Reducing the noise of fans and other extractors is a necessity induced by the presence of such equipment, the sound emissions of which are by nature significant, in many situations where they are likely to cause noise nuisance (annoyance), which must then be limited, for the compliance of facilities with applicable regulations, with respect to internal and/or external imperatives of a construction.
Limitation of noise nuisance (annoyance) due to the noise of fans and extractors in buildings
In buildings, when it comes to Controlled Mechanical Ventilation (CMV) or for any other Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning (HVAC) installation: air conditioners (Air Handling Units - AHU -), heat pumps and air coolers, e.g. associated with refrigeration, therefore occupy, as soon as they include at least one fan, a place of choice among the equipment frequently incriminated for the noise nuisance (annoyance) caused; extractors in professional kitchens can also be a problem, as can ventilation systems in technical rooms.
Limitation of noise nuisance (annoyance) due to the noise of fans and extractors in industry
Within industrial sites, ventilation systems are frequently required:
- for many installations for which air renewal (i.e. fresh air supply and foul air exhaust) must be provided periodically
- for the evacuation of effluents: for painting booths, for combustion processes (e.g. for industrial chimney draft fans)
- for the evacuation of the heat energy dissipated by equipment which must be cooled: for heat engines (for some: generator sets, with or without coupled fan), but also: for pumps, compressors and other equipment in technical rooms, machine rooms, enclosures hosting various hardware, whether they are underpressurized or overpressurized
- for many processes involving heat exchange by forced convection (e.g. with air condensers, cooling towers)
- for many material suction and transport systems (parings, shavings, sawdust)
Modalities of the limitation of noise nuisance (annoyance) due to the noise of fans and extractors
Depending on its power, the noise from fans and of extractors can have a more or less negative impact on the space in which they are installed and/or on adjoining or more distant spaces.
Depending on the context, inhabitants or users of a construction (house, hotel, educational or health establishment, sports halls), employees (including sometimes: in an office) or neighbors of an industrial site must be protected against noise from fans and other extractors: excessive noise emissions can cause noise nuisance (annoyance), which places those responsible for it in a violation situation.
ITS limits noise nuisance (annoyance) due to fans and to extractors, possibly with different multiple levels of intervention (if necessary: all, in the context of a given project), also in the context of complex aeraulic networks:
- measurement of noise levels emitted at specified locations (by a human resource being qualified in physical measurements, specialized in instrumental techniques, with duly calibrated and verified sound level meters)
- simulation of the sound impact (with acoustic calculation programs for noise propagation in indoor or outdoor spaces)
- analysis and characterization of noise nuisance (annoyance) e.g. exceeding limits of sound pressure level, non-compliance with emergence criteria, with or without marked tone (provisionally or after measurements, by an acoustician employed by ITS)
- study, definition, and prediction of the effectiveness of actions and noise reduction devices (silencers for fans and other extractors can be dimensioned by ITS as for their acoustic and aerodynamic performance with in-house software or with tools trade: CFD, FEM, BEM)
- marketing of soundproofing equipment, with or without installation (quality, durability are crucial criteria in addition to acoustic performance - and where applicable in terms of aeraulic performance, for silencers -)
Whether it is a new installation, or whether it is necessary to improve an existing situation which poses a problem, one can always count on the human resources of ITS to propose the best for the limitation of noise nuisance (annoyance) due to the noise of fans and extractors.
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