Does Teledyne RDI use the PUV technique for directional wave measurements?
We generally use the orbital velocity measurements along the beams to create an array of twelve independent measurements. PUV consists of only three measurements only (pressure, and the two components of horizontal velocity), while using an array of more measurements results in a more accurate measurement of wave direction and of the spread in the direction. In addition, only an array can resolve more than one wave train propagating in different directions at similar frequencies. The PUV method is inherently limited by its limited number of measurements to resolving no more than one direction per frequency. Having said that, there are certain unusual situations where the array processing can not be done, particularly if the ADCP is moving around a lot. In these cases we provide a PUV processing technique, but with the explicit recognition that the measurements will not be of the quality we can provide using array processing from a fixed platform.
