Jonathan cooper 1 and tom evans 1 1 resonate acoustics, 97 carrington street, adelaide, australia 5000. A listening test has been performed to investigate the relationship between human annoyance and the amplitude modulation of wind turbine noise. The modulation is generally distinct at short distances from the wind turbine generator wtg and may not be audible at a greater distance. Audible thumping from wind farms can travel up to 3. Fluctuations in actual noise levels due to amplitude modulation can vary in excess of 10 db above predicted values while meteorological conditions can produce variations up to 14 dba over predicted levels. Effects of different spectral shapes and amplitude. Due to swish and thump amplitude modulation, the noise of wind turbines cause more annoyance than other environmental noise of the same. A method for rating amplitude modulation in wind turbine noise. Characterizing tonal amplitude modulation of wind farm noise. Automated detection and analysis of amplitude modulation. This effect can be explained by the amplitude modulation of the wind turbine noise level. Ieee 24002016 ieee standard for wind turbine aero acoustic noise measurement techniques.
Two am types, typically referred to as normal am nam and other am oam, characterize wtn am, oam corresponding to having intermittent periods with larger am depth in lower frequency regions than nam. Amplitude modulation of wind turbine noise scienceforecast. They suggested that the amplitude modulation in diesel engine noise is the. Amplitude modulation am can be defined as the regular cyclic variation in noise level, usually at blade passing frequency, which exhibits a change in the noise character of. Institute of acoustics ioa noise working group wind.
Chapman and fiona crichton for a launch of their book launch wind. Howard quin on wind turbine sound august 2012 page 3 of 7 consequently, necessary setback distances vary considerably with turbine size. Amplitude modulation of wind turbine noise is the periodic variation of noise at the blade pass rate usually between 0. Amplitude modulation study findings how am affects people. Amplitude modulation am has been suggested as an important factor for the perceived annoyance of windturbine noise wtn. Measuring and analyzing wind turbine noise chapter 8. A small degree of amplitude modulation is a normal feature of wind turbine noise but most assessment guidelines for. Effects of amplitude modulation on perception of wind turbine noise. Health effects of wind turbine noise more divided than ever. Indeed, amplitude modulated sound is generally known to be more annoying than unmodulated sound6,7. Wind turbine amplitude modulation and planning control study work package 3. To obtain sound samples for the listening test, sound from a 1. Aerodynamic amplitude modulation aam is important for.
This is commonly described as swish, whoomp, thump, or whoosh. In addition to broadband noise, generally identified as trailing edge noise, there has been an increasing concern about the annoyance to people by amplitude modulation am of wind turbine noise. Davis c a institute of sound and vibration research, university of so uthampton, university road, s017 1b southampton, uk b hoare lea acoustics, 140 aztec west business park, almondsb ury, bs32 4tx bristol, uk c robert davis associates, the holt, upper timsbury, so51 0nu romsey, uk. Annoyance caused by amplitude modulation of wind turbine. Automated detection and analysis of amplitude modulation at a residence and wind turbine. Mechanisms of amplitude modulation in wind turbine noise m.
Detection of sound sources using phased microphone arrays appendix 2. The discussion document considers various methods and has proposed three methods for consultation. Introduction the doseresponse curves obtained for wind turbine noise are di. The detailed scientific research into the identification, occurrence and prevention of an acoustic characteristic known as other amplitude modulation oam is an important study and represents a significant step forward in the industrys understanding of the acoustic characteristics associated. Components of wind turbine noise before discussing what amplitude modulation1 is it is important to understand the sources of wind turbine noise, which can be divided into two categories.
Semiempirical noise models are employed in order to predict the modulation depth and the overall. Amplitude modulation of wind turbine noise relates to the change in amplitude loudness occurring at the blade passing frequency three times the rotational speed for threebladed machines. Towards a reasonable penalty for amplitude modulated wind turbine noise. Researchers have named this characteristic aerodynamic amplitude modulation aam. Windaction amplitude modulation of wind turbine noise. The peaks and valleys of sound volume are the result of each blade passing near the groundwhich occurs at a little less than once per second. Amplitude modulation am may be an important factor for the perceived annoyance of wind turbine noise wtn. The effect of microphone wind noise on the amplitude. Research into aerodynamic modulation of wind turbine noise. On predicting wind turbine noise and amplitude modulation. Annoyance caused by amplitude modulation of wind turbine noise. The results of the listening test showed that the amplitude modulation of wind turbine noise has a statistically signi. Close and far away from the turbine, this modulation is referred as a swish and thump, respectively 4,5.
Cca concedes that periodic amplitude modulation may be a critical component of sound from wind turbines that triggers annoyance. The longawaited guidance document on amplitude modulation and its assessment in relation to wind farm developments has been issue by the institute of acoustic today. Aerodynamic amplitude modulation aam is important for the evaluation of wind turbine noise. The wind turbine noise problem is it infrasound, low. Pdf in addition to the overall noise level, periodic variations in the loudness of wind turbine noise, known as amplitude modulation am, also. Wind turbine noise from source to receiver farfield. Ioa good practice guide, excess amplitude modulation and. Pdf perception of amplitudemodulated noise from wind turbines. Ieee 24002016 ieee standard for wind turbine aero acoustic noise measurement techniques ieee on.
