Chillers produce noise that is beyond the acceptable limit because of multiple sound sources and the tonal quality of the noise. The problem becomes worse if the chillers are located near the residential area and especially at night. In most cases, chillers are located on the ground floor or on the roof.

In both cases, the noise of the chiller can be very intrusive and can affect the residents of the building and nearby buildings. The noise of the chillers mainly comes from airflow noise from condenser fans and compressor noise during running and on/off cycle of refrigerant.

Acoustic treatment is required for rooftop and air-cooled chillers because the noise from these chillers affects the nearby occupants. This occupant annoyance could lead to code violations and subsequent financial penalties. 

The rooftop and air cooled chiller requires higher ventilation rates to circulate for their working and therefore providing the solid barrier or sound attenuator can affect the performance of the chillers.

The Acoustic louvers allow the air to circulate and also help to reduce the noise to the permissible limit in the nearby surroundings. The blades of the acoustic louvers are designed as aerofoil or semi-aerofoil to allow proper air circulation and it also protects it against weather including rain. 

The effectiveness of the acoustic louver to reduce the rooftop and air-cooled chiller’s noise depends on the depth of the louvers and their location. If the acoustic louvers have more depth it will give a better reduction of noise especially at lower frequencies.

The acoustic louvers should be located close to the chillers so that the noise diffracts around the louvers. The test standards for the measurement of sound insulation for acoustic louvers are BS EN ISO 140-3 and ASTM E 966.

The certification of the acoustic louvers is important so that the resultant noise levels can be achieved as per the proposed noise levels in the acoustic report.

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Author: Arslan