Measurement of frost fan rotation for checking compliance.

Thanks Jack for having me back on the blog. Hopefully I’ve got something here suitable for your readers on both sides of the fence to use to help make sure that every one is playing by the rules.

In October last year I outlined different potential methods for measuring the speed of rotation of frost fans. This was in a follow up to my post on what needs to be measured to ensure compliance, where I backed a system of measuring the speed of rotation to confirm compliance with an accepted level of noise (established by expert testing as part of the commissioning process for a model of fan).

While I outlined several different techniques in theory, I did not have a workable solution for any. I now do.

I have prepared a paper on how to measure the speed of a frost fan and by doing so establishing its compliance with an established noise level.

This method uses a video camera to capture the fans motion and software to measure the rotation. This is a technique that can be carried out relatively easily, at good distances (I have measured fans at over 830 metres distance) and with a high degree of accuracy (the paper describes two additional different measurements that were carried out in order to confirm the rotation of a fan to verify accuracy).

This described method can be carried out at night time with the application of sufficient illumination and provides a record of evidence of whether the activity is compliant or not.

I have measured approximately a dozen fans thus far and have found the technique becomes easier after a bit of practice.

I have published this under the GNU Free Document Licence which gives people the right to freely copy and distribute it with the proviso that is cannot be modified without ensuring that the free nature of the document continues (at least that’s what the legal fraternity seem to believe). In other words, it’s free to use and if you want to use it as the basis for future work on the topic, this must be free also.

 If there are questions on the technique, feel free to leave them in the comments section.

The paper can be downloaded from here. (1.7MB download)

Noise awareness day

Happy Noise Awareness Day!

I am told that today is Noise Awareness Day. The idea being to promote better health through managing noise in the environment amongst other things.

This of course means that it gets top marks from us here at the Frost Fans Blog.

See here for a TV3 piece on noise control.

Lest we forget

At the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them.

We will remember.

Heartfelt thanks to those who serve.

Still the noise goes on.

Has it been a busy Autumn for the frost fans or am I imagining things?

By my count this morning would be the 9th day with activity.

I seem to remember a resource consultant telling a District Council Committee that it was rare for a fan to operate in Autumn. They estimated 2 times.

I'm blaming global warming, SARS, economic downturn, Y2K and the hole in the Ozone layer. Or is this just the sleep deprivation talking?

Well would you look at that. Missing fans return.

The dedicated reader will recall a post on the 7th of September 2008 that questioned the safety of an Orchard Rite fan that had its blade secured so tightly that it produced a visible bend in the blade.

The downright avid reader will recall a follow up report on the 25th of February 2008 that highlighted the fact that all the fans from this particular paddock 'disappeared'.

I am pleased to report that after what I could only imagine is part of an annual migratory journey, the fans are back and upright.

Where did they go?

Mystery.

Why did they go?

Mystery.

Speculative theories abound;

• The infamous 'Marlborough triangle' strikes again?
  
• Fan-napped by mischievous uni students (University of Catalonia is my pick)?
  
• Fan-rustlers?
  
• Mechanical problem highlighted by Frost Fans Blog prompts maintenance?
  

Your guess dear reader is as good as mine.

More advertising from FMR on the Defender. More confusion

When with the madness end you ask?

Not any time soon I'm afraid. 

While we are still waiting for some objective empirical measurements on the new Defender frost fan's performance, more advertising has rolled out of what I can only assume is FMR's fertile imagination.

The latest offering that appeared in my e-mail in-box is resplendent with inaccuracies (The Defender's fans are described as aluminium, which might be right, but it contradicts earlier information that they are a composite material).

But that's hardly the most interesting part. That is saved for the last page where they basically bag the oppositions fans and provide some interesting noise data. I thought I had a good range of official testing information, but I'm afraid that none of it agrees with the 'data' that is reproduced there for the Frost Boss or Orchard Rite fans. If the intention is to present new testing data, this falls far short of acceptable but it does approach 'Libel' which I'm informed by Wikipedia means "Communication of a statement that makes a claim, expressly stated or implied to be factual, that may give an individual, business, product, group, government or nation a negative image.". Sounds about right.

