Power Plant Fan Noise Data

Power plant fans have been identified as a major contributor to the total plant noise spectrum. In common with all large industrial fans, power plant fans transfer energy from the shaft to energy in the air in the form of flow rate and pressure. These fans require from 2000 hp to 9000 hp and although only a fraction of one percent of this energy appears as sound energy, the resulting noise levels are very high. There is no practical way that this transfer of energy can be done without creating high noise levels. In order to forumlate an effective program of noise reduction for these large fans it is necessary to understand some of the background data on fan design and operation.