the port without incident. Advanced radar systems, lighthouses, and buoys have been installed along the channels to guide ships through, especially under adverse weather conditions. With clearly marked shipping lanes, vessels can come directly from the open sea into the port. Nevertheless, because of high traffic volume, vessel movement is guided through strict traffic management procedures to be safe and effective.

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

Among the many operations and management concerns, ocean current measurement is of great relevance to Valencia Port.

Navigation Safety

Ocean currents could play a major role in ensuring that the navigation of vessels through Valencia Port, based on the great number of ships entering and leaving the port, is understood for safe passage. Currents can affect a ship's speed, direction, and even maneuverability. For example, strong current can drive the ship off-course during berthing or when navigating through narrow channels and increase the chances of collision with other vessels, port structures, or even the shore. Precise current measurement helps captains of ships make informed decisions by adjusting their strategy of navigation and taking appropriate precautions to avert any accident.

Optimisation of Port Operations

The ocean currents also have a great deal of importance with respect to the working of the port effectively. The direction and strength of the current become very important during the berthing and unberthing of vessels. A favorable current could thus help in saving time and effort in smoothly maneuvering the vessel. An unexpected or strong current could lead to delay and difficulties. Also, it affects the stability of the ship in the case of loading and unloading. With this real-time data on currents, port operators can efficiently schedule operations, so it guarantees operations that are under ideal conditions, in this way contributing to the overall productivity of the ports.

Protection of the Environment

This also makes ocean current measurement highly relevant in cases of environmental disasters, such as oil spills or harmful-substance releases. Currents give the direction and the rate of pollutant spread. Based on the knowledge of current patterns, the port authority is thus able to immediately predict the most likely way in which pollutants will travel and take immediate actions toward containment and cleanup. This helps in the protection of the local marine ecosystem, which is home to a diverse range of flora and fauna. It also safeguards the fishing industry and the coastal areas from the negative impacts of pollution.

Among the various techniques for ocean current measurement, ADCP current meter has turned out to be a very sophisticated and handy tool. It can continuously measure currents at various depths with high resolution and thus allow for detailed insight into the current structure in the port area.

3. How do ADCPs using the Doppler principle work?

ADCP Measurement Principle

The ADCPs make use of the Doppler effect. An ADCP current profiler sends out acoustic signals into the water column. These get scattered by small particles suspended in the water, such as plankton, sediment, or tiny bubbles. Due to the movement of these particles by the water current, the frequency of the scattered acoustic signal that reaches the ADCP is different from the frequency of the signal that was sent out. This frequency shift, the so-called Doppler shift, is directly proportional to the velocity of the particles and, hence, the velocity of the water current. By precisely measuring this Doppler shift, the ADCP is able to determine the speed and direction of the water current at different depths in the water column.

ADCP in Port Current Measurement-Specific Methods

• Ship-borne ADCP: A ship-borne ADCP is mounted on a moving ship. While the ship is moving in the port area, the ADCP continuously measures the current. This technique allows for the rapid survey of large areas of the port and hence provides a large-scale view of the current pattern. The ship's own motion, however, has to be compensated for with care in the data processing. This is usually accomplished by using additional sensors, including gyroscopes and GPS, that ascertain the movement of the ship very accurately and subtract that movement from the current data measured.
• Fixed ADCP: An ADCP that is fixed is mounted at a point location in the port, on a pier for instance, a buoy, or even on a submarine platform.
• This setup enables a continuous, long-term current monitoring at one point. It serves to study the long-term trends and variations in the current, besides providing real-time current data for port operations in the vicinity of the installation. Fixed ADCPs may be powered by electricity from the port grid, by solar panels, or by batteries.

4. What's needed for high-quality measurement of Valencia Port currents?

Equipment Reliability

Reliability is one of the key aspects that will make the ADCP flow meter equipment produce high-quality current measurements in Valencia Port. The harsh marine conditions in the port include salinity, strong winds, and temperature fluctuations; thus, the ADCP should be able to operate effectively in these conditions. In ensuring reliability, especially within the ADCP, the casing is a very important part of the materials used for its construction.

Size, Weight, and Power Consumption

The ADCP meter should be compact in size for easy installation at various locations in a port.

A lightweight design is advantageous, especially for ship-borne applications, as it minimizes the impact on the stability of the ship.

Low power consumption is also highly desirable, especially for fixed-mounted ADCPs, which may need to operate over long periods using alternative power sources such as solar panels or batteries. This will enable the ADCP meter to operate continuously with less battery replacement and power outages.

Cost-effectiveness

The ADCP profiler equipment should also be reasonably priced to enable its large-scale deployment in Valencia Port with the idea of effectively reducing current measurements. This allows for the possibility of installing various units at different areas in the port, hence leading to a finer and accurate description of the current patterns. Other factors that involve cost-effectiveness are maintenance costs, which are supposed to be at a low level to maintain long viability.

Titanium Alloy for ADCP Casing

The ADCP casing is preferably made from titanium alloy.

Titanium alloy has numerous advantages in the marine environment. It has excellent corrosion resistance, which is important to resist the corrosive effects of saltwater over long periods. It is also relatively lightweight compared with other corrosion-resistant materials, such as stainless steel, thus helping to reduce the overall weight of the ADCP profiler. Besides, the titanium alloy has good mechanical strength to bear the mechanical stresses related to ocean current measurement, including water pressure and impacts from waves or debris.

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

Based on Usage

• Ship-borne ADCP: This would be appropriate when trying to get a general large-scale overview of current patterns in the port. In particular, shipborne ADCPs provide initial reconnaissance and can quickly delineate the pattern of currents over broad areas of a port. These can be handy when taking preliminary assessments for general perception in how the current patterns vary across different port areas that could be beneficial in route planning and overall traffic management.
• Bottom-mounted ADCP: These types of ADCPs are more suited to long-term fixed-point monitoring of currents. It serves well in studying the long-term trends and variations in the current at a particular location in the port. Sit-on-bottom ADCPs can provide much information on how currents vary with time and may be key in planning port infrastructure as well as for environmental monitoring.
• Buoy-mounted ADCP: Buoy-mounted ADCPs are useful for measuring currents in areas where it is difficult to install fixed-point or ship-borne systems. They can be deployed in areas with high water flow, in open-water regions near the port, or in areas where access is limited. Buoy-mounted ADCPs can give real-time current conditions, which are areas that can be of essence in navigation and environmental protection.

Based on Frequency

• A 600kHz ADCP would be appropriate for waters not deeper than 70m. In case of Valencia Port, where there are some quite shallow areas-as for example shores or some berth areas-this frequency can be applied for detailed measurements. Higher frequency allows the realization of more precise measurements in such shallow waters.
• A 300kHz ADCP would be suitable for depths of approximately 110m and can be applied to areas with a bit deeper water in the port, like the main channels or some of the outer berthing areas. This frequency offers a good compromise between depth penetration and measurement resolution.
• A 75kHz ADCP is for much deeper waters, such as up to 1000m. Considering that Valencia Port may not have extremely deep waters around its vicinity, this frequency can also be considered in case measurements are required to be extended into the adjacent offshore areas or into deeper channels connecting to the port.
• There are quite a few popular ADCP brands available on the market, including Teledyne RDI, Nortek, and Sontek.
• However, Chinese brand China Sonar PandaADCP should be highly recommended if looking for something economical yet with good quality.
• It is made from all-titanium alloy for great durability in the marine environment.
• With an amazing cost-performance ratio, it will be an ideal solution for the current measurement of Valencia Port. For more about them, please see: (https://china-sonar.com/).

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