General Procedure and Information for Mechanical System Sound Abatement Design

Bill Greco April 16, 2009 Trident3 [email protected] Pg1 of 11

The following was compiled to produce a lessons learned document for

Engineering Projects involving mechanical system sound reduction.

1. Determine the design goal for HVAC system noise for each critical area according to
its use and construction. Specify the desirable NC level goal.

2. Relative to equipment that radiates sound directly into a room, select equipment that
will be quiet enough to meet the desired design goal.

3. lf central or roof-mounted mechanical equipment is used, look at the initial design and
layout of the HVAC system, using acoustical treatment where it appears appropriate.

4. Starting at the fan, appropriately add the sound attenuations and sound power levels
associated with the central fan(s), fan-powered mixing units (if used), and duct elements
between the central fan(s) and the room of interest to determine the corresponding sound
pressure levels in the room. Be sure to investigate the supply and return air paths.
Investigate possible duct sound breakout when central fans are adjacent to the room of
interest or roof-mounted fans are above the room of interest.

5. lf the mechanical equipment room is adjacent to the room of interest, determine the
sound pressure levels in the room associated with sound transmitted through the
mechanical equipment room wall.

6. Add the sound pressure levels in the room of interest that are associated with all of the
sound paths between the mechanical equipment room or roof-mounted unit and the room
of interest.

7. Determine the corresponding NC or RC level associated with the calculated total sound
pressure levels in the room of interest.

8. lf the NC or RC level exceeds the design goal, determine the octave frequency bands in
which the corresponding sound pressure levels are exceeded and the sound paths that are
associated with these frequency bands.

9. Redesign the system, adding additional sound attenuation to the paths which contribute
to the excessive sound pressure levels in the room of interest.

10. Make sure that noise radiated by outdoor equipment will not disturb adjacent
properties. With respect to outdoor equipment, use barriers when noise associated with
the equipment will disturb adjacent properties.
General Procedure and Information for Mechanical System Sound Abatement Design
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11. lf mechanical equipment is located on upper floors or is roof-mounted, vibration

isolate all reciprocating and rotating equipment. It may be necessary to vibration isolate
mechanical equipment that is located in the basement of a building.

12. lf possible, use flexible connectors between rotating and reciprocating equipment and
pipes and ducts that are connected to the equipment.

13. lf it is not possible to use flexible connectors between rotating and reciprocating
equipment and pipes and ducts connected to the equipment, use spring or neoprene
hangers to vibration isolate the ducts and pipes within the first twenty feet of the
equipment.

14. Use either spring or neoprene hangers. Do not use both.

15. Use flexible conduit between rigid electrical conduit and reciprocating and rotating
equipment.

16. In spaces where ceiling plenum returns systems exist, replace return grilles with
grilles attached to lined elbows.

17. Acoustic duct lagging applied to the exterior of ductwork can absorb some radiated
sound, this generally adds another one pound per square foot for 1 inch thick lagging,
and two pounds per square foot for 2 inch thick lagging. Most low pressure sheet metal
ductwork (22 ga.) weighs about 1.2 pounds per square foot. Comparing the 1 inch thick
duct lagging to the 2 inch lagging.

Acoustic Duct Lagging Table-1

Weight Insertion loss dB Price Total dB loss
At 500 Hz
1 inch thick 1 lb sqft 5 dB 80% 23 dB
2 inch thick 2 lbs sqft 8 db 100% 29 dB
The 2” thick acoustic lagging is not carried by all distributors and is usually used in only
high temperature situations.

The sound power generation of a given fan performing a specific task is best obtained
from the fan manufacturers test data. Manufacturers' test data should be obtained from
either AMCA Standard 300-85, Reverberant Room Method for Sound Testing of
Fans, or ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 68-1986/ANSI/AMCA Standard 330-86, Laboratory
Method of Testing Duct Sound Power Measurement Procedure for Fans. When such data
are not available, the 1/1 octave band sound power levels for various fans can
be estimated.
General Procedure and Information for Mechanical System Sound Abatement Design
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Fans generate a tone at the blade passage frequency. To account for this, the sound
power level in which the blade passage frequency occurs is increased by a specified
amount. The number of decibels to be added to this is called the blade frequency
increment.

There are specific sound power levels associated with fan total sound power.

