Managing Environmental Noise Associated With Pipeline Facilities in Canada

Today’s new pipeline projects have to meet countless technical, regulatory, economic, or social requirements before they can go from the drawing board to reality. One of the more recent considerations is in the area of environmental noise. Environmental noise from pipeline facilities is particularly difficult to control because of the complexities of sound propagation and the subjective nature of that sound relative to some receptor. The extent of noise control from facility equipment such as compressors, coolers, piping, valves, blowdown, emergency flares, even telephone horns, therefore, becomes very difficult to estimate. There must be some understanding of baseline expectations from all interested parties. In addition, pipeline operators must treat environmental noise control as an integral part of project concept and design and not as an afterthought or additional non-core responsibility. Environmental noise control is not an additional cost, it is part of the overall cost of the pipeline transportation business.