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Measurement and Analysis of Mechanical Noise in Wind Turbines

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Abstract

The aerodynamic noise component creates the majority of noise emitted by commercial wind turbines. By means of controlled measurements, with acoustic sensors both on the ground and in the nacelle, it is possible to quantify the influence of mechanical noise from the different components that are working in a wind turbine and determine whether they are audible anywhere on the spectrum. Controlled measurements with a 4.5 MW wind turbine helped us to quantify the influence of the mechanical component noise within the total noise. Analysing the results demonstrates that sound recordings can be used to monitor how the mechanical components work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Acoustics Laboratory, Physics Department, Public University of Navarre, Campus de Arrosadia, 31006, Pamplona, Spain

    Miguel Arana, Jorge Machín & Ricardo San Martín

Authors
  1. Miguel Arana
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  2. Jorge Machín
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  3. Ricardo San Martín
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Correspondence to Ricardo San Martín.

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Arana, M., Machín, J. & San Martín, R. Measurement and Analysis of Mechanical Noise in Wind Turbines. Acoust Aust 43, 295–302 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40857-015-0028-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40857-015-0028-1

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