Aerodynamic noise
Aerodynamic noise is generated when airflow in the duct becomes turbulent as it
passes through sharp bends, sudden enlargements or contractions, and most devices that
cause substantial pressure drops. Aerodynamic noise is usually of no importance when
the velocity of airflow is below 2000 feet per minute (10 m/s) in the main ducts; below
1500 fpm (25 m/s) in branch ducts; and below 800 fpm (4 m/s) in ducts serving room
terminal devices. When the duct system velocities are in excess of the above or when the
duct does not follow good airflow design principles, aerodynamic noise can become a
major problem. Increasing the duct size may be required to reduce the noise generated
by airflow.

Aerodynamic noise is predominantly low frequency in spectrum (31.5 through 500

Hz 1/'l octave band center frequencies). Low frequency energy is transmitted
readily, with little loss, through the light gauge walls of ducts and through suspended
acoustic ceilings.
This includes: dampers, elbows with turning vanes, elbows without turning vanes,
junctions, and 90 degree branch takeoffs.

Duct Terminal Devices

Dampers in terminal devices that are used for balancing can greatly affect the sound
level in the space.

Pressure reducing valves in mixing and variable volume boxes usually have published
noise ratings indicating the sound power levels that are discharged from the low pressure
end of the box. The manufacturer may also indicate the requirements, if any, for
the sound attenuation materials to be installed in the low pressure duct between the box
and outlet.

Some of the box manufacturers also test the noise radiated from the exterior of the box,
however this data is not usually published. lf the box is located away from critical areas
(such as in a storeroom or corridor), the noise radiating from the box may be of
no concern. lf, however, the box is located above a critical space and separated from the
space by a suspended acoustical ceiling which has little or no transmission loss at low
frequencies, the noise radiated from the box may exceed the noise criterion
for the room below. For this case it may be necessary to relocate the box to a non-critical
area or to enclose it with a construction having a high transmission loss.
General Procedure and Information for Mechanical System Sound Abatement Design
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Duct Terminal Devices (continued)

Room air terminal devices such as diffusers, grilles, air handling light fixtures and air
handling suspension bars are always rated for noise generation. The test
data is obtained in accordance with the Air Research institute (ARl) Standard 880-82
industry Standard for Air Terminals. The room air terminal unit should be selected to
meet the noise criterion required or specified for the room, bearing in mind that the
manufacturer's sound power rating is obtained with a uniform velocity distribution
throughout the diffuser neck or grille collar. lf a duct turn precedes the entrance to
the diffuser or if a balancing damper is installed immediately before the diffuser, the air
flow will be turbulent and the noise generated by the device will be substantially higher
than the manufacturer's published data. This turbulence can be substantially reduced by
specifying an equalizer grid to be placed in the neck of the diffuser. The equalizer grid
provides a uniform velocity gradient within the neck of the diffuser and the sound power
will be close to that listed in the manufacturer's catalog. lf the equalizer grid is
omitted, the sound power level of the diffuser can be increased by as much as 12 dB.

A flexible duct connection between the diffuser and the supply duct provides a
convenient means to align the diffuser with respect to the ceiling grid. A misalignment in
this connection that exceeds 1/4 of the diffuser diameter over a length of two times the
diffuser diameter can cause a significant increase in the diffuser sound power levels
relative to the levels specified by the manufacturer. lf the diffuser offset is less than 1/8 of
the length of the connection, there will be no appreciable increase in the sound power
levels, lf the offset is equal to or greater than the diffuser diameter over a connection
length equal to two times the diffuser diameter, the sound power levels associated with
the diffuser can be increased by as much as 12 dB.
Sound radiation associated with air flow through diffusers and diffusers with porous
plates that terminate air conditioning ducts is similar to sound radiation
associated with air flowing over a spoiler. The interaction of the airflow and diffuser
guide vanes behaves as an acoustic dipole. Thus, the associated sound
power is proportional to the sixth power of flow velocity and the third power of pressure.
The pressure drop across a diffuser can be specified by the normalized pressure drop
coefficient.
Generic slot diffusers that do not have special plenum or damper systems
the sound levels are generally very low. This does not apply to diffusers that have
specially designed plenum and damper systems. When this is the case, the sound power
levels of a diffuser can be high. See the manufacturer's published NC levels for a
specified diffuser system and the related pressure drop.
For generic rectangular and square perforated face (with round inlet) diffusers where
The overall sound power level is
General Procedure and Information for Mechanical System Sound Abatement Design
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Duct Sound Breakout and Breakin

Sound Breakout and Breakin

Noise that is generated within a duct and then transmitted through the duct wall into the
surrounding area is called "breakout". This phenomenon is often referred to as low
frequency duct rumble. There are two possible sources for duct breakout.
One is associated with noise that is generated within the duct, usually by a fan.
This noise is transmitted down the duct and then through the duct walls into surrounding
spaces.
The second source is associated with turbulent airflow that aerodynamically excites the
duct walls, causing them to vibrate. This vibration generates low frequency duct rumble
which is then radiated into the surrounding spaces. In many situations, particularly
near fan discharge sections, duct breakout may be associated with both of these sources.

