Suitability Analysis of Selected Methods for Modelling Infrasound and Low-Frequency Noise from Wind Turbines
Bartłomiej Stępień,
Tadeusz Wszołek,
Dominik Mleczko,
Paweł Małecki,
Paweł Pawlik,
Maciej Kłaczyński,
Marcjanna Czapla
Affiliations
Bartłomiej Stępień
Department of Mechanics and Vibroacoustics, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics, AGH University of Krakow, al. A. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow, Poland
Tadeusz Wszołek
Department of Mechanics and Vibroacoustics, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics, AGH University of Krakow, al. A. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow, Poland
Dominik Mleczko
Department of Mechanics and Vibroacoustics, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics, AGH University of Krakow, al. A. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow, Poland
Paweł Małecki
Department of Mechanics and Vibroacoustics, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics, AGH University of Krakow, al. A. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow, Poland
Paweł Pawlik
Department of Mechanics and Vibroacoustics, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics, AGH University of Krakow, al. A. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow, Poland
Maciej Kłaczyński
Department of Mechanics and Vibroacoustics, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics, AGH University of Krakow, al. A. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow, Poland
Marcjanna Czapla
Department of Mechanics and Vibroacoustics, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics, AGH University of Krakow, al. A. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow, Poland
Wind turbines emit infrasound and low-frequency noise (ILFN), which can be annoying for people living near wind farms. To assess the acoustic impact of wind turbines on the environment, it is essential to model ILFN propagation during the forecasting stage. This study assesses the effectiveness of three commonly used sound propagation models (ISO 9613-2, CNOSSOS-EU for favourable propagation conditions, Nord2000) in predicting ILFN generated by wind turbines. The performance of these models in modelling ILFN is generally not validated or guaranteed. The analysis covers octave frequency bands ranging from 4 Hz to 250 Hz, and comparisons are made against measurements conducted at a wind farm in Poland. Non-parametric statistical tests were used with a significance level of α=0.05 to determine significant differences between measured and predicted results. The results show that the Nord2000 method provides accurate calculations, while the ISO 9613-2 method can be used for simplified assessments of ILFN generated by wind turbines during the investment preparation phase.
