JD WAARACHCHIGE

CH 4182

Industrial Noise Pollution Control

 Is it Pollutant?
Like waste water, waste air, solid waste it is a
pollutant
Slowdown productivity

Annoys and hurt people

Both
Psychologically and Physiologically
 Important Parameters
• Sound Pressure
• Power
• Intensity
 Sound Pressure
As sound is propagated through the air,
compression and rarefaction bands formed.
 Sound Pressure

• Compression_ Pressures are HIGH

• Rarefaction_ Pressures are Lower
• Accounts for the propagation of sound is the
differential of these pressures above and
below atmospheric pressure
• With out this pressure difference, no sound
can be transmitted.
Sound Pressure
 Sound Power
• The energy of oscillating sound wave is
composed of kinetic and potential energy
 Sound Intensity
• The average rate at which power is
transmitted per unit cross sectional area in the
direction of travel.
 Ex 1
The maximum differential pressure pm that the
ear can tolerate in loud sound is 28 N/m2.
What is the amplitude sm for such a sound in
air at a frequency of 1000 Hz?
Assume  and  equal to 20.6 psi and 1.23
kg/m3 for air respectively. What are the rms
pressure and intensity?
Ex1. Solution
 Measures of Noise
Decibel
• The decibel is logarithmic
 Levels
• Sound power level

• Sound intensity level

• Sound pressure level

Relationship among Intensity, Pressure
and Power levels
Approximately,
 Ex2
Sound power from voice shouting is 0.001 W.
What is the sound power level? What are the
sound intensity, the sound intensity level, the
sound pressure, and the sound pressure level
at a distance 6m from the source?
(assume that the sound radiate from the source
in all directions)
Solution
How do we hear
 Outer ear
• Sounds transfer through air or other medium
• Eardrum set in to vibration

Middle ear
• An air filled chamber
• Compose of three tiny bones called Ossicles
Inner ear
• Sense of balance as well as sense of hearing
 Examples for decibel levels
• Faint
30 dB = whisper, quiet library
• Moderate
60 dB = typical conversation, dishwasher, clothes
dryer
50 dB = moderate rainfall
40 dB = quiet room
• Very Loud
80–90 dB = blow-dryer, kitchen blender, food
processor
70 dB = busy traffic, vacuum cleaner, alarm clock

• Extremely Loud
110 dB = maximum output of some MP3 players,
model airplane, chain saw
106 dB = gas lawn mower, snowblower
100 dB = hand drill, pneumatic drill
90 dB = subway, passing motorcycle
• Painful
150 dB = fireworks at 3 feet
140 dB = firearms, jet engine
130 dB = jackhammer
120 dB = jet plane takeoff, siren
 Loudness
The sound levels of power/ Intensity and,
pressure are physical effects that ear receive.
But it is not however, what the person
percieves.
Loudness is the brain’s perception of magnitude
of sound level.
High level….Sound is LOUD
Low level…..sound id NOT LOUD
 Loudness
• It is depends on magnitude of vibration
• Actual herd is not the decibel level, but the
interpretation of it
• Other units,
– Phon
– Sone
• Sound being heard is a conglomeration of
several frequencies
• Audible frequency,
– 16 Hz to 20,000 Hz
• Sound below 16 Hz, Infrasound
• Sound above 20,000 Hz, Ultrasound
 Phon
• Phon is the loudness of a tone that
numerically equal to the corresponding sound
pressure levels when heard at 1000 Hz.

• Eg. Pressure sound level at 40dB is 40 phon

when heard at the 1000 Hz.
 Phon
• Decibel level for given loudness may be
different at other frequencies.
• Eg. Loudness of 40 phons may have 50, 60, 80
or any other decibel level when heard at other
frequencies.
Equal Loudness Contours
THE PHON UNIT
IS
NOT ADDITIVE
 Sones
• Unit develop to add loudness of several
sources
Phon and Sone Relationship
 Ex 3
Calculate the loudness in sones for a
simultaneous exposure of the following tones.
Also calculate the overall number of phons
30 dB @ 350Hz
60 dB @ 1800 Hz
70 dB @ 3000 Hz
45 dB @ 4000 Hz
 Ex 3 Solution
Use the equal loudness contour of figure to determine the phon levels

Frequency (Hz) Sound Pressure Loudness level Loudness level a

(dB) (phons) (sones)
350 30 30 0.5
1800 60 62 4.59
3000 70 79 14.93
4000 45 52 2.3
 22.32 sones Answer

a Calculate using
Measurement of noise
Noise is measured by means of a
sound level meter
 Basic parts of sound level meter
• Produce small electric current
Microphone
• Amplified the electric current
Preamplifier
• Produce readout closely resembled to human
Weighting network response (A, B, C)

• Amplified the signal

Amplifier
• Rectifying the electric current
Rectifier

Display meter
 Weighing Network
• Sound pressure that the meter receives is not
the same as what the ear would perceive.

