Experimental Verification of the Usefulness of Selected Infrasound and Low-frequency Noise (ILFN) Indicators in Assessing the Noise Annoyance of Wind Turbines

Abstract:
This paper presents an overview of the indices used in evaluating ILFN noise, based on C and G weighting curves and LC-LA difference parameter, as well as curves compared to the loudness threshold curve. The research section includes measurement results of wind turbine (WT) noise along with proposed indicators for evaluating this noise in the infrasound and low-frequency bands at distances of 250 m, 500 m and 1000 m from the turbine. The results obtained indicate low noise levels in the infrasound band, lower than the threshold curves from a dozen or so dB in the upper part of this band to nearly 60 dB in the lower part. The LC-LA indicator has been shown to be of poor utility for evaluating low-frequency noise, with the LG indicator reasonably useful for evaluating infrasound noise.