Development and Testing of a New Thermal-Acoustic Industrial Insulation

Abstract This article grew out of a project to investigate the feasibility of applying current engineering technology to the control of noise exposures in modern electric generating plants. In the course of the project, a new insulating product, which successfully combines both acoustical and thermal insulating properties, was developed and operationally tested in an electric generating plant. The product consists of a composite of several materials selected to provide attenuation of noise and process heat. The result is a reusable, flexible insulating blanket that can be custom fitted to any shape of process equipment. Following laboratory tests of several candidate materials, one was selected for full-scale tests on high-speed boiler-feedwater pumps in an electric power plant. The field tests showed a noise reduction of 10 to 30 decibels in the frequency range of 250 to 4000 Hz. It is thought that at least 10 decibels of mid-frequency noise attenuation can be achieved on noisy process equipment such as ...