• Electronic circuit called weighing network is

using to readout resembles a human
response.
 Weighing Network
A series of three internationally accepted
weighing scales has been adopted
(by the acoustical standards)

A, B and, C Weighing Networks

Main difference:
very low frequencies are filtered quite severely
by A, moderately by B and hardly by C.
 Weighing Network
• The A network approximates human response
to low intensity sounds (Readout: dBA)
• The B network approximates human response
to medium intensity sounds (Readout: dBB)
• The C network approximates human response
to high intensity sounds (Readout: dBC)

• Readout from A, B and,C networks are called

sound levels, not sound pressure levels
 D-Weighing network
• Recommended as closely resembling the
human response to noise at airport
 Characteristics of Noise
Frequency
Related the pitch of the sound, pitch increases when
frequency is increased
Amplitude
Gives an idea about the energy content in noise.
Amplitude is directly related to the loudness of noise
Decibels
Is widely used to measure noise to convert large
unmanageable no of sound intensity or pressure to a
more manageable scale from 0dB to 130 dB
 Frequency band analysis
Theoretically, sound pressure level of each
frequency can be measured to determine the
distribution levels.

This distribution is called sound spectrum

 Frequency band analysis
So set to divide the frequency spectrum in to
bands

One of them is

octave band
 Octave Band
• The ratio of the upper to the lower frequency
in the band is 2:1.
1/1, 1/2 and 1/3 octave band analysis
To obtain more accurate characterization of
sound spectrum

1/1 octave band subdivided in to small bands,

1/2 octave band analysis

1/3 octave band analysis
 Constant percentage frequency
analysis
Lower frequency is always a constant
percentage of upper frequency
 Constant frequency analysis

The sound spectrum may be always using a

constant increment of frequency

Eg. Constant frequency analysis at an interval of

10 Hz

20-10,000 Hz
data points??
 Ex. 4
Upper and lower frequencies of octave band are
11,360 and 22,720 Hz, respectively.
(a) Find the center band frequency
If lower frequency is 11,360 Hz, what are the
upper frequencies of the corresponding
(b) 1/2 and
(c)1/3 octaves ?
Ex 4 Solution
Ex 4 Solution
 Decibel Addition
Decibel readings of sound spectrum need to be
added and convert in to single reading.

The single reading constitutes the overall

characterization of the sound or noise.
Decibel Addition
Decibel Addition
 Ex 5
The noise spectrum of cutter equipment at 5.0 ft
distance is analyzed using 1/1 octave band
analysis, producing the results below.
• What are the sound pressure level LpT and the
sound level LpAT generated by the
equipment?
• What is the pressure generated at the given
distance?
• What are the corresponding power and
intensity
Ex. 5 Solution
Ex. 5 Solution
 Types of Noise
• Continuous noise
• Intermittent Noise
• Impulsive noise
• Low frequency noise
• High frequency noise
• Residual noise
• Background noise
 Low frequency noise

Has significant acoustic energy in the frequency

range 8 to 100 Hz.
Noise of this kind is typical for large diesel
engines in trains and power plants and it hard
to muffle, spreads easy in all directions
 High frequency noise
• Typically falls into the 100 kHz to 100 MHz
frequency range.
Eg. Switch mode power supply, Electronic
ballasts, Photocopiers and laser printers
• In industrial and medical facilities, additional
sources include medical equipment variable
speed drives and computerized industrial
loads
 Residual noise
• Ambient noise remaining at a given position in
a given situation when the specific noise
source is suppresses
 Background noise
• A waited sound pressure level of residual
noise in dB exceeds 90% of a given time
interval.
 Noise Propagation
• Type of source
• Distance from source
• Atmospheric absorption
• Wind
• Temperature
• Ground absorption
• Reflection
• Humidity
 Prior to Control
• An ordinary human hears from 20-20000Hz
• But noise is measured in dB which spans from 0-
120 dB.
• Need to know the type of noise emanating from
the machinery prior to control (i.e. high or low
frequency)
• Need information on composite noise level the
source path through which emanates and the
recipient level.
• Compromise between opening & closure of
windows and doors
 Prior to Control
• Use an integrated noise level meter
• Must have an idea of time of the day at which
the machinery are at work (Day/night)
• Should be familiar with regulation pertaining
to the environmental noise (maximum
permissible noise level)
• Should have some knowledge on transmission
of noise from one place to another.
 Environmental Noise Parameters
• ‘A’ frequency weighting (LAeq)
– The electrical signal within a noise measuring instrument
is to stimulate the way the human ear responds to a range
of acoustic frequencies. It is based on the 40 dB equal loud
curve.
• Reference time interval (Tr)
– The specified interval over which an equivalent continuous
‘A’ weighted sound pressure level is determined.
• Measurement time interval (Tm)
– The total time over which measurement is taken at one
measurement point.
 Leq Concept
• The equivalent continuous equal energy level can be
applied to any fluctuating noise level.
• It is that constant noise level that over a given time
expends the same amount of energy as the fluctuating level

