Safety Relief Valve

A safety relief valve as the name implies is used to avoid a dangerous build-up of pressure within a system. To do this, the valve discharges fluid such as steam into the atmosphere. The noise from major safety valves is generated by high turbulence and can be expected to be in the region of 150 -170 dB. Although noise from a safety valve is quite rare (about once a year), it may be sustained for hours while the system is depressurizing. Continuous exposure to noise at this level is a health hazard and it is thus important to take the necessary safety measures.
Recommended silencers: Our EVO, BOS and HPS model silencers have been used extensively in conjunction with Safety Valves.

Start-up Valve

Start-up valves are control valves used to vent steam during start-up. Typically globe type valve with a cage trim is used in this application. Although control valves are very useful, their noise has long been an issue at many facilities so much so that in the past few years, regulations have been put into place to reduce their environmental impact.

How is noise produced in a control valve?

Recommended silencers: The EVO and BOS silencers can handle a higher inlet pressure thus reducing pipe size between the valve and silencer. Lower pressure drop in the valve means it’s less noisy!

Control Valve

When a fluid is made to exit a control valve at high velocity, it can be a major source of noise and vibration. Noise can also be emitted within the pipes downstream of a valve when there is high pressure drop. In a lot of cases, the large difference between the upstream and downstream pressures of a control valve cannot be avoided. However with the right equipment, excessive noise and deterioration of valve components can.  

Recommended Silencers: Model GDS Diffusers used in-line with control valves help reduce valve generated noise in the piping system. Furthermore, unlike a regular valve trim, the GDS inline gas diffusers will share pressure drop with the valve to minimize destructive effects on the valve’s components!

Blow-down Valve  

When fluids are accelerated or made to flow rapidly within a conduit, they generate noise that could irritate the ear. Power plants sometimes have to ‘blow-down’ or rapidly vent fluids from high-pressure sources especially during start-up or routine maintenance. This process can be quite noisy and most often than not requires a silencer.

Recommended silencer: Our EVO and BOS silencers reduces unwanted noise from venting at high pressure and high mass flow rate to the environmentally acceptable noise level.

HRSG Stack/Bypass Stack

Many power plants use gas turbines to drive power generators. In an effort to minimize waste, the energy from combustion is recovered by heating water to produce steam. For operational flexibility, it is sometimes necessary to install bypass stacks that direct the hot gases away from boilers. Under normal operation, hot gas passes through HRSG and loses most of its energy after passing through the boiler tubes. This lower temperature gas exits through the HRSG stack. Silencers are needed within the HRSG stack as well as Bypass Stack to reduce noise pollution.

Recommended silencer: Our Model CTS silencer panels are custom designed to minimize pressure drop, maximize performance and make on-site installation easy.

Engine Exhaust Silencer

Power plants are designed to generate large amounts of electricity to power developed urban and rural centers alike. Some use internal combustion engines as the prime movers for the generator. Hot combustion gases are a product of this combustion and are usually released into the atmosphere. The velocity and intensity of the release results in noise. For the safety of workers on site and in order to reduce noise pollution, silencers are typically installed.

Recommended silencer: Our EES silencer reduces unwanted noise within the engine exhaust system.