Natural Gas Compressor Stations (house, living in, safety)

[oldfred]

I made the mistake of moving to Louisburg, KS about a mile from a natural gas compressor station. I have never heard such noise.
There are 1,400 stations in the US. Someone out there has to have fought this noise and won.
Any help?

[jimsplace]

I also live near a natural gas compressor in Fort Worth, Texas. It is about 2750 feet to my house from the compressor. Chesapeake says the noise is not coming from the compressors, but it is and it is very disturbing.

The City has an Ordinance on noise for the gas drilling and compressors.

Unfortunately, the noise level is determined by sound studies supplied by Chesapeake. Guess what? They are almost always in compliance.

I have a sound meter too, and the numbers Chesapeake supplies the city are unrealistically high and could never be justified.

I do not have an answer to your question, but I hope someone does.

[Bydand]

I think if it has been there and you move into the area, you are pretty well stuck with the noise.

[jimsplace]

When I moved here there was one smaller compressor unit. There are now two larger compressors plus the cooling towers were changed on both for a larger capacity.

The smaller compressor was replaced by a larger unit.

The compressors can be enclosed to make them much quieter. My goal is to get that done or get them moved.

The enclosure can make them much quieter. One thing the gas companies do not talk about is safety. The enclosure should have a "Blast Shield" incorporated into it. I think most do.

Check out "natural gas compressor explosions". There was one in Tennessee in February of 2008. There have been others also.

[kamsinc]

Originally Posted by jimsplace

When I moved here there was one smaller compressor unit. There are now two larger compressors plus the cooling towers were changed on both for a larger capacity.

The smaller compressor was replaced by a larger unit.

The compressors can be enclosed to make them much quieter. My goal is to get that done or get them moved.

...

I ran across a company that makes sound enclosures and sound attenuation walls for natural gas compressor stations. They are at Natural Gas Compressor Sound Enclosure

I am involved in the natural gas compression industry through my employer, Kams, Inc. (http://www.kamsinc.com/compression-n...gas-compressor) They manufacture and remanufacture camshafts for industrial engines, including natural gas compressors.

I visited a compressor site near Cashion, Oklahoma, on Sunday afternoon. They have eleven Waukesha VHP 7042 engines with Joy compressors. From about a mile away it sounded like a freight train in the distance.

-Clay in Oklahoma City

[amberneedstoknow]

does any one know how close a dehydration station and/or compressor station and be from a house????

[car2ash]

Originally Posted by amberneedstoknow

does any one know how close a dehydration station and/or compressor station and be from a house????

Hi - it actually depends on your local or state regulations. they can vary greatly. Noise regulations can also vary greatly depending on local and/or state regulations. But you do have rights. CO, TX, LA are leading the pack with their noise regulations.

There are companies that specialize in noise attenuation. I live close to a compressor station and it drove my family nuts. I did a TON of research because we where our only advocates. I came across a company that really knew what they where talking about because they where based in Canada who has very strict noise requirements. The company is Noise Solutions. They have one office in the US too.

Don't give up. Check out.... Noise Pollution Clearinghouse, quieting noise pollution or www.eathworks.org or

[jimsplace]

I agree with car2ash to a point. The noise issue is for the most part regulated by the local entities. If you live in a city you may have more regulations than if you live in the county. That will vary greatly from city to city. Living in Fort Worth, I will have to say its regulations are corrupt, but it has been crafted by the City Council. The noise regulations were crafted by the cities sound expert for the city staff to present to the City council for their approval. However, the sound expert was provided to the city by the gas industry (literally). He also happens to provide the sound blankets to the industry and provides the sound studies for the gas industry that is required by the city to determine its own sound level. The City Staff then seeks advice only from him on how to interpret the sound reports.
The City staff and City Council don't see this as a conflict of interest. Many of the residents including myself do see a conflict. The number one complaint by citizens is noise.
Colorado has probably seen more control than many states, but some of the eastern states are protecting its residents better than where I live in Fort Worth.
Far too much money went to and is still going to Fort Worth politicians from the gas industry.


Don't give up. Check out.... Noise Pollution Clearinghouse, quieting noise pollution or [url=http://www.eathworks.org]

[supernerdgirl]

But if it's been there longer than you have, where do you have the right to complain about it? I don't understand.

[jimsplace]

I was mistaken about the compressor being there originally, it was in fact put in place shortly after we had our house built. The gas company indicated it had been there longer and I didn't question that information until later when I saw aerial photos of our house and no compressor.

The first and original compressor was a smaller unit anyway with the second compressor being a larger unit. The gas company then removed the smaller unit and replaced it with another bigger unit.

If you have not lived around one of these compressor stations, then you may not understand the amount of noise they make. Compressor stations do not belong in or near populated areas. It is not fair or reasonable to the residents.

The noise is only one of the problems, pollution is another. They put of benzine gas along with other contaminates that is hazardous to your health. Check out 'Dish, Texas' and see the results they have documented. They are not the only place to document the hazardous situation, just one of the more recent.