Roaring Spring resident hosts meeting to air data center concerns
Roaring Spring resident organizes event to discuss noise pollution issues
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ROARING SPRING -- A borough resident concerned about the proposal for a data center at the site of the former paper mill in town organized a meeting Wednesday with local officials from Conemaugh Nason Medical Center, Spring Cove School District, the borough, Taylor Township and other organizations to hear two experts talk about problems caused by low-frequency humming sounds created by data center equipment.
One of those experts argued that proper engineering of cooling fans can eliminate those problems at lower cost than data center companies would spend otherwise, according to information provided at the session, presided over by Brad Heuston.
Almost universal opposition to the still-unofficial data center proposal has included concerns that electricity demands would lead to higher local power cost and that demand for cooling water would impinge on local water supplies, but the potential for incessant, disturbing low-frequency noise seems to be the chief worry at this point.
Most consultants hired by data center developers express noise issues in terms of decibels, and often propose construction of large acoustic barrier walls to mitigate the problem, but in doing so, they target the wrong frequency band, according to the two experts -- Jamie Banks, founder and president of Quiet Communities; and Peter Wilson, technical director for the Industrial Noise & Vibration Centre in the United Kingdom.
The sound barriers don't work against the culprit, which is a narrow band of low frequency sound that produces a humming that penetrates noise barriers and house walls and windows, traveling easily for a mile and more, the experts said.
The annoying sound is incessant, and it can cause hearing problems, vertigo and sleep disruption; along with stress, especially when it's quiet at night, contributing to ailments and various other health problems, according to Banks.
Some people have compared the noise to what would be produced by a jet engine idling outside their houses, according to Banks.
It can feel "inescapable" and "unbearable," she said.
If plans for data centers are properly vetted before construction, however, Wilson's organization can prescribe modifications that will essentially eliminate the problem, Wilson said.
The fix is done through computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling, which allows for the design of "aero tech" modifications to intake and exhaust cooling fans, according to a presentation by Wilson.
"The continuous drone or hum from data centers is primarily low-frequency tonal noise produced by the interaction between cooling fan blades and their housings," states information on the attenuation method from the Elk River Data Center. "Aerodynamic retrofits are precisely shaped components inserted directly inside the fan casing to eliminate these disruptive air dynamics."
The modifications can reduce "low-frequency tones and blade-pass hums" by 90% to 95%, according to Wilson's organization.
The modifications actually increase fan cooling efficiency by up to 20%, enabling the modifications to pay for themselves, even as they eliminate the incentive for the costly and ineffective sound barriers, according to the organization.
It's critical that governments impose specifications for such modifications before data center construction, according to Wilson.
One issue connected with the Taylor Township site for the proposed data center is the hillside behind it, which could create an "amphitheater" effect that would bounce the noise from the rear of the facility back towards town, he said -- a phenomenon that Wilson said is likely to happen.
One of the problems with the data center construction boom is the rush to get them built, according to Banks.
It's critical that Taylor takes the time to get things right, if it does indeed end up considering a future proposal, according to Heuston.
Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.