• E.g:- Calculate Leq for the following noise measurements,

– 0 – 5 min – 50 dB
– 5 – 12 min – 70 dB
– 12- 15 min – 60 dB
– Answer = 66.9 dB
 What is to be measured?
• Equivalent sound pressure level (LAeq, T)
means the equivalent continuous ‘A’ weighted
sound pressure determined over a time
interval T in dB.
• ‘A’ weighted means a process of automatic
adjustments made to the output of the sound
sensor in a sound level meter. So that the
reading of the meter takes into account the
frequency characteristics of the human ear.
 Noise Regulation in Sri Lanka
Standard/Guideline Acceptable level (day) Acceptable level (night)
Pradeshiya Sabha 55 45
Urban or Municipal 63 50
Export Processing Zone 70 60
100m away from boundary 50 45
of a court, hospital, library,
school, zoo, sacred areas &
areas set apart for
recreation or environmental
purpose
 Control of Industrial Noise
• At the source (Control at the factory)
• Along the path (Noise barriers, trees)
• At the recipient (Control of individual
buildings or affected facades by insulation or
absorption)
 Types of Noise Pollution Control at
Source
• Control of low frequency noise by converting to high frequency
noise
• Control of noise by placing the sources away from reflecting
surfaces
• Control of noise by reducing changes in force, pressure or speed
• Low mass & low fall heights give least sound
• Control of noise emanating from large vibrating objects
• Control of noise in a narrow frequency range with reactive
attenuators
• Control of noise over a wide frequency range with absorbent
attenuators
• Noise control by avoiding air flow in cavities
Control of low frequency noise by converting to
high frequency noise
• Low frequency noise travel far compared to
high frequency noise
• Change the number of blades of a fan or rotor
or remove it.
• Once changes are done, treat for high
frequency noise.
• eg: Cooling tower fan – increase no of blades
 Control of noise by placing the sources
away from reflecting surfaces

• Must keep noisy machines away from the

reflecting surfaces (Modify the layout, keep
machines away from the walls)
• Needs internal modification
• Good for larger factories
 Control of noise by reducing changes in
force, pressure or speed

• Noises occur whenever there is a change in

pressure, speed or force
• Lessen the changes of either pressure, force or
speed
 Low mass & low fall heights give least
sound

• Noise generated depends on the mass &

velocity of falling objects
• Reduce falling height, mass as practical as
possible
• Applicable to conveyor belt
• Eg:
– Discharge to a half filled bed
– Conveyor belt transport
Control of noise emanating from large
vibrating objects

• Small vibrating objects make less noise

• Remove such vibrating objects from main
items
• Needs machine modification
• Eg:
– Steam pipelines clamped to the wall through a
rubber parts
 Control of vibrating machinery or parts of
machinery with mounting on a heavy
foundation
• Large partitions generate high noise
• Vibrating machinery must be placed in hard
material
• If not possible, need to be isolated by a trench
filled with sand or shock absorbers
• Eg:
– Compressors
– Generators
 Control of radiating noise levels from
panels

• Free edges makes less noise

• Replacement with one having more openings
is ideal
• Needs to pay attention to safety aspects
• Eg:
– Solid is less noisy that perforated objects
Control of noise in a narrow frequency
range with reactive attenuators

• Good for LFN

• Applicable only within a narrow range
• Ideal for silencers
Control of noise in a wide frequency range
with absorbent attenuators
• Place absorbing material inside
• Thicker material for LFN
• Ideal for ventilating openings
 Noise control by avoiding air flows over
cavities
• Air blowing through a small opening creates a
loud noise
• Reduce the air gap close to the source of noise
• Simple machine modification
 Different types of noise pollution control
techniques – along the path
• Control of low frequency noise with lesser
openings
• Control of high frequency sound with barriers
• Control of noise by insulation of single walls and
panels
• Insulation of light weight double partitions
• Control of noise by thick porous absorbers at
both high and low frequencies
• Noise control by screens for high frequency
 Control of high frequency sound with
barriers
• High frequency noise reflects
• Good for processes such as punching,
hammering or reverting
• Locally installed enclosures are good
 Control of noise by insulation of single
walls and panel
• Insulation depends on the surface density
• Higher densities are good for insulation for
high frequencies
• High density material is ideal
 Insulation with light weight double
partitions
• Light weight material with air gap is ideal
• Better than a single wall with even concrete
• Insulation through different media cuts off the
noise radiation
 Noise Control by screens for high
frequency
• Screens with absorbing material is ideal
• Screen must be placed as close as possible to
the noise source
• Hard surfaces must be avoided