But wait there's more...

More claims of no special audible characteristics.... (Yawn, getting tired now).

Gratuitous use of meteorological terms "during expected normal operating conditions in meteorological category 6" (this particular category is for strong downwind conditions which are the worst possible for acoustic measurements) .

And as for the graph! Where to begin. In spite of the libel issue raising its ugly head again, I actually have no idea what it means. The University of Canterbury apparently do know, although it is difficult to tell as the reference is made to 'UOC'. Now I believe that the University of Canterbury will normally use 'UoC' or 'UC' as an abbreviation, however the Open University of Catalonia apparently use 'UOC'. So perhaps it's them? That would explain the reason that a lot of this documentation appears to be lost in translation.

When will the accuracy begin?

About the same time the Defender gets taken seriously.

Seriously.

Who's in charge at the MDC?

In a continuation of the wrangling over the resignation of councillor Pat O'Sullivan, an assertion reported in stuff.co.nz is that the council management are in charge of the council, rather than the councillors.

I have sympathy with this view frankly. And I'll go further to assert that 'Big Wine' has a lot to answer for by pushing their agendas (which include allowing noisy frost control) through persons within the council that operate with a conflict of interest.

That conflict of interest sees a bias to support viticulture activities to the detriment of safety and environmental standards across the district.

So who are these people?

Well I imagine that the directors on the boards of the council companies should be looked at as well as those in senior management positions. 

Either way, I believe that I have found a new way to vote for a replacement for Pat (unless Pat decides to run again in which case he is scooping my vote). The candidate that is living in the area which has the highest potential for noise from frost fans wins. 

Let the voting commence.

News Flash 7_April:

Pat is still thinking about running according to the latest in stuff.co.nz

C'mon Pat, you're a straight shooter. I know this is a big ask and it must be as frustrating as hell for you, but someone who's willing to call it as they see it has a place in representing the genuine interests of the people of Marlborough.

Wairau/Awatere Resource Management Plan is proposed not longer!

Yes you heard right. You can cross out the word proposed and take it as read.

Better than that, since it is now officially 'set in stone' the Marlborough District Council have made access to is much easier.

You could pay bazillions for printed copies. Or you could pay a bit ($20) for them to burn a CD for you.

Or you could download it for free from;

Here for Volume 1;

Here for Volume 2;

and

Here for Volume 3.

Good work Marlborough District Council. 12 years of toil.

Marlborough Wind Machine Workshop Report

Well Mr John Maassen has published a report on the recent workshop on the use of wind machines for frost protection that was held in Marlborough in October 2008.

You can get hold of a copy here (approximately 1.4MB).

This report is now being passed to the Marlborough District Council's Environmental Policy Committee for their comment.

It contains some interesting information, but little that puts the major issues to rest.

Will the workshop have been a worthwhile endeavour?

If it could provide a workable solution to the integration of sleeping residents and noisy frost fans, then it would be a success.

But frankly, it can't.

In my humble opinion, the best that the workshop has achieved has been a chance for the Marlborough District Council to look like it's taking an interest in a district wide problem. There is no solution provided and so the status quo will continue.

But didn't the Marlborough District Council do the right thing? By having a workshop? By not making it an open forum? Are you kidding?

If this sounds eerily familiar, it will be because it is a similar issue to that which has resulted in Marlborough district councillor Pat O'Sullivan resigning claiming that public excluded workshops were not serving his constituents.

Well this workshop has succeeded in not protecting the health of those residents that will be sleep deprived due to frost fan activity. But it will serve those chasing the grape dollar. Of course if they're absentee owners then I suppose they're not residents. (Never mind.)

Money or health?

Money or health?

Hmm... Tricky one....