HVAC System

Noise and Vibration

Sound Physics
Human hearing range
Sound Power
Total acoustic energy
Cannot be measured
directly
Not affected by
surrounding
environment or
distance to receiver
The quietest sound we
measure is 10
-12
Watt
Sound Pressure
How human detect
sound
Measure directly
with sound meter
Affected by acoustic
environment
What is Decibel scale?
Decibel is used to measure sound power level
It is a logarithmic unit to describe a large ratio
W
measured
/

Defined as
10 log (

)/(W
reference
) dB
Sound Pressure and Power
HVAC noise mainly due to:
Turbulent flow
Vibrating surfaces
Sound power, how many watts of
energy is converted into sound
Sound power level, dB
Sound pressure is the pressure of the
sound waves measured in Pascal's.
Sound pressure level, dB
Analogy with light bulb
Octave Bands
Most sound are not pure tone.
They spread over a range of frequency.
The range is divided into eight separate sections, called bands.
What is dBA
Human ear is not equally sensitive to all frequencies.
Sound pressure is A-weighted to account for the ears reduced
sensitivity to low frequencies sounds.
Noise problem is typically defined in terms of dBA.
Overall Sound Level
Overall sound pressure level = 93.5 dBA
Calculate Overall Sound Level
Adding Sound by Graph
Adding Sound by Formula
Perception of Sound
1 dB change not perceptible
3 dB change is perceptible
5 dB change is clearly noticeable
10 dB increase sounds twice as loud
Both Sound Equally Loud
A difference of 25 dB
Our ears are sensitive to different
frequency and hears them as
equal loudness.
ISO Lines of Equal Loudness
NR curves developed by ISO to rate noisiness with 1000Hz as the reference point.
Specifies level
of background
Noise level
NC Curves
NC 36
39 dBA
specifies indoor limits of
frequency spectrum of noise
Numerically 5 less than dBA
criterion
Industry Standard
NC (common in North America)
NR (common in Europe ISO)
Does not address frequencies
below 63 Hz
Does not provide sound quality
assessment
Indoor Noise Design Criteria
Space NC/NR dBA
Sleeping cabin 35 40
Corridor, meeting
room
40 45
CCR, recreation
room, office
45 50
Galley, laundry,
Equipment Rooms,
laboratory
50-60 55-65
Single Number Rating
1. Decibel A (dBA)
noise loudness adjusted to human ear perception
2. Noise Criteria or Noise Rating
- background noise level
3. Sound Transmission Class (STC)
- Sound isolation performance of a partition
- Overall amount of sound transmission loss in decibel
- Test based on 125-4000 Hz
- Example: gypsum board has STC of 28
4. Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC)
- Sound absorption performance of material
- Average of absorption coefficient in 250, 500, 1000, 2000 Hz
(ASTM C423)
Acoustic Insulation
Walls & Partitions
Partition
Minimum
Performance
(STC)
Building exterior 50
Between floors 50
Around HVAC rooms 50
Around recreation
rooms
50
Around offices 40
Around bedrooms /
cabins
Walls
Suspended ceilings
(room to room)
40
45
Sound Insulation
Reduce the transmission of sound through solid
barriers
Principle of sound insulation
Reduction of sound energy from one area to another
by absorbing or reflecting sound transmission loss
(TL)
TL of Massive wall > TL of lighter wall
STC (Sound Transmission Class): rating of a wall, floor
or ceiling determined by the component of the
construction
Sound Absorption
Sound absorbing materials are rated using the
Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC)
Average of sound absorption coefficients from
250 Hz to 2000 Hz (speech frequency)
Perfectly absorptive NRC = 1.0
Perfectly reflective NRC = 0.0
Example: duct liner application
HVAC Noise Sources
HVAC noise mainly due to:
Turbulent flow in duct or piping system
Vibrating surfaces of moving equipment
Strategy that reduces system pressure
drop or rotating equipment speed will
also help reduce noise
HVAC Noise Sources
HVAC Noise Test Data
The sound power generated by a fan or
equipment performing at a given duty is best
obtained from manufacturer test data taken
under approved test conditions.
Rating standards are:
AMCA 300 (fans)
AHRI 260 (ducted equipment)
AHRI 370 (large outdoor equipment)
AHRI 880 (Terminal units)
Fan Noise
Aerodynamic noise
Many random frequencies in the audible range
Due to flow turbulence
Tonal noise
One or more frequencies stand out above the
adjacent frequencies by more than 5 to 8 dB
Blade passing frequency = no of blades x rpm/60
Mechanical noise
Due to mountings, bearings, balancing
Fan Sound Rating
Fan manufacturers commonly test and rate
fan noise according to approved standards,
i.e.
AMCA 300 Reverberant method for fan
sound testing
AMCA 301 - Methods for calculating fan
sound ratings
Fan Manufacturer Noise Data
Manufacturer Sound Data
Tests are costly and therefore
Not all series/sizes are tested
Not all operating points are tested
Common pitfalls are:
Prediction of sound data by mathematical estimates
based scaling of speed, size, load etc
Data quality may be uncertain
Do not address tonal components
Sound testing and certification required where
noise is critical
Evaluate Tonal Noise
Required vendor to submit 1/3 octave band
noise data
Determine the presence of prominent pure
tones
Adjacent frequencies not to exceed
5 dB for 500 to 10000 Hz
8 dB for 160 to 400 Hz
Pure Tonal Noise
Octave band
1/3 octave band
Discrete tone
In a Reverberant Room
SPL & SWL relationship
L
p
= L
w
Room
constant
L
w
= L
p
+ Room
constant
Sound Rating
in Reverberant Chamber
HVAC equipment are
tested in a qualified
reverberant chamber
Standards are
o AHRI 880 terminal
boxes and air outlets
o AHRI 260 ducted
equipment
AHRI 260
AHU Test Configurations
Sound Fields
Free field
- Sound is direct, no reflection
- Sound pressure decays at 6dB per doubling
of distance at far field
Near field
- Pressure level varies with small distance
changes
Direct field
- Sound pressure only directly from source
Reverberant field
- Presence of reflective surfaces
Near field
source
Free field
1
2
P1 P2
r
r
Log 20 - L L =
Free Field
S
When distance r is double: area increases 4 folds and SPL drops by 6 dB
SPL can be predicted by:
= 20 log 11 dB
Reverberant Room
S
Direct
Reverberation
R
The sound pressure level depends on:
1. Room volume
2. Room surface
3. Source power level
4. Distance from source to receiver
Some sound
absorbed,
some
reflected
Room Acoustics
)
4
4
( 10
2
r
Q
R
Log L L w p
t
+ + =
Reverberant sound field
Direct sound field
Total acoustic energy at a point in the room
is sum of contribution due to direct and
reverberant sound fields
) 1 ( o
o

