Design of a Noise Abatement System for Optimized performance of an Industrial Condensing Cooling Tower

Abstract

A vital element of any conditioning system (chiller, air conditioner and air condenser) is the capability to move significant volumes of air across the heat exchangers. The operation of these units is a common cause of industrial noise pollution. As houses are increasingly being built closer to industrial plants, the number of industrial noise pollution complaints due to the presence of such cooling systems has increased. Noise barriers, louvers, silencers, or a combination thereof are commonly used to develop a system that will mitigate the noise generated during the operation of the condensers. However, with the introduction of a noise abatement system, challenges to the performance of the cooling system are introduced. This paper provides an overview of a recent project that utilized Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) techniques to determine the optimal location and design of a noise abatement system for a series of cooling tower cells. The functionality of the cooling tower cells, including pressure losses and air flow performance with the presence of a noise abatement system were evaluated and compared against the no-noise abatement system condition.