Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Chiller Systems
Sound
April 2009
Fundamentals of Sound
April 2008
Agenda
Sound Fundamentals
Definitions
Sound Power Vs Sound Pressure
How Loud Is Sound?
How Do Humans Perceive Sound?
Sound Rating Methods
Ignorance is risky
What Is Sound?
Sound
Disturbance In An Elastic Medium That Can
Be Detected By The Human Ear
Noise
Sound Without Value
Characteristics Of Sound
Loudness
Frequency
Wavelength
What Is Loudness?
Amplitude Represents
Loudness (L)
Sound Measurement in
Decibels (dB) or Pascal's
Decibels Are Logarithmic
Loudest Sound 194 dB
Decibel
Sound Pressure
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Pascals
100
10
1.0
0.1
0.01
0.001
0.0001
0.00002
What Is Frequency?
Represents Pitch
What Is Wavelength?
Related to Frequency
= cO/f
Wavelength = Speed of
Sound/Frequency
Wave length
330
Frequency (Cycles
/Sec)
16
Wavelength ( m)
Ft
70
35
17
9 4.33 2.16
0.33
1.08
0.165 0.0825
0.54
0.27
0.0412 0.02062
5
5
0.14
0.07
Sound Power
Energy Released
Lw
Sound Pressure
What We Hear
Lp
How Big
How Close
Decibel Addition
Decibels Must Be Added
Logarithmically
Octave Bands
Min
Max
HVAC Equipment
Frequencies
Low Frequency Issues
Harder to Resolve
Long Wavelengths
Noise Criteria
90
80
70
NC 65
NC 60
60
NC 55
NC 50
50
NC 45
NC 40
40
NC 35
NC 30
30
NC 25
NC 20
20
NC 15
10
0
63
125
250
500
1k
2k
4k
8k
RC(N)
25-35
NC
25-35
Space
Performance Arts
RC(N)
Drama theaters
Concert and recital halls
Music teaching studios
Music practice rooms
Laboratories
Testing/Research, minimal speech
communication
25-35
25-35 Research, extensive phone use,
speech communication
25-35
25-35 Group teaching
26 max 26 max Churches, Mosques, Synagogues
30-40
30-40 With critical music programs
Schools
25-35
25-35
35-45
35-45
25-35
25-35
35-45
35-45
Private rooms
25-35
25-35
Wards
Operating rooms
Corridors
Public areas
Indoor Staduims and
gymnasiums
School and College gymnasiums and
natatoriums
Large seating capacity spaces
30-40
25-35
30-40
30-40
30-40
25-35
30-40
30-40
40-50
40-50
45-55
45-55
NC
25 max 25 max
A
A
25 max 25 max
25 max 25 max
45-55
45-55
40-50
40-50
35-45
25-35
35-45
25-35
Classrooms up to 750ft
40 max 40 max
35 max 35 max
35 max 35 max
30-40
30-40
25-35
30-40
25-35
30-40
Room Criteria
ASHRAE Method
Developed To Overcome NC
Deficiencies
Account for Spectrum Shape
and Sound Level
16 to 4,000 Hz Octave Bands
Average of ~ 500,1k & 2k
Accounts for Sound Quality
Hiss
Rumble
100
90
80
Lp (dB RE 20 Pa)
RC 65
70
RC 60
RC 55
60
R C 50
RC 45
50
RC 40
RC 35
40
RC 30
RC 25
30
RC 20
RC 15
20
10
0
16
31
63
125
250
500
1k
2k
Hiss Threshold
4k
Noise Rating
120
100
Developed by ISO
Most Commonly Used in
Europe
31Hz to 8,000 Hz Range
Similar to NC Curves
Based on a family of sound
pressure curves
Uses Tangent Method
80
NR 65
NR 60
60
NR 55
NR 50
NR 45
NR 40
40
NR 35
NR 30
NR 25
NR 20
20
NR 15
0
31
63
125
250
500
1k
2k
4k
8k
Band
Adjustment
63
-26
125
-16
250
-9
500
-3
1000
0
2000
1
4000
1
8000
-1
Average Daily
Sound Level (dBA)
90
95
100
105
110
115
Maximum Average
Daily Exposure
88 hours
4 hours
2 hours
1 hour
30 minutes
15 minutes
O.S.H.A. Defined Limits
Rated in dBa
NC
RC
NR
dBA
Overview
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
No
Air Terminals
Diffusers
Cooling Towers
Water Chillers
Condensing Units
Sound Pressure
Decreases According To
Formula
Lp = Sound Pressure
Lw = Sound Power
Q = Directivity Factor
d = Distance (ft, m)
k = Constant
10.5 for IP
0.5 for SI
Lp Lw 10 Log (Q / 4d 2 ) k
Lp Lw 10 Log (Q / dL) k
Close
to Wall
Lp Lw 10 Log ( /(4bc )) k
Medium
Distance From
Wall
Lp Lw 10 Log (d ) 10 Log ( 4c) k
Far
From Wall
Lp Lw 20 Log ( d ) 11 k
Sound Barriers
Lp Lw 10 Log (Q /(4d 2 ) 4 / R ) k
Q = Directivity Factor
R = Room Constant
ft2
m2
0.9
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
31
63
125
250
500
1000
2000
4000
8000
Octave Band
Carpet on Foam Rubber
Suspended Ceiling
Room Constant
R S * T /(1 T )
T 4mV / S
R = room constant
S = total surface area of the room (ft2, m2)
V = volume of the room (ft3, m3)
m = air absorption coefficient
= average room absorption coefficient from
chart below
Sound Transmission
NR TL 10 Log ( Sw / R )
Sound Paths
Supply duct
Main duct breakout
Return Air
Diffuser
Radiated
Path 5 - Radiated
Path 4 - Diffuser
Path 8 - Transmission
through walls
Path 7 - Main
Return Breakout
Path 6 - Main
Supply Breakout
Lp (Decibels)
90.0
85.0
80.0
75.0
70.0
Free
Field
10
15
20
25
30
Distance (ft)
Diffuse
Classic
Thompson
Schultz
Examples
Sound Transmission
Examine transmission through walls (Path 8)
Not looking at other potential paths
Duct could be significant, but no data available
Enter Details
WMC Sound Profile
To Achieve NC 35
Summary
More Data?
Questions?