=
S
R
Q= directivity factor
R = room constant
r= distance from source to receiver
Room Acoustics
Why need Noise Control?
Health OSHA
Loss of hearing Productivity
Speech
intelligibility
Issues for
Company
Issues for
Worker
Noise
Compensation
Annoyance
Objective of Noise Design
Designing for low noise
Equipment will not cause platform work area
noise levels in excess of 82 dB(A)
Ensuring all equipment procured demonstrates
noise levels that are As Low As Reasonably
Practicable (ALARP)
Ensuring equipment vibration is not transferred
into the platform structure
Comply with the requirements of applicable
current laws / regulations i.e. OSHA
Noise Exposure Limit is Time
Dependent
Limit of noise exposure level as defined in
AS/NZS 1269.1
Absolute noise limit = 115 dBA
Work area noise limit = 82 dBA
82
Platform Noise Limit
Project Requirements
Platform Noise Limits
Project Requirement
Noise Control
Can noise criteria be achieved by
o Good duct design
o Good installation
o Quietest fan
Estimate the noise control attenuation required
Using silencer, consider
o Adequate space in layout
o Regenerated noise
o Pressure drop
HVAC Airborne Attenuation
Sound power
Duct Design to Limit Noise
1. Reduce velocity
2. Reduce fan speed
3. Avoid abrupt duct section changes
4. Use greater duct length or elbow
5. Round vs rectangular duct
6. Thicker duct wall or reinforcement
7. Acoustic lining
8. Silencer
Duct Design for Quiet Operation
Effect of improper Grille Installation
ASHRAE Handbook
Good Installation Practices
Noise Analysis
Attenuation
- Duct acoustics
- Room effect
- distance
How much
Sound power
discharge
Inlet
casing
How we hear it
noise criteria
HVAC system makes noise
Acoustic analysis is required to selection the
appropriate noise control
Consider witness testing of equipment
Source
AHRI 260
Ducted HVAC
Equipment
Path
Receiver
Room Sound
AHRI 885 Application Standards for
Attenuation
AHRI Standard 885
gives procedures of
estimating room sound
pressure from known
sound power
The Standard includes
most applicable tables
for duct loss, breakout,
and other factors
AHRI 885 - 1998
v
Pressure Sound Discharge
Pressure Sound Radiated
En - T/E - D - I - ER - S - DIS Lw Lp
Env - P/S - S - RAD Lw Lp
=
=
AHRI 885 Appendix E
Duct Acoustics
Duct Acoustics
1. Sound attenuation due to
Straight duct
Elbows
Duct divisions
End reflection
Liner & Silencer (added where
necessary)
2. Noise leakages
Break in & Break out
3. Flow noise
Air velocity
Smoothness of flow
If sound power level is
known, the distribution
over the duct system
can be estimated by a
simple calculation
Straight Duct Sound Attenuation
An unlined straight duct attenuates noise through transfer of
energy from sound wave to duct wall. Absorbed energy appears as
breakout noise or duct vibration.
Straight Unlined Duct Attenuation
Attenuation due to a straight duct run (in dB/m duct)
Duct dimension
(mm)
O.B.C.F.(Hz)
63 125 250 500 1k 2k
Round 100 - 300 0.1 0.1 0.1 0 0 0
Round > 300 0 0 0 0 0 0
Rectangular 150 x
150
0.65 0.65 0.5 0.35 0.35 0.35
Rectangular 600 x
600
0.65 0.65 0.35 0.15 0.15 0.15
Rectangular 1800 x
1800
0.35 0.35 0.15 0.03 0.03 0.03
Attenuation for unlined metal ducts is very small. i.e. 0
to 0.65 dB/m
Attenuation in Duct Elbows
Attenuation in Branches
|
.
|

