ITS markets solutions for the control of exposure to industrial noise:
- to protect personnel (e.g. employees, outside workers) from hearing risks in connection with their standing or their movement near sound sources constituted by machines or other production means and equipment whose acoustic power can induce sound levels exceeding the limits authorized by the regulations in force e.g. those set by European Directive 2003/10/EC, often transposed into national law i.e. (with regard to the triggering of actions) daily noise exposure levels greater than 80 dB (A) and/or a peak sound pressure level above 135 dB(C); more or less similar limit values are in use in different parts of the world
- to warn neighbors (e.g. at the property line, or at a longer distance) of the noise disturbance resulting from the emergence phenomenon linked to the difference, at a specified location - in a Zone with a Regulated Emergence (ZRE) - between the sound pressure levels measured respectively during operation and stop of the considered facilties (the night situation being almost always - all other things being equal as regards the operating conditions - more problematic than that observable during the day: the admissible emergence varies, in France, from 3 dB(A) to 6 dB(A) depending on hours, but also depending on the day of the week and depending on the ambient noise value and this does not only concern establishments classified for environmental protection - abbreviated ECEP - but all industrial sites indeed) ; elsewhere in the world, although local regulations may differ, taking the neighborhood into account in terms of acoustics is often a major issue for industrial projects, especially if they are large-scale
ITS participated in a project to control exposure to industrial noise for a cogeneration plant (based on the combined production of electrical energy and the recovery of thermal energy for heating) located in Argentina (South America).
The aim was to limit the propagation of noise emitted by a medium-sized combustion turbine (power greater than 40 MW) and by several related equipment.
In terms of solution to the considered problem, metal buildings with reinforced acoustic insulation and sophisticated soundproofed ventilation systems (for cooling enclosures subjected to high heat dissipation of enclosed hardware) were thus studied and built with a view to assembly on site after carriage in sea containers of modular elements.
Of course, climatic (rainfall, snow, wind) and seismic data have been duly taken into account for the development of solutions involving these hardware for controlling exposure to industrial noise delivered to a world leader in the technologies for industrial energy production based on the use of fossil fuels, whose expectations in terms of quality and respect for deadlines have not been disappointed, far from it.
The start-up of the facility will be an opportunity to see that all the planned technical objectives have been achieved, among which the acoustic performance is of course not the least, but is far to be the only one.
The time that will pass will make it possible to assess the durability of the hardware marketed by ITS as part of this project to control exposure to industrial noise