HVAC systems in homes, hotels, hospitals and offices should deliver efficient, but quiet airflow for the residents. That’s because fan and duct borne noise can disrupt work, sleep, and even patient care. 

Among different solutions available to keep the noise of HVAC systems low, sound attenuators are quite popular. They can cut noise at the source, without wasting energy or pressure.

How do Sound Attenuators Work? 

A sound attenuator reduces noise that travels through ducts. Inside a sound attenuator, you can find a porous media that transforms energy into heat. These are called baffles that block direct sound paths by frequency band. 

You can measure the performance of a sound attenuator by octave band insertion loss. It will show how many decibels the attenuator could reduce upon installation.

What Design Factors Determine the Effectiveness of a Sound Attenuator? 

Before purchasing sound attenuators, you need to have a solid understanding of their designs. It will help you pick the best option for your application. Here are the most prominent design factors that impact the effectiveness of a sound attenuator. 

• Baffle geometry and spacing 

The rectangular sound attenuators feature parallel splitters. On the other hand, cylindrical models are using aerodynamically shaped center baffles. The cylindrical models tend to offer consistent airflow patterns. 

• Absorption material properties 

The density of fiberglass or mineral wool determine frequency absorption. Thicker baffles tend to offer excellent frequency attenuation at low frequencies 

• Unit Length 

Longer sound attenuators can offer better insertion loss without increasing pressure drop. Hence, they are a cost effective option available for challenging applications.

What are the Common Applications of Sound Attenuators? 

Many residential and commercial properties have HVAC systems.. Here are the most common applications where sound attenuators are highly beneficial.

• Healthcare Facilities 

Sound attenuators can be highly beneficial for healthcare facilities. You can often see them in HVAC systems linked to operating rooms, patient recovery areas and diagnostic imaging suites. They help suppress background noise, so that it doesn’t interfere with equipments or disrupt patients.

• Commercial Office Buildings 

Conference rooms, open plan workspaces and executive areas would benefit from sound attenuators. They can suppress noise and support day to day operations.

• Educational Institutions 

HVAC generated noise can disrupt classrooms, libraries, and testing centers. This is where sound attenuators become extremely useful.

• Industrial Environments 

Manufacturing plants and data centers have sensitive electrical equipment. Low frequency rubles from HVAC systems can propagate through ductwork and disrupt their performance. Sound attenuators can help prevent such issues.

How Is Performance Measured on Sound Attenuators? 

Engineers assess the performance of sound attenuators using frequency specific data across octave bands from 63 Hz to 8,000 Hz. They match unit selection to the domain noise frequencies generated by the HVAC equipment. 

Air handler rumble concentrates energy below 250 Hz. However, it requires reactive chamber designs or extended length absorptive units. On the other hand, standard baffle configurations can effectively control higher frequencies. 

When picking sound attenuators, you need to take a look at fan selection and duct sizing based on your application. This will help you with achieving target noise levels while minimizing energy consumption.

Get Your Sound Attenuators from Galloway Acoustics 

As you can see, sound attenuators are extremely helpful with reducing noise generated by HVAC systems. We at Galloway Acoustics are the leaders in Mechanical Acoustics, having our manufacturing facilities based in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and IndiaWith over 30 years of experience in the acoustics industry, Galloway has provided customised acoustics solutions to projects worldwide.

If you are looking for precision engineered noise controlling solutions such as sound attenuators, we can help. All you have to do is to get in touch with us. 

Our attenuators meet testing and certification standards  as per ISO:7235. You can get guaranteed performance for all your HVAC equipment with our sound attenuators. Get in touch with us today to get yours!