Current Measurement of Ocean by ADCP in Shenzhen Port

1. Where is Shenzhen Port?

Shenzhen Port is a port in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China. It enjoys a very high reputation and importance grading for the country, having been one of the major factors that have contributed to fast economic development and exports of China.

Port Scale and Throughput

The scale is immense, with Shenzhen Port composed of a set of terminals in different areas. Throughput is very high, dealing in enormous quantities of different cargoes. It is one of the most important container shipping ports in the world, shunting a significant proportion of the world's international trade containers. In addition to the containers, there is also much bulk cargo of coal and ores and grains, together with liquid cargo of oil and chemicals.

Courses and Business The port has an extensive network of shipping courses, including to and from almost all major ports worldwide. It has liner services that regularly call at ports in Asia, Europe, America, and other continents. Business engagements for Shenzhen Port are varied to include value-added services in warehousing, distribution, logistics processing, and cruise ship operations in some areas as part of the general cargo handling and transportation business.

Port Management and Operation Professional teams manage Shenzhen Port with the help of advanced management systems and technologies. The port authority oversees the coordination on entry and exit of ships, and facilitates an effective berth allocation system to smoothen cargo handling processes. Safety management is one of the top priorities, and tight safety regulations protect the life and properties of persons concerned in port operations.

Port Facilities

State-of-the-art port facilities include a great number of deep-water berths that are capable of receiving even the largest container ships and bulk carriers of the world. The modern quay cranes, gantry cranes, and automated handling systems at the container terminals speedily load and discharge containers efficiently. The storage areas are vast, with large warehouses for general merchandise and tanks of special storage for liquid cargo.

Channel and Direct Shipping Shenzhen Port has well-maintained channels with sufficient depth for large ships to pass through. It establishes direct shipping services to many key international ports, which shortens transportation time greatly and enhances the competitiveness of trade. The direct routes to the ports in Southeast Asia, Europe, and America have promoted closer economic and trade ties between Shenzhen and these regions.

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

Impact on Ship Navigation

Accurate measurement of the ocean currents in Shenzhen Port is one of the integral parts in ship navigation. Indeed, ocean currents are bound to affect the speed and course of ships entering and leaving the port. This will, in turn, enable captains to make wiser decisions on the best course of action in terms of speed and course adjustment to ensure safe and efficient navigation. In the busy port of Shenzhen, many ships operate at any given time, and knowledge of currents avoids collisions and other hazards of navigation .

Influence on Cargo Handling

Another potential impact of flow concerns the efficiency with which cargo handling operations can be carried out. If the flow is too strong or not predictable, that may give complications to the operating function of the equipment used for loading and unloading the cargo, such as cranes. Measuring currents enables a port authority to plan the time of cargo handling operations accordingly, therefore decreasing the waiting times of ships and improving the overall efficiency of the work.

The measurement of ocean currents contributes much to environmental monitoring in Shenzhen Port. Currents can affect the dispersion of some pollutants, like oil spills and other contaminants. With accurate current data, one can forecast the spread direction of pollutants and organize timely preventive and remedial measures to protect the marine environment of the port. It does this in a very advanced, convenient way compared to traditional methods of measuring currents. In any case, it is very beneficial in many Shenzhen Port operations.

3. How do Doppler principle ADCPs work?

Principle of Measurement

The Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler(ADCP) applies the Doppler principle. As the ADCP current meter sends out an acoustic signal into the water, that signal is scattered by the particles and other substances in the water. As the water particles are advected by the ocean current, the frequency of the backscattered signal arriving at the ADCP current profiler will be Doppler shifted from the transmitted frequency. The velocity of the water particles and hence that of the ocean current can be computed from this frequency shift.

ADCP in Port Ocean Current Measurement: Shipborne ADCP

Shipborne ADCPs are installed on ships. The ADCP doppler continuously emits and receives acoustic signals during the movement of the ship in the Shenzhen Port area. It can measure the instantaneous current at different depths along a path the ship is taking. Data from these may serve to give valuable information to analyze the current conditions in the area in which the ship is sailing for navigation and other operations.

Fixed ADCP

They are usually fixed on some certain locations in Shenzhen Port, such as on piers or buoys. While in position, they remain stationary and monitor the currents of the ocean in their vicinity. Stable and long-term current data can be delivered, thereby enabling an overview of general situations about the time-space changes of the currents within the area of Shenzhen Port.

4. What is needed to have good quality measurement of Shenzhen Port currents?

Equipment Requirements

In preparing quality measurement for Shenzhen Port, several factors should be put in place as far as the equipment is concerned.

Material Reliability

Materials to be used in preparing the equipment should be highly reliable. This is because they must resolve the harsh marine environmental conditions: Corrosion by seawater High humidity Impingement by floating objects

Small Size, Light Weight, and Low Power Consumption

If anything, the instruments should be small in size and light enough to be easily installed and more conveniently transported, especially for shipborne ADCPs. Low power consumption is also necessary for the purpose of extending operations continuously, avoiding the need to substitute batteries frequently and not requiring excessive power, mainly in fixed and shipborne ADCP flow meter.

Low Cost for Mass Measurement

In large-scale measurement in Shenzhen Port, the equipment cost needs to be relatively low so that many ADCP meter can be put into operation from various positions inside the port, gathering more complete data on the current. First, the corrosion resistance of titanium alloy is very excellent, and it could resist the corrosive effect of seawater effectively to make sure that the device could keep long-term stability and reliability. Second, it has a high ratio of strength to weight, which means that while offering sufficient strength, its own weight can be relatively small, meeting the requirements of small size and light weight. Thirdly, the good thermal stability of the titanium alloy ensures equipment works normally under different temperature environments in the Shenzhen Port area.

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

According to the Use Purpose

During the use in Shenzhen Port, when choosing the equipment of the current measurement, the purpose of using should be taken into consideration.

Shipborne ADCP

The measurement is to be carried out mostly on ships. In this case, the shipborne ADCP would be appropriate because it can move along with the ship and measure currents at different areas of the port as the ship navigates.

Sitting-Bottom ADCP

It can be used for long-term and fixed-point monitoring of the currents at a certain place in Shenzhen Port. An ADCP is generally laid on the seabed and can monitor the currents around itself continuously.

Buoy-Type ADCP

For real-time current monitoring in some area of the Shenzhen Port, the buoy-type ADCP can be used. It can float on the water surface, with the ADCP profiler on it to measure the current around it.

Selection Based on Different Frequencies

The ADCPs of different frequencies have different uses in water with different depths. For example, 600 kHz ADCP can be used for waters of less than 70 m deep. It can provide more detailed current data in the relatively shallow water area. 300 kHz ADCP can be applied to water with a depth of up to 110 m, while 75 kHz ADCP is good for far deeper water, reaching 1000 m. It can precisely measure currents of different layers according to the actual water depth condition in Shenzhen Port.

There are several famous brands selling ADCPs, including Teledyne RDI, Nortek, and Sontek. However, for those with more of a budget restraint, the Chinese brand China Sonar PandaADCP is highly recommended. The all-titanium alloy material it uses guarantees an awesome cost-performance ratio. Please visit its website below for more information. https://china-sonar.com.

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