ITS participated in the soundproofing of a cogeneration unit at a petrochemical site located in North America.
It was a unit producing electricity and steam (used for industrial processes), built in a refinery, and giving pride of place to very noisy machines and equipment including a combustion turbine (of power greater than 40 MW) and an alternator, both of which were the subject of soundproofing work.
Cogeneration unit site constraints were distinguished by the need to respect noise levels significantly lower than the average of those generally accepted in such cases for the protection of site employees and for the preservation of sound environment (which are dependent on the distance at the limit of industrial property, topography and sound levels in the absence of noise generated by the installation).
The soundproofing of this cogeneration unit therefore required the design of constructive systems with reinforced acoustic insulation.
With regard to the partitions (walls and roof) of the buildings housing the turbomachines, their sound reduction index has been increased by considering industrial soundproofing panels with a special constitution, of increased thickness - the tightness of their assembly system and their ability not to reflect sound waves (interior side) not being their least qualities -.
With regard to the silencers fitted to the openings intended for (forced) ventilation, they also have been subject to a special sizing, which has been made complex by the lack of space available to install equipment being is larger than usual, for which the loss total pressure had to be limited so as not to jeopardize the choice of fans likely to allow normal operation of the installation.
This was thus a project for which high-quality metallic construction was required, for the preparation of subsets to be shipped within containers towards erection site, mainly by boat.
On the one hand, the geographic location of the site on which the soundproofing of a cogeneration unit was planned, and on the other hand the petrochemical activity of the site required the combined consideration of building codes and regulations of all kinds which made this project an opportunity to meet many specific challenges - not only related to acoustics, but also related to metal construction, electrical work -, to which business partners of ITS are used, especially in the energy production sector, when soundproofing concerns sensitive installations, and all over the world.