\
|
+
=
1
2 1
A
A A
Log 10 n Attenuatio
The sound energy divides between the main
and take-off ducts in the same way that the
airflow does
End Reflection Loss
End Reflection at Duct Termination
Attenuation due to end reflection (in dB per termination)
Duct dimension
(mm)
O.B.C.F. (Hz)
63 125 250 500 1k 2k
125 17 12 8 4 1 0
250 12 8 4 1 0 0
500 8 4 1 0 0 0
1000 4 1 0 0 0 0
2000 1 0 0 0 0 0
Attenuation is largest for low frequency and small openings
Noise Leakage
Duct Shape and Noise Leakage
Rectangular duct wall moves in
bending due to pressure
changes. Circular duct wall
does not bend but stretches due
to pressure changes
A duct with stiff walls vibrates less and
therefore has less attenuation and less
break-out noise
A Sample Noise Calculation
ASHRAE Fundamentals
Noise Mitigation Methods
Ductwork Design
Low velocity
Elbow and junctions
Grilles and diffusers selection
Flexible ducts
Internal Ductliner
Attenuates Mid to High Frequencies
Distance of ductwork from
mechanical equipment
Sound Attenuators
Most effective at attenuating Mid to
High Frequencies
Increases Static Pressure Drop
Lined Plenum
Most effective method for attenuating
low frequencies
Can be incorporated into AHU and
RTU Casing
Duct Silencers
Rectangular -Parallel baffle
Tubular- Pod type
Devices designed to adsorb sound energy.
Silencer reduces the sound power
level of a fan to a required level.
These splitters direct the airflow into
small sound-attenuating passages.
The splitter is made from an envelope
containing sound-attenuating
material, such as fiberglass or mineral
wool, with protected non eroding
facing.
Silencers
Silencer Attenuation
Silencer Attenuation
Poor low frequency attenuation
Low frequency attenuation improved by
longer length
This can lead to higher pressure loss
Silencer Parameters
Source: Price HVAC
Silencer Location
What is Vibration?
All rotating equipment will vibrate.
Due to: center of mass is not coincide with
center of rotation i.e. unbalanced.
Nothing is perfect
Vibration Level
Measured in
Acceleration
(mm/sec2)
Velocity ( mm/sec)
Displacement (mm)
Peak or RMS
RMS=0.707 Peak
Why is vibration bad?
annoyance
metal fatique
Interfere with precision equipment
Caused breakdown of lubrication
Vibration can produce noise
Transmissibility Curve
Isolator Selection
Isolators are usually specified by their static
deflection (SD) (i.e. stiffness)
The more a spring of rubber deflects under load,
without compressing to solid, the lower the
natural frequency of the mount
spring coil for
SD
1
3.13 fn =
SD (in) 0.5 1.0 2.0 3.0
f n (Hz) 4.43 3.13 2.21 1.8
Static Deflection
SD
Unloaded
Isolator Selection
Generally, the range of natural frequencies is
2 to 4 Hz for spring isolators
4 to 10 Hz for rubber isolators
5 to 15 Hz for fiberglass
10 to 40 Hz for cork
0.5 to 2.5 Hz for air mounts
Fan - Vibration Isolation
This is to reduce amount of force transmitted to
supporting structure by a fan in operation.
AMCA 204
How Much Isolation Efficiency
Typically specified for HVAC fans
Value in/sec peak
Source: ASHRAE HANDBOOK
How Much Vibration Allowed?
Vibration Tolerance
AMCA 204
Isolator Types
Elastomeric
Rubber pads
Springs
Rubber
mount
Isolator Types
Source: Mason Industries
Vibration Isolation