Noise Control of Large Wet Cooling Towers

During industrial processes, the most common energy transformation process is the transformation of mechanical, chemical or electrical energy into thermal energy. The generated heat cannot be utilized in every case, so it has to be removed from the process by cooling. The technology discussed in the presentation is closely related to last year's presentation in which I was reporting on the noise control action plan of Hungary's largest chemical factory. The efficiency of chemical processes depends on the efficiency of the removal of the generated heat. One of the most widespread industrial cooling technologies is the evaporative wet cooling system, which is essentially the subject of this presentation. The noise sources discussed in this presentation are unique to their size. In this case, the surveyed large, multi-cell cooling towers are 12-16 metres high and have several fans which are 9-10 metres in diameter. In the area of Hungary's largest chemical factory, fifteen of such large cooling towers are in operation; therefore, it is not surprising that these are the noise sources which dominantly determine the environmental noise pollution of the aforementioned facility. In this presentation I am going to introduce the technology of the cooling tower, the mechanism of noise generation and the dominant noise sources. I am also going to present the measurements we performed, their results and the conclusions drawn from them. The possibilities of the subsequent noise reduction will be presented comprehensively in relation to a specific case study by analyzing the direct intervention possibilities at the noise source and the solutions achievable through sound propagation. The aim of the presentation is to introduce the volume of the task expressively, and to give a sense of the challenges which we have to face during the survey of such noise sources that are large and technologically bound.