An Overview of Noise Control in the Power Industry

Bennett M. Brooks – United Acoustic Consultants 27 Hartford Turnpike Vernon, CT 06066 Frank H. Brittain – Bechtel Corporation P.O. Box 193965 San Fransico, CA 94119

Presented at the Acoustical Society of America - 122nd Meeting Houston, Texas – 5 November 1991

An Overview of Noise Control in the Power Industry

- What is a Power Plant

- Typical Noise Sources

- Regulatory and Licensing Requirements

vs. Community Response

What is a Power Plant? Electricity Producers

- Steam

- Gas (Combustion) Turbine

- Combined Cycle

- Wind, Hydro, Solar Energy Transporters

- Gas Pipeline Compressor Station

- Steam Loop

- Electric Transmission Lines

Steam Power Plant Boiler Produces Steam

- Fossil Fuel Fired (Coal, Oil, Natural Gas)

- Nuclear

- Combined Cycle

- MHD Steam Drives Turbine/Generator

- 10 to 50 Mw Demo

- 150 to 1500 Mw Full Scale

Typical Noise Sources

Fans

Forced-Draft (FD), Primary-Air (PA), Induced-Draft (ID) Cooling

Pumps

Boiler feed, Lubrication oil, Cooling water

Turbine/Generator

Combustion exhausts Gas turbine, Recips

Steam admissions/discharges

Fuel handling operations

Pipe radiation

Electrical transformers

Regulatory and Licensing Requirements vs. Community Response

Regulations

Federal – EPA, FERC State – DEP (Widely Varying) Local – Ordinance (Widely Varying or non-existent)

Licensing

Usually driven by compliance with regulations ‘Operable’

Community Response

Annoyance – Subjective Tonal content Steady or Impulsive

Noise Regulations

- Based on A-Weighted Levels

- Leq (Equivalent Noise Level)

- Ldn (Day-Night Noise Level)

- Sometimes Address Tones, Impulses

Noise Metrics T Leq = 10 Log (1/T) (Pa(t) / Po)2 0 where Pa = Instantaneous A-Weighted Acoustic Pressure

Po = 20 micro-Pascals Ldn = 10 Log ( 15/24 Pd + 9/24 Pn ) where Pd = 10(Leq(day)/10)

Pn = 10(Leq(night) + 10) /10

Conclusions

- ‘Power Plant’ describes many configurations and types of energy/power facilities

- Typical noise sources respond to conventional treatment strategies

- Compliance with noise regulations does not guarantee community satisfaction