The term am indicates aerodynamic noise from wind turbines, but with a greater than normal degree of regular fluctuation at blade passing frequency, typically once per second. The wind turbine noise problem is it infrasound, low frequency noise, or amplitude modulation. This impulsive characteristic of wind turbine noise is the result of the wind rushing around the blades. Therefore, the aim of the current study is to identify the. Thus, it is concluded that when assessing community responses to wind turbine noise, not only the equivalent sound level but also the amplitude modulation of wind turbine should be considered. Amplitude modulation is a hot topic in wind turbine noise discussion and an area that has not seen a lot of research until recently. Many of the complaints in the uk relating to wind farm noise appear to be due to the amplitude modulation am of the aerodynamic noise from the. Literature has it that the presence of amplitude modulation am in wind farm noise is the result of annoyance. Kantarelis and walker6 examined the source of difference between the annoyance of diesel and electric train noises. Trevor sherman trevor sherman is an international management consultant currently specialising in. On predicting wind turbine noise and amplitude modulation using amiets theory samuel sinayoko1 jeremy hurault2 1university of southampton, isvr, uk 2vestas, isle of wight, uk wind turbine noise 2015, glasgow, 22 april 2015. During three of the nights, participants were exposed to wind turbine noise with variations in sound pressure level, amplitude modulation strength and frequency, spectral content, turbine rotational frequency and beating behaviour. Social surveys show that the wind turbine noise is more annoying at the same level than most other noise sources.
Wind turbine amplitude modulation and planning control study. If no tonal or amplitude modulation penalty is to be applied then the rating level of the turbine noise at each wind speed is equal to the measured noise level as determined from the best fit curve described in guidance note 2. In august 20 at the 5th international conference on wind turbine noise in denver, we presented extensive research which amongst other things identified that excess amplitude modulation is common and the main noise problem and source of annoyance caused by wind farms. Mechanisms of amplitude modulation in wind turbine noise. Amplitude modulation in this context is a regular fluctuation in the level of noise, the period of fluctuation being related to the rotational speed of the turbine. The impact of noise on sleep was measured using polysomnography and questionnaires. Amplitude modulation is a fluctuating noise a noise level rising and falling in a regular pattern and is related to the speed of rotating turbine blades.
Perception of amplitudemodulated noise from wind turbines. The results suggest that besides standard sound pressure level metrics, other acoustical characteristics of broadband noise should also be considered in environmental impact assessments, e. Pdf characterizing tonal amplitude modulation of wind farm noise. Similar annoyance changes would be evoked by sound pressure level changes of up to 8 db. Noise annoyance caused by amplitude modulated sounds. Wind turbine noise is considered to be easily detectable and highly annoying at relatively lower sound levels than other noise sources. The effects of wind turbine noise wtn have long been a popular subject of mainstream media coverage in the uk, and the characteristic amplitude modulation am in the sound has generated particular concerns, following its identification as a possible factor in complaints previously attributed to low frequency noise 5, 6. The effect of microphone wind noise on two amplitude modulation am metrics is quantified in a simulation, showing that even at low wind speeds of 2. Effects of amplitude modulation on perception of wind.
Template planning condition on amplitude modulation. Thorough regulations exist for wind turbine noise but very little address amplitude modulation and the quantification of it. Acoustics free fulltext recent advances in wind turbine noise. Review of the evidence on the response to amplitude modulation. However, to date only few studies exist on the prediction of. Health effects it is clear from the evidence examined at wp3. Review of the evidence on the response to amplitude modulation am from wind turbines, with recommendations on control through the use of a planning condition.
Often found terms describing the hearing sensations of am are swishing. Many previous studies attributed this characteristic to amplitude modulation. Amplitude modulation in wind farm noise hayes mckenzie. Review of the evidence on the response to amplitude. The ioa has published today is its preferred method of measuring and rating amplitude modulation in wind turbine noise. Their report concluded that the complaints were not caused by low frequency noise, but by amplitude modulation of aerodynamic noise am from the wind turbines. Two am types, typically referred to as normal am and other am. Amplitude modulation in wind turbine noise general considerations according to international standard iec 6140011 1, wind turbine sound is evaluated in 10second averages from a microphone located on the ground near the turbine.
Multiple recordings are made, and averaged together within wind speed bins, so as to cover the whole. Acoustics and wind turbine noise wind wise massachusetts. Several researchers have maintained that at night residents near a wind farm may perceive large amplitude modulation of wind turbine noise because of noise. The book argues convincingly that the amplitude modulation of the wind turbine signals contributes to the additional annoyance and that the low frequency components are not a significant contributor.
An often reported phenomenon related to wind turbine noise is the periodic amplitude modulation am of the sound pressure level, which is related to the blade passing frequencyofthe turbine. Amplitude modulation an overview sciencedirect topics. An explanation for enhanced amplitude modulation of wind turbine noise. Effect of modulation depth, frequency, and intermittence. Due to amplitude modulation, the wind turbine causes more annoyance than other environmental noise of the same average level. Introduction many of the complaints in the uk relating to wind farm noise appear to be due to the amplitude. It was the experience of the project other methods, recognises that all amplitude modulation is,team that, even on wind farm sites where oam has been by definition, a periodic phenomenon directly related to thereported or identified to occur, the occurrence of oam can. However, it is unclear whether amplitude modulation is the main cause of these properties of wind turbine noise. This leads to inconsistent amplitude modulation results and makes it hard to compare them. The book argues convincingly that the amplitude modulation of the wind turbine signals contributes to the additional annoyance and that the low frequency components are not a. Wind turbine amplitude modulation research to improve understanding as to its cause and effect. When monitoring wind turbine noise, microphone wind noise is almost inevitable because measurements cannot be made in still conditions. A synthesis of approaches for wind turbine amplitude.