Noise that is transmitted into a duct from the surrounding area and then transmitted
within the duct is called "breakin". This refers to sound in the area surrounding a duct
that is incident on the duct walls; Breakout refers to the sound that is transmitted within
the duct.

lnsertion Loss of External Duct Lagging

External acoustic lagging is often applied to rectangular ductwork to reduce the

transmission of sound energy from within the duct to surrounding areas. The
lagging usually consists of a layer of soft, flexible, porous material, such as fiberglass,
covered with an outer impervious layer. A relatively rigid material, such as sheet metal or
gypsum board, or a limp material, such as sheet lead or loaded vinyl, can be used for the
outer covering.
With respect to the insertion loss of externally lagged rectangular ducts, different
techniques must be used for rigid and limp outer coverings. When rigid materials are
used for the outer covering, a pronounced resonance effect between the duct walls and
the outer covering usually occurs. With limp materials the variation in the separation
between the duct and its outer covering dampens the resonance so that it no longer
occurs. For both techniques, it is necessary to determine the low frequency insertion loss,
A flexible, porous material is used between the duct wall and the outer covering.
lf a rigid outer covering is used, it is necessary to determine the resonance frequency
associated with the interaction between the duct wall and outer covering.
Care during installation is important, duct lagging should never be installed
loosely. The insertion loss using duct lagging is convenient however, insertion loss duct
lagging may not be a particularly effective method for reducing low frequency (<100 Hz)
duct sound breakout. A more effective method for reducing duct breakout is the use
of round ductwork, which has a high transmission loss at low frequencies.
General Procedure and Information for Mechanical System Sound Abatement Design
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Plenum Chambers

The plenum chamber can be placed between the discharge section of a fan and the main
duct of the distribution system. These chambers are usually lined with acoustically
absorbent material to reduce noise.

Lined Rectangular Ducts

Fiberglass internal duct lining for rectangular sheet metal ducts can be used to attenuate
sound in ducts. The thickness of duct linings associated with thermal insulation usually
varies from 0.5 inches to 2.0 inches. For fiberglass duct lining to be effective for
attenuating sound, it must have a minimum thickness of 1.0 inch.
The density of fiberglass duct liners ranges from 1.5 to 3.0 lb/ft3. Caution must be
exercised when extrapolating the values of insertion loss beyond the range of the
parameters associated with Manufacturers data.
The insertion loss of acoustically lined rectangular sheet metal ducts is not a function of
the density of the fiberglass lining when the density of the material is between
1.5 and 3.0 lb/ft3. At frequencies of 1,000 Hz and above the insertion loss is not a
function of lining thickness.
The insertion loss is the difference in the sound pressure level measured
in a reverberation chamber with sound propagating through an unlined section of
rectangular duct minus the corresponding sound pressure level that is measured when
the unlined section of rectangular duct is replaced with a similar section of acoustically
lined rectangular duct. The sound attenuation associated with unlined rectangular duct
can be significant at low frequencies. This attenuation is, in effect, subtracted out
from the insertion loss from measured data. It is believed that this attenuation should be
added to the insertion loss of correspondingly sized acoustically lined rectangular ducts to
obtain the total sound attenuation of acoustically lined rectangular ducts.
Structure-borne sound that is transmitted in and through the duct wall, the total sound
attenuation in lined rectangular sheet metal ducts usually does not exceed 40 dB.

Acoustically Lined Round Ducts

There are very little data available in technical books with regard to the insertion loss of
acoustically lined round ducts. The data that are available are usually manufacturer's
product data. Available Manufacturers data should not be extrapolated beyond the range
of the data provided.
The sound attenuation of unlined circular ducts is generally negligible. Because of
structure-borne sound that is transmitted through the duct wall, the total sound
attenuation of lined circular ducts usually does not exceed 40 dB.
General Procedure and Information for Mechanical System Sound Abatement Design
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Unlined Round Ducts

As with unlined rectangular ducts, unlined round ducts provide some sound attenuation
which should be taken into account when designing a duct system.
ln contrast with rectangular ducts, round ducts are much more rigid and, therefore,
do not resonate or absorb as much sound energy. Because of this, round ducts will
only provide about 1/10th the sound attenuation at low frequencies as compared to the
sound attenuation associated with rectangular ducts.

