Measurement of Equipment Sound Power in a Factory Environment using Sound Intensity methods

11 May 2016 by Phill Banks, Principal Consultant

There is often a broad range in the quality of product acoustic data that is provided by mechanical services equipment suppliers. Some can be hard to interpret, giving only part of the information required to define noise output, which can lead to imprecision or error. On the other hand, some companies undertake detailed and exact measurements under controlled conditions for a variety of running conditions and of different components of the equipment. For example, the sound output of industrial fans vary with fan speed. Also there is a different proportion of the sound energy that comes from the inlet, discharge and casing. Testing under these controlled conditions can be time consuming, require dedicated sound test facilities and be expensive.

There is a quick and accurate way to provide good quality acoustic data without dedicated test facilities. Spectrum have recently undertaken measurements of sound intensity of a HAMWORTHY commercial grade boiler unit on a proving test bed within a factory setting. The results were quickly processed to produce reliable sound power data, both overall and in octave bands for use in a range of design analyses. The whole process was completed in about 1 hour and involved no interruption to other activities within the factory.

The process can be extended to include component noise source identification and ranking, for example, as a tool to assist in the development of lower noise models of a product. Also, measurements of a range of operating conditions can be quickly undertaken.

Further information on equipment noise testing