Dirty airstreams present an interesting problem for silencer engineers; these airstreams require the same level of noise reduction as a conventional airstream, but measures must be taken to reduce the accumulation of dirt, grease, and other debris on the silencer.
The challenge is to select a silencer that mitigates the problems caused by dirty airstreams without compromising its acoustic or aerodynamic performance. We’ve taken this challenge head-on and developed a number of different silencer types for dirty airstreams.
The silencers we’ve designed for dirty airstreams include baffles with media protection, removable baffles, and silencers designed without the need for media fill.
Key Insights
- Dirty airstreams can increase wear and tear and reduce the effectiveness of silencers.
- VAW has designed silencers built to withstand dirty airstreams without impacting their acoustic or aerodynamic performance.
- Virtually all of VAW’s silencers can be adapted to dirty airstreams.
- Materials and design can both be modified to improve performance in dirty airstreams.
- Access doors and removable baffles may be an important part of preserving silencers in dirty airstreams.
Understanding the Challenge
Dirty airstreams are any airstreams with a high number of potential contaminants, like sand, dust, grease, and other particulates. These contaminants can degrade the quality of a silencer by wearing away at fill, clogging the perforated lining, and affecting the performance of the silencer.
Solutions that involve blocking or diverting contaminants must be carefully engineered so as to avoid compromising the effectiveness of the silencer.
How Silencers Work
A number of different techniques can be employed to silence noise, including:
- Vibration damping
- Noise isolation
- Dissipation
- Absorption
- Diffusion
- Reactive silencing
- And more
Any of these techniques can be used to engineer a silencer for a dirty airstream—the difference is that measures must be taken to mitigate the impact that the contaminants might have on the silencer. The silencer may need to be inspected and cleaned and parts of the silencer may need to be replaced.
Removable baffles are one simple option; with access points, baffles can be removed and cleaned easily. Media protection, especially removable media protection, can protect materials used to absorb sound. Finally, silencers that don’t use any media for sound absorption—relying instead on destructive interference, dissipation, and other techniques—can also be viable options.
Real-World Applications of Airstream Silencers
Dirty airstream silencers are used across several industries, including:
- Kitchens
- Labs
- Mines
- Factories
- Refineries
- And more
Types of Airstream Silencers
We offer a wide variety of different airstream silencers that are compatible with dirty airstream systems, including:
- Absorptive Silencers
- Lined Silencers
- Reactive (No Media) Silencers with NFPA rated doors
- Axial Fan Silencers
- Steam Vent & Blow-Off Silencers
- FRP Silencers
Silencer Maintenance and Safety
In dirty airstream applications, access doors and removable sections are frequently used in order to clean and maintain the silencer. How often inspections and maintenance are needed, and the techniques that will be employed to enable cleaning, inspections, maintenance, and servicing, will vary based on:
- The type of silencer
- How frequently the system is in operation
- How dirty the airstream is
- And other factors
Selecting the right materials, ensuring that proper drainage is available, and using the right cleaning techniques can all improve maintenance and safety.
Get in Touch Today
The team at VAW Systems has designed and manufactured a variety of different dirty air silencers. We can engineer and manufacture silencers designed specifically for your systems; get in touch with us today.