ITS participated in the prevention of noise at work in a company in the industrial sector in South East Asia.
The site which was concerned was a combined cycle gas power plant (i.e. with production of both electricity and heat recovered from the gas combustion process by means of a large capacity turbine) with a power greater than 700 MW.
The installation of noisy equipment in a soundproofed building of very large dimensions was the chosen solution :
- the metallic steel structure was dimensioned taking into account local constraints e.g. climatic and seismic
- the construction elements for the walls and the roof (being metallic, with high density mineral wool insulation) were the subject of a special design taking into account the ambitious objectives of the project in terms of sound insulation, having of course also to satisfy an objective of waterproofing like any building, when it comes to enclosure and roofing
- components of a ventilation system have been selected to allow the evacuation of the heat power dissipated (by convection and by radiation) by the enclosed mechanical parts
As is often the case in such cases, noise prevention in this company in the industrial sector was considered from 2 main angles :
- the limitation of the noise exposure of site personnel (shift workers, employees providing maintenance, external persons) involving compliance with a limit value - typically 80 dB(A) while the sound power level of the turbine exceeds 130 dB (A) - for the sound pressure level at specified locations (at short distance e.g. 1 m) around the building envelope (any leak is of course highly undesirable, the sealing of doors and removable elements requiring, then, special care)
- the respect for the tranquility of residents (the consideration of limit values for emergence i.e. the difference in sound levels during operation or shutdown of the installation in question is not always used in countries other than France, but anyway the noise level in limited industrial property or among potential plaintiffs always deserves to be carefully considered to prevent any hearing discomfort)
Fabricated in a production unit specializing in quality metal constructions (taking into account the risks associated with bad weather and volcanic activity requiring a design and realization without weakness, the system of protection against corrosion of the whole being besides with a 20-year warranty), these hardware for the prevention of noise at work in a company in the industrial sector was shipped by boat, for what scrupulous respect of the production schedule was necessary.
The on-site assembly by handling and erection teams already present on the installation site of this acoustic protection made it possible to finalize this operation of prevention of noise at work in a company in the industrial sector with the flexibility required in the context of a construction site with such a (big) scale, with numerous co-activities.
The good completion was further confirmation of the expertise of ITS and its business partners in the prevention of noise at work in companies, especially in the industrial sector.
Energy production is not the only area in which ITS is involved in preserving the sound environment: far from it.
In terms of noise prevention in companies in the industrial sector, which constitutes a proven risk for the health of employees at their workplace, but in other contexts, ITS can also offer its services in terms of complete on-site diagnosis (including: sound measurements), in terms of modeling acoustic propagation and sound decay (spatial and temporal, in relation to the reverberation phenomenon) in work rooms, or can market soundproofing hardware such as acoustic screens and noise barriers, machine enclosures, lining absorbing sound for walls and for ceilings or under-roofs ; all problems of exposure to noise, and of acoustic comfort can be solved by calling on ITS: in (factory) workshops and production or assembly halls as well as in offices, but also with respect to all kinds of noise sources installed outdoors whether they are of general use (compressors, fans, components of dust collection networks or of cooling facilities), or even more specific (as diverse as crushers, log frame saws, scrap yards).