Emerson Debuts Noise Silencer to Help Protect the Industrial Workforce

Globally recognized software, engineering, and technology company, Emerson Electric Co., produces and supplies products such as alternators, fluid control systems, motors, plastic joining equipment, metal welding equipment, and more to industrial, commercial, and consumer markets.

Recently, Emerson announced the release of its new Fisher WhisperTube Modal Attenuator. The solution has been designed to help customers reduce process piping noise, which can in turn help improve worker safety, regulatory compliance, and reduce potential damage to equipment downstream incurred by noisy upstream equipment.

 

Emerson’s Fisher WhisperTube Modal Attenuator. Image used courtesy of Emerson

 

The Fisher WhisperTube Modal Attenuator

The noise-reducing solution comes with a temperature capability of -46 to 371°C and is available in body sizes of NPS 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12. WhisperTube devices also come with American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) flange ratings of Class 150, 300, and 600.

The Fisher WhisperTube 6060 has been designed to maximize flow capacity producing a negative pressure drop that serves to reduce noise while maintaining process flow. The presence of a passive reactive silencer ensures that internal cavities produce acoustic wave reflections that reduce downstream noise. The design of differing internal cavity sizes helps to reduce noise across a wide range of frequencies.

The WhisperTube device has a removable cylindrical stainless steel screen to allow easier cleaning and maintenance. Concerning installation, threaded lifting provisions allow the body of the device to be fitted with hoist rings or lifting eye bolts.

 

Cross-sectional view of Emerson’s Fisher WhisperTube Modal Attenuator, showing the various acoustic cavities around the axis. Image used courtesy of Emerson

 

Noise in Industrial Settings

A decibel is a unit of measurement for sound intensity. It is measured on a logarithmic scale, which means that the difference between 10 decibels and 20 decibels is not just double the sound intensity, but 10 times the sound intensity. Industrial settings are typically louder than other settings because they have more machinery and equipment running at once.

The decibel level of a gas or vapor application in an industrial setting is typically between 85 and 95 decibels. Just standing close to someone (about 3 feet away) and raising your voice can result in noise levels of over 85 decibels.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires employers to implement a hearing conservation program when noise exposure is at or above 85 decibels averaged over 8 working hours, or an 8-hour time-weighted average (TWA). Such programs aim to protect the hearing of employees through proper training and provision of hearing protection devices.

If proper protection and training are not implemented, prolonged exposure to loud noise(s) can destroy the nerve endings in the inner ear. Permanent hearing loss could occur that cannot be corrected through surgery or improved with medicine.

Emerson’s Fisher WhisperTube Modal Attenuator can be used by employees working with noisy gas or vapor applications in a wide range of industries. The modal attenuator is a full-bore device that can reduce noise inside pipes generated by upstream sources, such as control valves or other devices by 15 decibels. This can protect the hearing of industrial workers while helping to reduce the wear and damage that can occur in gas and vapor systems.