Acoustically Lined Rectangular Duct Elbows

For lined square elbows, the duct lining must extend at least two duct widths,
beyond the elbow and the thickness of the total lining thickness should be at least 10
percent of the duct width.

Acoustically Lined Radius Round Elbows

There are very little data available in the literature with regard to the insertion loss of
acoustically lined radius round elbows. 104 and the corresponding coefficients in Table

Duct Silencers
Duct silencers (or sound traps) are often used as a means to attenuate unwanted noise in
heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems. When duct silencers are used, the
following parameters should be considered:

Insertion Loss-The difference between two sound power levels when measured at the
same point before and after the silencer is installed.

Airflow Regenerated Noise-The sound power level generated by air flowing through a
silencer.

Static Pressure Drop-The airflow pressure loss.

Forward or Reverse Flow-Silencers have different acoustic and aerodynamic
characteristics for forward and reverse flow directions.

There are two basic types of HVAC duct silencers: active and dissipative. Active duct
silencers systems are rather new. It was found to be practically impossible to locate
a manufacturer of active duct silencers. They are very effective in attenuating
low frequency, pure-tone noise in a duct. They are also effective in attenuating
low-frequency, broad band noise. Active duct silencers consist of a microprocessor, two
microphones placed a specified distance apart in a duct and a speaker placed between
the microphones, which is mounted external to the duct but radiates sound into the duct
General Procedure and Information for Mechanical System Sound Abatement Design
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Active Duct Silencers

The microphone closest to a sound source that generates objectionable low-frequency
noise senses the noise. The microphone signal is processed by the microprocessor which
generates a signal that is out of-phase with the objectionable noise and transmitted
to the speaker. The speaker noise destructively interferes with the objective noise,
effectively attenuating it. The second microphone downstream of the speaker senses the
attenuated noise and sends a corresponding feedback signal to the microprocessor, so the
speaker signal can be adjusted, if necessary.
Active duct silencer systems have no components that are located within the duct. Thus,
they can be used to attenuate objectionable noise without introducing a pressure loss or
regenerated noise into a duct.

Dissipative Duct Silencers

Dissipative silencers are effective in attenuating broad-band noise. However, they

introduce a pressure drop and regenerated noise into a duct. These should always be
examined when considering the use of a dissipative silencer. Dissipative silencers can
have a rectangular or circular cross section Rectangular silencers are available
in several different cross-section dimensional configurations and in 3 foot, 5 foot, 7 foot,
and 10 foot lengths. Rectangular silencers have parallel sound absorbing surfaces. These
surfaces are usually perforated sheet metal surfaces that cover cavities filled
with either fiberglass or mineral wool.

Circular Dissipative Duct Silencers

Round silencers come in several different open-face diameters and usually have lengths
that are a function of the open face diameter. All round silencers have a center body.
This body is a cylindrical body with perforated sheet metal surface and filled with either
fiberglass or mineral wool. The outside shell of a round silencer can be either single- or
double-wall construction. For single-wall construction, the outside shell is a solid
cylindrical sheet metal shell that has a diameter equal to the open face diameter of the
silencer.
For double-wall construction, the outside shell consists of two concentric cylindrical
sheet metal shells. The outside shell is solid sheet metal. The inner shell is perforated
sheet metal and it has a diameter equal to the open face diameter of the silencer. The
space between the two shells is filled with fiberglass or mineral wool.
Both rectangular and circular dissipative silencers come in several different pressure drop
configurations. The insertion loss, regenerated noise and pressure drop of dissipative duct
silencers are functions of silencer design and the location of the silencer in
the duct system. These data are experimentally measured and are presented as part of
manufacturers data associated with their product lines. The data should be obtained in a
manner consistent with the procedures outlined in ASTM Standard E477-84,
Standard Method of Testing Duct Liner Materials and Prefabricated Silencers for
Acoustical and Airflow performance.
General Procedure and Information for Mechanical System Sound Abatement Design
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Duct Silencers (continued)

Active and dissipative silencers complement each other. Active silencers are usually
effective between 16 Hz to 250 Hz. Dissipative silencers are effective from 63 Hz to
8000 Hz. It is impossible to present data for a complete range of rectangular and round
duct silencers. This data is dependent on the manufacturer's design and will
be different for each manufacturer. When possible, the silencer's manufacturer data
should be used.
The pressure drops for dissipative duct silencers found in manufacturer’s material
are for case’s where there are no system component effects associated with duct
elements, such as fan discharge or return sections, elbows, branch take-offs, upstream or
downstream of a duct silencer. When system components effects must be taken into
account, a correction factor must be added to the pressure drop.
When determining the effectiveness of a duct silencer, it is necessary to take into
account both the insertion loss and the regenerated sound power levels of the
silencer.

