Air compressors are a common piece of equipment on the factory or
warehouse floor and they are used for many different functions within the
plant or office. Air compressors come in many different sizes and
configurations. Typically air compressors are constructed with several
common components – a tank for storing the compressed air, a motor to
compress the air into the tank, and fittings to attach hoses for use of
the compressed air. There are several different noise sources on a typical
air compressor. First is the motor, which usually runs often to rarely
depending on the amount of air demanded from the tank. Second is the
compressed air itself usually from some type of fitting, tool or device
for performing the task or operation within the facility. Air compressor
noise can be reduced in several ways.
First and foremost, can the compressor be moved to an area or room to
reduce or eliminate worker exposure? Can you move the workers and/or the
process to a safe distance away from the noisy compressor? If neither of
these are an option, some sort of engineering controls in the form of
sound abatement can be constructed or applied.
Acoustic Enclosures or sound barriers are a common solution for the noise
reduction of air compressors. The noise enclosures can be constructed of
several different materials. Common building materials such as stud and
gypsum board or plywood in conjunction with sound reduction materials can
be an inexpensive way of soundproofing your air compressor.
Several critical items should be addressed when applying a sound enclosure
for noise control. How much air does the compressor need to function and
where will this air supply come from. How much air does the motor need for
cooling the heat it builds up? How will I supply the compressor and motor
air without the sound escaping from the sound housing? What accessibility
will be needed to maintain the air compressor? How will I provide the
access for maintenance in the noise enclosure? All of these items can be
addressed and fulfilled with engineered sound reduction products and noise
reduction materials.
Depending on the current sound levels of the compressors and your noise
reduction goals, an abatement solution can be determined. In most
applications a sound curtain enclosure will meet your sound reduction
needs. This is a two to four sided enclosure with or without a roof.
Typically a frame and track is constructed to suspend the sound curtain
panels. This can be provided by the acoustical material supplier or
constructed on your own with tube steel, angle, or strut. The sound
curtain material is a composite material bonding mass loaded vinyl with an
acoustical absorber and faced with a vinyl diamond stitched facing. The
vertical edges velcro together to form walls and the panels are suspended
by grommets to the framework. Roof panels, silenced ventilation baffles,
clear vinyl sound barrier windows, and moveable track and trolley system
are some of the options available. The sound curtain solution, depending
on design, will typically achieve reductions in the range of 10 – 18 dBA.
For sound critical areas a steel enclosure should be considered. These are
self supporting structures of varying design and connection. Typically 4”
thick modular panels with solid steel outer skin and a perforated steel
inner skin and 4” thick of acoustical insulation. Available options
include acoustical doors, windows, silenced ventilation, forced air
ventilation, lighting packages, removable panels, and silencers.
Reductions of 20 – 35 dBA can be achieved.
Some simple planning and/or expert advice will lead you down the right
path to avoiding or reducing a sound problem with you air compressor.
