Did you know that demand for electricity is rising rapidly around the world? The International Energy Agency (IEA) data shows a 4.3% increase in 2024. They are also estimating demands will continue to increase year on year until 2027. This means there is more activity to increase energy production and capacity. It’s a vital industry, but it is also important to think about factors like sustainability and noise. We can help with the latter, excelling at industrial silencer design.
Noisy plants
Power plants have a reputation for being some of the noisiest facilities in the world. The problem is they use all kinds of heavy duty machinery. Additionally, many generate high volumes of steam. Venting it can generate sounds as loud as a jet engine. Typically, noise in a power plant can range from 120dB to over 155dB. This is much louder than the upper safe limit in the UK. As a result, most plants will need some form of noise control and hearing protection for employees.
As we said, you can find a massive selection of noisy, heavy machinery in power plants. This includes engines and turbines, transformers, pumps, condensers, fans, gearboxes, and more. Incredibly though, many of them can pale in comparison to a jet engine. They can reach an ear-drum bursting 153dB, especially during take-off when they produce maximum thrust. This is exactly the level of noise that can occur when pressure/safety valves are opened to release steam. So, it is one of the most important noise sources to address.
The key thing to keep in mind is how important pressure/safety valves are. They are a fail-safe to prevent over-pressure situations. Without them, pressures in systems could rise uncontrolled, leading to an explosion. So, power plants need them. As you can’t go without them, the goal is to address how much noise they generate. Effective silencers are critical. You need to get the industrial silencer design spot on here.
Key factors to consider
If you’re trying to create silencers for pressure/safety valves, there are a couple of crucial things to keep in mind. Firstly, you need to look at how they work. Typically it will be a combination of diffusion and absorption. A diffuser slows the velocity of the stream, reducing the noise by decreasing turbulence. Sound absorbing material then turns some of the noise into heat to reduce the level even more.
While reducing the velocity of steam exiting at pressure/safety valves is wise, there is a key factor to look at. Crucially, you can’t allow it to decrease too quickly. If you do, there is a risk it will reduce the overall system pressure. If that happens there can be serious malfunctions.
Another thing to think about is the size of the silencers. In some cases they need to be incredibly large to reduce the noise enough. However, that can cause logistical problems, including transport and installation. It can cause higher costs too.
Do you need help with industrial silencer design?
Ventx is an authority on noise control in various industrial settings. We can design exceptional solutions for clients at any stage. We always recommend considering noise at the design stage of a facility to make it easier to address problems. Crucially, it can be much cheaper than potentially having to retool or make significant alterations to a facility.
So, if you need help with industrial silencer design, including for power plants or other facilities, speak to us. We can achieve exceptional results, improving safety and performance while also ensuring there are no negatives like pressure drops.