Duct Branch Sound Power

When sound traveling in a duct encounters a junction, the sound power contained in
the incident sound waves in the main duct is distributed between the branches associated
with the junction. This division of sound power is referred to as the branch sound
power division. The corresponding attenuation of sound power that is transmitted down
each branch of the junction is comprised of two components. The first is associated with
the reflection of the incident sound wave if the sum of the cross-sectional areas of the
individual branches, differs from the cross-sectional area, of the main duct. The second
component is associated with the ratio of the cross-sectional area, of an individual branch
divided by the sum of the cross-sectional areas of the individual branches.

Attenuation of sound power, at a junction is related to the sound power transmitted

down an individual branch of a junction.

Sound, Vibration and Manufacturer’s Data

Manufacturer’s tests are probably based on straight sections of round ducts. These
ducts directly terminate into a reverberation chamber with no restriction on the end of the
duct or with a circular orifice constriction placed over the end of the duct. Diffusers
can be either round or rectangular. They usually have a restriction associated with them
which may either be a damper, guide vanes to direct airflow a perforated metal facing, or
a combination of these elements. Care is required when viewing manufacturer’s data.
Data will not be available to indicate the effects of these elements.
General Procedure and Information for Mechanical System Sound Abatement Design
Bill Greco April 16, 2009 Trident3 [email protected] Pg 10 of 11

Sound, Vibration and Manufacturer’s Data (continued)

lt will not be known whether these elements react similar to the orifices used in
the manufacturer’s tests. As a result, the system total effects will have to be assumed.
Finally, many diffusers do not have long straight sections (greater than three duct
diameters) before they terminate into a room. Many duct sections between
a main feed branch and a diffuser may be curved or may be short, stubby sections. The
effects of these configurations on the duct end reflection loss will have to be guessed.
Reasonable accuracy for many diffuser configurations will not be available.
Some caution should be exercised when a diffuser configuration differs quite drastically
from normal conditions.

Duct End Reflection Loss

When low frequency plane sound waves interact with a small diffuser that discharges
into a large room, a significant amount of the sound energy incident on this interface is
reflected back into the duct. The sound attenuation, associated with duct end reflection
losses can be significant.

Sound Transmission Through Ceiling Systems

When mechanical equipment is located in the ceiling plenum above an occupied room,
noise transmission through the ceiling can be high enough to cause excessive noise levels
in that room. Since there are no standard tests for determining the transmission loss
through ceiling construction, data is limited.
Ceiling panel manufacturer’s provide single-pass transmission loss values for
various ceiling materials. These single-pass transmission loss values are for ceilings in
which there are no penetrations for acoustical flanking. The acoustical integrity of
ceilings can be greatly compromised by these factors.
When leaks and or flanking paths are present, the transmission loss of a ceiling can be
significantly reduced.

General Room Sound Corrections

The sound pressure levels associated with a sound source that occur at a given point in
a room depend on the source strength, the acoustical characteristics of the room (surface
treatments, furnishings, etc.), the room volume, and the distance of the sound
source from the point of observation. There are two types of sound sources associated
with HVAC systems that can exist in a room: point source and line source. The point
source is usually associated with sound radiated from supply and return air diffusers,
equipment items, such as, fan-powered terminal units above a lay-in ceiling, and other
similar items. The line source is associated with duct breakout noise. A room that has
little or no furniture or floor coverings will attenuate sound more readily than a well
furnished room.
General Procedure and Information for Mechanical System Sound Abatement Design
Bill Greco April 16, 2009 Trident3 [email protected] Pg 11 of 11

Suggested: Products

Sound Seal Duct Lagging Model no. B-10 LAG/QFA-9

www.soundseal.com
Phone # 1-800- 569-1294 or 1-413-789-1770

Ruskin
Rectangular Elbow Silencer Model No. ELBLP-10
Tubular Dissipative Silencer Model no. CN-C or AX-C
Rectangular Dissipative Silencer Model no. A-36, A-60, A-84 or A-120
SoundChek Modular Panels
http://www.ruskin.com/catalog/default.aspx?folder=597
Phone # 1-816-761-7476

McGill Airsilence
http://www.mcgillairsilence.com/textdocs/silencerdocs/silencer_index.html

Titus
Diffuser models TDC or TMSA
www.titus-hvac.com