Pipe Supports and Skid Platforms: An Overlooked Noise Problem

When an energy industry facility must meet environmental noise regulations, the primary noise sources are the drivers (such as engines and motors), driven tools (such as compressors and pumps), air moving devices, and turbulent flow in valves and piping. The primary sound transmission path is the airborne radiation of noise, which is controlled by enclosures, lagging and silencers. The opportunity for sound energy to be transmitted through structural vibration and reradiated at another location is largely overlooked in typical acoustic impact analyses. Pipe support and skid structures often have large flat panels which are very efficient radiators of noise energy, where the sound energy generated by compressors can be emitted into the environment at some distance from the actual energy source. How a pipe is mounted on its supports, and the design of those supports, can have a significant effect on the noise emissions from its support structures.