Industrial Fan Noise Control - Acoustic Enclosures

We design and supply acoustic enclosures for industrial fan noise control. Whatever sector, application or environment your customer’s fan will be installed in, we can provide a proven solution to ensure it will operate as unobtrusively as possible without affecting its designed performance. Working alongside you on either an existing fan or with your product designers, we will develop a solution which meets your noise mitigation needs. Our expertise and experience enable us to deliver across these key criteria:

– Acoustic specification and both noise and workforce health & safety regulations

– Operational performance across safety, quality, cost and project programme

– Integration with OEM machinery, ensuring its performance is not compromised

– Your capability as a turnkey, single-source solution provider

– A strong working partnership with long term benefits

We have a wide experience and capability of delivering high performance noise mitigation solutions for not only industrial fans, but also pumps and compressors. Our dedicated OEM Team brings the expertise required to design and manufacture enclosures that meet or exceed your requirements whilst perfectly complementing your own products. Working closely with the appropriate stakeholders in your company – be they from management, engineering, design, manufacturing or sales – we work to understand your and your customer’s specific requirements. You can read more on how we manage the development process and meet your regulatory, environmental or reputational needs on our OEM Solutions page.

Our acoustic enclosure animation demonstrates how we bring complex noise control and engineering design together, to deliver on your noise mitigation requirements:

Industrial Fan - Modular Acoustic Enclosure

Fan Noise Source - Noise Mitigation

Situation Analysis

Airstream turbulence and mechanical components are the major contributors to the unwanted fan noise which negatively impacts on the working environment and, often, the neighbouring community. Typical industrial fan noise levels range from 70-120dB(A).

There are recognised methods in place to reduce fan airstream turbulence, such as inlet and outlet silencers and single-pass absorptive silencers. However, any noise caused by airstream turbulence, whether damped or not, will pass through the fan and radiate through its casing into the environment. Another commonplace issue is breakout noise, commonly found at inlet or outlet connections and sometimes, along the sidewalls of the ductwork.

Equally, a fan’s mechanical components – such as the motor, drive and bearings and in some cases the blade mountings – can transfer sound mechanically to the fan or duct system via the shaft or casing. Also, where excessive fan vibration exists, this can cause resonance in the fan/motor assembly, mountings or casing.

Acoustic Structure

We design the structure, panel specification and build sequence of your acoustic fan enclosures in accordance with your environmental, health & safety, noise level, aesthetic and other requirements, all determined at the needs assessment stage of the project. In this animation the example is an enclosure solution to reduce noise levels from 110dB(A) to 75dB(A)

The modular fan enclosure comprises a series of structural steel members and joiners for the acoustic wall and ceiling panels. Acoustically compatible doors and windows and access points for planned maintenance or unscheduled repair can also be incorporated at the design stage. If required, you can also specify removable acoustic panels to enable straightforward removal of the complete fan.

The enclosure’s absorptive internal surfaces control reverberation build-up and mitigate external noise levels to an acceptable level. We can also incorporate mounting solutions which can reduce transmitted structure-borne noise.

Ventilation & Integrations

Your fan noise control systems may be integrated for external access, ensuring seamless operation without the necessity to enter the acoustic enclosure. Safety systems such as lighting, heat and vibration detection and fire suppression can also be integrated.

An attenuated ventilation system provides air circulation cycle to maintain specified fan unit operating temperature. Air is ducted into the enclosure, discharged at low level, dissipated and then extracted at high level, through extract fans and ducting.

Noise Control Results

On completion, the fan enclosure is tested with the fan in situ and certified to BS EN ISO 11546-2:2009, ensuring that when the fan is operational, it will achieve the desired sound pressure level. With the fan noise control solution implemented, further benefits include:

– Noise at Work compliance

– Enhanced personnel safety and welfare/wellbeing

– Prevention of hearing loss

– Improved working environment

– Your customers’ credentials as an employer enhanced

– Reduction in overall facility noise level

Wiltech Acoustics has a strong track record in the delivery of high performance industrial noise control solutions to satisfy the requirements of companies, specific industries, standards and regulatory compliance.

Please contact us to discuss your project specific needs.

Industrial Fans - Noise Control Solutions

Understanding of Requirements

Whether your industrial fan is of axial or centrifugal design, we can design and build an effective acoustic enclosure system to contain unwanted noise.

Working closely with you from the outset, our in-house engineering teams use a number of different techniques to ensure an effective fan noise control solution that does not compromise the effectiveness of the fan, whether it is used for cooling or exhaust. We use CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) design for aero and thermodynamic elements to assess and manage the impact of the fan noise control solution on the original fan and any associated systems.

CadnaA noise prediction software assists us in calculating, assessing and modelling environmental noise from the fan, enabling our designers to understand the source and characteristic of the noise so that they can address it in the most effective way possible.

Our structural steel analysis to Eurocode standards ensures structural integrity and finite element analysis for reliability of the structure and any surrounding elements directly associated with it.

Industrial Fans - Acoustic Enclosure Design

Our turnkey in-house design, engineering and manufacturing process enables the highest possible degree of customisation to align your noise abatement solution with your and your customers’ specific needs.

Our solution as represented in the fan enclosure animation is a modular build, alternatively fan enclosures can be constructed as one piece drop-over units. For larger installations we offer a full structural steel build with infill acoustic panels, allowing for the full lift of the entire OEM equipment and enclosure solution together.

The lifespan of our fan noise control enclosure can exceed 15 years in external environments and 20 years for internal applications. Steel and other UK-sourced raw materials and components are specified for their performance and long-term durability. We can polyester powder coat the enclosure to your colour choice and also provide custom paint and decal solutions to incorporate your company branding.

Our acoustic panels and substrates are certified Class A1 or A2 for Non Combustible Material requirements and Eurocode 3 for structural steel. We can provide enhanced solutions to ATEX specifications for the protection of the surrounding personnel and adjacent environment, on request.

BS EN ISO 15667:2000 guidelines for noise control of fan enclosures and cabins forms part of our design process with your team and our in-field testing is to BS EN ISO 11546-2:2009. This determines the sound insulation performance of enclosures for final commissioning and acceptance testing.