Fan noise control best practice CIEH Nov. 2013

Preview:

DESCRIPTION

Silencers. Attenuators. Enclosures. Lagging. Conventional fan noise control techniques that can compromise the efficiency of fans or make silencing costly. This presentation provides a guide to best practice in fan noise control, including alternative technologies that can even provide stealth and efficiency, reducing energy consumption and carbon footprint. Remote analysis techniques allow us to apply our fan silencing technology anywhere in the world from the UK.

Citation preview

ww

w.in

vc.c

o.uk

Industrial Noise and Vibration Centre http://www.invc.co.uk/noise/noise-control/fan-noise-reduction/

Fan Noise ControlFan Noise ControlBest Practicable Means Best Practicable Means

(BPM)(BPM)

Noise Control Best Practice

noise

ww

w.in

vc.c

o.uk

Industrial Noise and Vibration Centre

•Award winning noise control technology for fans £800k capital and £250k / p.a. running cost savings for Corus

•Best Practicable Means (BPM)•Best Available Technology (BAT, BATNEEC) In many cases, (including centrifugal fans, chiller / HVAC

plant, large stacks, burners / combustion) BPM / BAT often cannot be claimed without reference to our technology….

•BPM / BAT Evaluation Often used as the arbiter of what constitutes BPM / BAT –

including court cases

•Buy Quiet Policy De-facto UK standard noise purchasing policy

•Presentations and Training Noise training providers for English, Scottish, Irish

Environment Agencies and local authorities

ww

w.in

vc.c

o.uk

Noise Complaints from Industrial Premises

Source: National Physical Laboratory

ww

w.in

vc.c

o.uk

Environmental Fan Noise Control is ....

…not just about the overall level…

• Effective noise control must be based on an accurate diagnosis that relates noise features to subjective impact, not on just on assumptions about overall dB(A). Although dB(A) may also be an additional planning / specification requirement, this is often a completely separate issue.

• Noise control should not be implemented at the expense of fan system efficiency. Conventional silencing will often have a significant detrimental effect on fan performance, increasing power consumption (running costs) and the carbon footprint.

• All the options must be considered, not just the conventional high cost conventional palliatives of barriers, enclosures and silencers. These techniques should only be used where it can be proved that there is no engineering alternative.

ww

w.in

vc.c

o.uk

BS4142 Fails at Low Frequencies.....

BS 4142 does not work well for noise containing low frequencies. 5dB(A) correction for noise with tones

Tonal noise at 5dB(A) below non-tonal noise should be equally disturbing

Inside rooms, the T.L. of windows shapes the spectrum, reducing mid and high frequency components - almost un-'A' weighting the sound.

BS 4142 is supposed to assess the likelihood of complaints from people in the building.

It should not be used where background noise levels are very low (<30dB(A))

ww

w.in

vc.c

o.uk

Industrial Noise and Vibration Centrehttp://www.invc.co.uk/noise/noise-control/fan-noise-reduction/

Fan Noise ControlFan Noise ControlDiagnosisDiagnosis

Noise Control Best Practice

noise

ww

w.in

vc.c

o.uk

bedroomwindow open/shut

grinder 5m

cooling towers 1 / 2 at 2m

Cooling Tower Source ID

ww

w.in

vc.c

o.uk

Cooling Towers: Detail

Only 71.3Hz blade pass of fans in tower 1 matches bedroom spectrum - grinder and tower 2 are eliminated as sources

ww

w.in

vc.c

o.uk

Restaurant Fans and Chiller

Bedroom and room below chiller

Chiller tone at 48.5Hz + harmonics – previous recommendations would not have worked, must isolate from roof

ww

w.in

vc.c

o.uk

Industrial Noise and Vibration Centre: www.invc.co.uk

Noise Control TechniquesNoise Control Techniques

Noise Control Best Practice

noise

ww

w.in

vc.c

o.uk

Fan Noise Control Options

Techniques by priority and cost effectiveness….

•Control at sourceengineering modificationsefficiency – lowest fan noise coincides with maximum efficiencyvibration isolation and vibration damping

Only if the above are not practical should you consider…

•Silencing

•Enclosures

•Lagging

•Barriers

•Building modifications

Conventionally, these high cost techniques have been the only measures that are considered….

ww

w.in

vc.c

o.uk

Innovative Noise Control Technology

These are some of the innovations we use as part of current best practice in environmental noise control.

