Resumen

RASTELLI, Victoria H; RASTELLI, Victor  y  MONTBRUN, Nila. Noise control on high pressure gas pipes through acoustical lagging in methanol plant: Performance evaluation. Rev. Fac. Ing. UCV [online]. 2015, vol.30, n.1, pp.49-58. ISSN 0798-4065.

High Noise Levels are one of the environmental and occupational problems arising from petrochemical plants. Noise generated by the gas flow in pipes is caused by the high velocity and turbulence. Accessories such as valves, elbows, ejectors and restrictions can reach noise levels, capable of affecting the performance and health of workers in these areas. Petrochemical plants have strict safety regulations; they operate at high pressure and temperatures and have little space to spare. The solution to control noise levels is covering the surface of pipes according to critical frequencies and availability of materials on place. The choice of lagging material was done according to critical frequencies at each section of the line, to match higher values of acoustic Transmission loss (TL) with critical frequencies. Sound masking was considered, since it is a common phenomenon in these cases where there are several noise sources, some very close to each other, and with noise intensity fluctuation in more than 10 decibels. This makes difficult the perception of a lower noise source when it is close to another source with higher noise intensity. This paper presents results of two studies performed at a methanol synthesis plant in Venezuela, which shows the behavior of acoustic lagging in gas lines at different stages in the areas of compression, synthesis and reformation in the methanol plant. Results are compared with theoretically estimated levels.

Palabras clave : noise; control; occupational; flow in pipes; acoustic coating; noise lagging.

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