Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 23, 2026
08:54
Measurements of Waves in a Wind-wave Tank Under Steady and Time-varying Wind Forcing
Published on: February 13, 2018
9.2K
Wind turbine sound pressure level calculations at dwellings
Stephen E Keith1, Katya Feder1, Sonia A Voicescu1
1Health Canada, Environmental and Radiation Health Sciences Directorate, Consumer and Clinical Radiation Protection Bureau, Consumer and Industrial Products Division, 775 Brookfield Road, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 1C1, Canada.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
|April 3, 2016
Summary
This study calculated outdoor sound pressure levels (SPLs) for 10 wind turbine models. The results support Health Canada's research on community noise and health impacts.
Area of Science:
- Environmental acoustics
- Renewable energy impacts
Background:
- Wind turbines generate noise, necessitating accurate sound level assessments.
- Health Canada's Community Noise and Health Study requires reliable data on wind turbine noise exposure.
Purpose of the Study:
- To calculate outdoor sound pressure levels (SPLs) at dwellings for 10 wind turbine models.
- To provide data supporting Health Canada's Community Noise and Health Study.
Main Methods:
- Calculated outdoor SPLs using ISO 9613-2 and a Swedish noise propagation method.
- Utilized manufacturer-supplied and measured sound power levels for 10 wind turbine models.
- Compared calculated wind turbine SPLs with ambient SPLs from US and Canadian guidance documents.
Main Results:
- Statistically equivalent results were obtained from both ISO 9613-2 and the Swedish method.
- A-weighted and C-weighted SPL results showed high correlation (r > 0.8) across 1238 dwellings.
- Calculated wind turbine SPLs were compared against estimated ambient noise levels.
Conclusions:
- The applied calculation methods for wind turbine noise are reliable and yield comparable results.
- The study provides essential data for understanding wind turbine noise exposure in communities.
Related Concept Videos
00:53Sound Intensity Level
5.1K
Humans perceive sound by hearing. The human ear helps sound waves reach the brain, which then interprets the waves and creates the perception of hearing. The loudness of the environment in which a person is located determines whether they can distinguish between different sound sources.
The human ear can perceive an extensive range of sound intensity, necessitating the use of the logarithmic scale to define a physical quantity—the intensity level. It is a ratio of two intensities and...
The human ear can perceive an extensive range of sound intensity, necessitating the use of the logarithmic scale to define a physical quantity—the intensity level. It is a ratio of two intensities and...
5.1K
01:24Wind Turbine Machine Models
673
In the growing field of wind energy, incorporating wind turbine models into transient stability analysis is essential. Induction and synchronous machines are the primary models used, with induction machines being prevalent due to their simplicity and reliability.
Induction machines interact through the rotating magnetic field generated by the stator and the rotor. The key parameter is slip, which is the difference between synchronous speed and rotor speed relative to synchronous speed. Slip is...
Induction machines interact through the rotating magnetic field generated by the stator and the rotor. The key parameter is slip, which is the difference between synchronous speed and rotor speed relative to synchronous speed. Slip is...
673
01:17Design Example: Calculating Safe Diameter for Wind-Exposed Disc
375
Assessing safety in wind-exposed installations is crucial to preventing potential failures. This example explores the calculation and design adjustments needed to mount a circular disc on a building facade, where wind forces are a primary concern. A 4-meter diameter disc was initially designed as an aesthetic feature facing winds at a velocity of 25 meters per second, with an air density of 1.25 kilograms per cubic meter. Given these conditions, the drag force on the disc was determined using...
375
01:05Intensity and Pressure of Sound Waves
1.9K
The intensity of sound waves can be related to displacement and pressure amplitudes by using their wave expressions and the definition of intensity. The critical step to achieve this is to write the power delivered by the particles on the wave as the product of force and velocity and simplify the force per unit area as the pressure. The velocity of the medium's particles can be derived from the displacement.
Unlike the time average of a sinusoidal term, which is zero since it is positive...
Unlike the time average of a sinusoidal term, which is zero since it is positive...
1.9K
00:58Sound Intensity
5.0K
The loudness of a sound source is related to how energetically the source is vibrating, consequently making the molecules of the propagation medium vibrate. To measure the loudness of a source, the physical quantity of interest is the intensity. This is defined as the energy emitted per unit of time per unit of area perpendicular to the sound wave's propagation direction. Since the total energy is greater if the source vibrates for a longer duration and over a larger area, dividing the...
5.0K
01:17Turbine-Governor Control
1.1K
Turbine-governor control is crucial for maintaining power system stability by balancing turbine mechanical power output with electrical load demand. This mechanism ensures that generator frequency and rotor speed are within acceptable limits during load variations. Turbine-generator units store kinetic energy due to their rotating masses; this energy is released to meet the load requirement when the load increases. The electrical torque of turbines rises to meet the demand, whereas the...
1.1K