• Award winning Quiet Fan technology (QFt)

typically 10% - 20% of the cost, no effect on fan efficiency

• Chiller / HVAC noise control

<20% of the cost, free cooling unaffected, higher efficiency

• Fan / combustion stacks

Retro-fit, low cost, fast

• Burner / combustion noise

Unique source control technology – typically <5% of the cost

• Acoustic Camouflage

Psychological electronic silencing

ww

w.in

vc.c

o.uk

Placebo Silencers + Acoustic Camouflage

ww

w.in

vc.c

o.uk

Centrifugal Fan Installation

high pressure

low pressureNOISY

QUIET

ww

w.in

vc.c

o.uk

Fan: Outlet dampers

ww

w.in

vc.c

o.uk

Axial Fan Installations

NOISY QUIETER

ww

w.in

vc.c

o.uk

Axial Fan Installations

>2-3 duct diameters

NOISY QUIETER

ww

w.in

vc.c

o.uk

Efficiency: Fan Speed v Noise

10% 220% 530% 840% 1150% 15

noise reduction dBspeed reduction

• Variable speed drives

• Two speed motors (day and night)

• Proportional control systems

ww

w.in

vc.c

o.uk

Splitter Silencer

Mineral Wool

Perforated Steel

ww

w.in

vc.c

o.uk

Cooling Tower Silencer

Little attenuation due to material build-up

ww

w.in

vc.c

o.uk

Fan Outlet Silencer Cowl

acoustic absorbent

steel / plywood

A simple, cheap absorbent lined cowl can give a 10 - 20dB(A) noise reduction in fan inlet /outlet noise

ww

w.in

vc.c

o.uk

Industrial Noise and Vibration Centre: www.invc.co.uk

Reactive and Other Reactive and Other SilencingSilencing

Noise Control Best Practice

noise

ww

w.in

vc.c

o.uk

Drying Oven

Problem95dB(A) from gas burners at low firing82Hz "boom" dominant

Enclosurelarge oven - 8m x 4m x 3m @ c £30,000 with serious hygiene and maintenance problems

INVC BPMorgan pipe resonance excited due to weak mixture at low firing

standard weld fume extract motor controlled valves fitted to each inlet

21dB off boom; 8dB(A) overall reduction; £100 each for 12 burners

ww

w.in

vc.c

o.uk

Extract Fan System Duct Resonances

30dB tonal noise reductionImproved efficiency

ww

w.in

vc.c

o.uk

Damped Dry Chiller

Total 8dB(A) noise reduction under chiller (damping + absorbent)

ww

w.in

vc.c

o.uk

Fan: Steel and Elastomeric Spring Isolators

ww

w.in

vc.c

o.uk

Axial Vent Fans

8 off axial vent fans with 8m long silencers several stories up

112Hz blade pass problem tone reduced by 20dB by fitting invertors to change speed slightly to avoid resonant condition.

ww

w.in

vc.c

o.uk

Yoghurt-Based Noise Control - Boiler Burner

16dB tonal noise reduction

ww

w.in

vc.c

o.uk

Industrial Noise and Vibration Centre: www.invc.co.uk

Quiet Fan technologyQuiet Fan technology

Noise Control Best Practice

noise

ww

w.in

vc.c

o.uk

OG Centrifugal Fans: Corus

…for the most significant development in noise control technology

12dB noise reduction>£1 million cost saving>£800k capital +c£250k p.a. on power

“INVC’s modifications have brought about a huge reduction in fan noise, improving the environmental conditions across a wide area around the Plant. They’ve also saved us a large amount of money by negating the requirement for major capital expenditure, so it’s been a remarkably successful project.” – Grahame Wallace, Corus.

“INVC’s modifications have brought about a huge reduction in fan noise, improving the environmental conditions across a wide area around the Plant. They’ve also saved us a large amount of money by negating the requirement for major capital expenditure, so it’s been a remarkably successful project.” – Grahame Wallace, Corus.

ww

w.in

vc.c

o.uk

OG Centrifugal Fans: Corus

Conventional solutions not suitable:varying fan speedx3 4 megawatt fans (c3.5m high) - loss in efficiency due to silencers unacceptable

Source Control173Hz tone reduced by 12dBsaving of 0.6 - 1.2 megawatts power consumption (carbon footprint)

>£250,000 capital cost saving plus 5 figure savings on annual running costs

ww

w.in

vc.c

o.uk

Fan Silencing – without silencers

ww

w.in

vc.c

o.uk

Fan Noise Control Options

Techniques by priority and cost effectiveness….

•Control at sourceengineering modificationsefficiency – lowest fan noise coincides with maximum efficiencyvibration isolation and vibration damping

Only if the above are not practical should you consider…

•Silencing

•Enclosures

•Lagging

•Barriers

•Building modifications

Conventionally, these high cost techniques have been the only measures that are considered….

ww

w.in

vc.c

o.uk

Remote Control of Noise

video sound photos

email -internet

Specialised analysis

BPM

BAT

Costs

database

experience

@@

ww

w.in

vc.c

o.uk

Remote Control of Noise

Romanian power station Laundry fan Ship unloading

Roof-top fans Garage A/C plant Punch press

ww

w.in

vc.c

o.uk

Remote Control of Noise

BP Refinery: $1.25m conventional silencers: $0.25m via engineering – no impact on efficiency, no site visit

ww

w.in

vc.c

o.uk

Industrial Noise and Vibration Centre: www.invc.co.uk

Fan Noise ControlFan Noise ControlBest Practicable Means Best Practicable Means

(BPM)(BPM)

Noise Control Best Practice

noise

Recommended