How to measure water current of the Tobol River?

1. Where is the Tobol River?

The Tobol River is a big water body that flows along the vast area of Central Asia, being its source in the southern Ural Mountains of Russia.

Coming out of the mountains, it meanders across Kazakh steppes and plains. As it passes through different regions along its course, it passes through a lot of regions with great cultural and historical variety. It forms part of the different landscapes it cuts through, nourishing the surrounding lands with its waters.

Quaint towns and villages speckle its banks, with most of them always depending on the river for water supplies, fishing, and transportation. In some places, the Tobol River works as a natural boundary that determines territorial division and contact between people.

Besides its importance to human settlements, the Tobol River acts as a home to various species of wildlife. Multiple species of fish have been witnessed in its waters, while birds occasionally flocked to its banks and in wetlands that formed around it. The river itself, and ecosystems associated with it, serves as an important ecological link in the area.

2. What does the Flow Rate of the Tobol River feel like?

The Tobol River is very important in all regions it passes through. Its flow rate varies by season.

Most of the flow in the Tobol River is during spring, when snowmelt from the Ural Mountains and the generally highlands around it happens. Indeed, the rush of the melted snow and ice into the river increases its flow relatively high and replenishes groundwater supplies and fills up reservoirs along its course.

In the summer and fall seasons, the flow rate of the Tobol River usually diminishes. It is stable enough, however, to continue to support different life types along it, such as fishing, and normal maintenance of downstream ecosystems from it.

The flow rate can vary from several hundred cubic meters per second during the low-flow periods up to several thousand cubic meters per second during the peak of the spring snowmelt. Its water volume similarly affects the sediment transport and morphodynamics of the riverbed and floodplains.

3. How to Measure Water Current of the Tobol River?

There are some methods to measure the water current of the Tobol River, among them:

Velocity Meter Method

This traditional method makes use of mechanical or electrical velocity meters. These are positioned at chosen points over the stream and give a real reading of the speed of the water current at that location. It is very subjective in placement and has to be carried out at different depths and positions to come up with a generalized view of the current. This could be very labor-intensive, with many hours from personnel being used, especially when attempting to measure over a long length of the river.

ADCP Method ADCP is one superior and easy way of measuring water currents. The ADCP current meter sends a sound wave into the moving particles of water. It can also measure simultaneously the multiple-depth water velocity by emitting acoustic signals and analyzing the Doppler shift of the reflected signals. This provides a very detailed profile of the water current, which allows for more detailed diagnostics about the flow conditions along a river. ADCP current profiler can be installed on boats, bridges, or even deployed on buoys to continuously monitor.

Buoy Method

The buoy methods consist of deploying sensors that measure the movement of water around buoys in the river. These buoys float on the surface and hence can provide some indication of the surface current, though they probably do not capture all the complexities of the water current which the other methods are capable of, considering the variation in velocity with depth.

Among them, the ADCP flow meter is the most sophisticated and efficient tool for measuring the water current of the Tobol River.

4. How Do Doppler Principle-Based ADCPs Work?

Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler(ADCP) is based on the principle of Doppler. When an ADCP meter sends an acoustic signal into the water, the sound waves pass through the water and immediately scatter off the moving water particles. Since the water is in motion, the frequency of the reflected sound waves shifts, as described by the Doppler effect.

If the water particles are moving towards the ADCP, then the reflected wave frequency is higher than the emitted frequency. In the event that the water particles move away from the acoustic doppler flow meter, then the dejected wave frequency will fall. By precisely measuring this change in frequency, the ADCP profiler is able to calculate the velocity of the water particles at different depths.

The ADCP combines these individual velocity measurements, taken at varying depths, to provide a complete profile of the water current. In this way, one will be able accurately to conceptualize the flow of water not just at the surface but throughout the vertical section of the river.

5. What is required to make good-quality measurements of Tobol River currents?

Some decisive factors in respect to the equipment must be strictly fulfilled to provide appropriate measurement of the Tobol River currents.

First of all, it concerns material reliability of the equipment because, partially, the equipment will be exposed directly to the river environment and will need to be able to withstand its negative impacts-water, sediment, temperature change.

Second, the size should be small, lightweight, and power consumption as low as possible. In this respect, a compact and lightweight device is much easier to handle and deploy either on a boat or attached to a buoy. Low power consumption allows equipment to run for long periods without frequent battery replacements or access to a continuous power source.

The cost is another very vital issue. The lesser the cost, the more widespread the usage of the measurement equipment and the closer the monitoring of the river.

The casing of ADCP can be well done with the use of a titanium alloy. Some of the benefits accruable from the use of a titanium alloy include:. It is highly resistant to corrosion, which is a critical need when dealing with water bodies such as the Tobol River, where equipment will always be in contact with water and possible corrosive substances inside it. These are resistant, durable materials that are able to resist any physical impacts and changes in pressure that may occur during deployment and operation. Besides, the alloy of titanium has a very minimal density; hence, it keeps the equipment overall lightweight.

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

While choosing the right equipment for measuring the current of the Tobol River, one must consider a variety of factors.

Based on the Purpose of Use

If it is for horizontal current cross-sectional measurement, a horizontal ADCP will suffice. HADCPs are thus designed to give correct water flow measurements in the horizontal plane, which is useful in understanding the overall movement of water across a particular section of the river.

On the other hand, if one wishes to measure the vertical cross-section of the river current, then the choice is a vertical acoustic doppler velocity meter. Vertical ADCPs are capable of measuring with rather good accuracy the velocity of water at different depths and provide a detailed profile of the flow characteristics of the water in the vertical direction of the river.

Based on Frequency

One of the other factors taken into consideration when choosing a frequency includes the depth of the water of the Tobol River. A normal, general rule would be that a 600 kHz ADCP will normally work well up to 70 meters in depth. The frequency of 600 kHz can have good resolution and accuracy when measuring the current of water with a relatively shallow depth.

For deeper waters, those exceeding 70 meters up to about 110 meters, a 300 kHz ADCP would be more appropriate. The lower frequency of 300 kHz can reach deeper into the water and provide more reliable measurement of the water current.

Among the well-known brands in the market for ADCPs are Teledyne RDI, Nortek, and Sontek. However, there is a demand for a cost-effective solution with super quality. In this case, the China Sonar PandaADCP shall be one choice. Its all-titanium alloy material can provide durability and reliability. With an incredible cost-to-performance ratio, it provides a great alternative to measure Tobol River water current. You can find more details about it on the official website: https://china-sonar.com/.

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