Infrastructure
The modern world requires a web of energy production and distribution facilities. These are out-of-sight, out-of-mind for most people. People that live near them, especially in rural settings, often find them less benign. These include Gas Compressor Stations (gas turbine and reciprocating) and Gas Turbine Power Plants (simple and combined cycle).
Common A-weighted criteria (e.g., FERC) are usually not sufficient to prevent disturbance in the community. More sophisticated criteria can be developed that take into account local conditions, the type of sound the plant makes, and the psychoacoustics of human hearing. Proper selection and design of inlet and exhaust mufflers, equipment enclosures, treatment of gaps and joints, and lagging of exposed yard piping are crucial to success.
Value engineering often cuts corners on noise control, assuming that it can be inserted later if necessary. Unfortunately, an additional 5-10 dB of noise reduction, over and above what would have been required initially, to satisfy already aggravated neighbors. And each dB costs more than the last. So getting it right the first time is very important. It can actually cost more in attorney fees to argue that you should’nt have to fix it, than to just do it right the first time.
Nelson Acoustics provides services for design, testing, troubleshooting and retrofit of infrastructure facilities for conformance to federal, state, and local criteria.