November 2014, Vol. 241, No. 11
TechNotes
Dresser-Rand Noise Tests Largest Pipe Resonator Array Ever Produced
Dresser-Rand Group recently carried out a noise test for the largest pipe resonator array ever produced. Conducted on a 30-inch pipe, it was intended to confirm the estimated noise attenuation on a compressor operated by Norwegian-based Statoil.
The project involved two complete compression trains with DATUM® D18 centrifugal compressors, operating on a platform in the North Sea, 40 miles west of Statoil’s Kollsnes gas processing plant. In order to reduce noise Dresser-Rand installed a diffuser resonator array at the first and last stages of the compressor and a pipe resonator array on the inlet and discharge process piping.
“We could install an internal resonator array in the diffuser region or an external array on compressor flanges,” said Scott Wisler, director at Centers of Technical Excellence at Dresser-Rand. “The initial choice was to use internal diffuser resonator arrays, but Statoil asked us to also install pipe resonator arrays on their 28- and 30-inch pipes.”
The actual test was conducted at the Dresser-Rand facility in Le Havre, France, which includes a dedicated acoustic resource and state-of-the-art technology in acoustic analysis and testing capability. To verify the attenuation of sound by the array, sound pressure levels were produced by a loudspeaker and measured in ducts upstream and downstream of the array.
The measurements included a comparison of the sound level with a straight pipe spool piece and a pipe resonator array. Results showed that the pipe array could achieve over 10dB attenuation for the frequency range corresponding to the speed range of the compressor. Because the measure of sound a logarithmic function, a 10dB reduction corresponds to a 90% decrease in sound power.
Turbo compressors are, by nature, a loud noise source, typically 90 dB or more, and the major noise source originates from the impeller aerodynamic interaction with stationary components. Historically, engineers addressed this compressor noise problem by treating the sound transmission path and applying devices such as sound enclosures and sound insulation.
“Once installed, improvements are immediate and dramatic, and the benefits in terms of reductions in noise and vibration damage will last for the life of the compressor,” Wisler said. The patented Dresser-Rand sound attenuation technology can be applied to new or installed compressors, including compressors built by other manufacturers.
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