Teledyne RDI Workhorse Waves Array

Precision Directional Wave and Current Profiling Upgrade

Product Overview The Teledyne RDI Workhorse Waves Array is a high-performance upgrade for the industry-standard Workhorse ADCP (Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler) family, including the Sentinel, Monitor, and H-ADCP. Instead of relying on a single-point wave measurement, this system transforms the ADCP into a 12-element acoustic array.

By using array processing, it can simultaneously measure multi-directional wave spectra, current velocity profiles, and water levels. This makes it a superior alternative to traditional directional wave buoys, which are prone to damage or loss, and basic wave gauges (PUV) that cannot resolve multiple wave trains arriving from different directions at the same frequency.

How the Waves Array Works

Unlike a standard wave gauge that uses a single Pressure, U, and V velocity sensor (the PUV method), the Waves Array utilizes the ADCP’s four beams to create a spatial array of measurements near the surface.

• Three Independent Measurements: It uses three redundant methods to capture wave data:
  1. Orbital Velocity: Measures the circular motion of water particles beneath the waves.
  2. Acoustic Surface Tracking (AST): Uses the center of the beam to "echo-range" the distance to the surface, effectively acting as an upward-looking altimeter.
  3. Pressure: Uses an integrated pressure sensor to measure the weight of the water column.
• Array Processing: By taking 3–5 measurements along each of the four beams, the system creates a 12-point array. This allows the system to distinguish between a primary swell and reflected waves or complex cross-seas.