Abstract:

Noise of heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems could have been one of the most common single sources of noise in the developed countries, but it is not, partially because of well-known methods of HVAC noise control promulgated by professional organizations such as ASHRAE, and trade associations such as the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI) and the Air Movement and Control Association (AMCA). Most people who live in air conditioned spaces are unaware of the work that went into making their environment quiet by many private consultants and by many corporate engineers and acousticians working for the major HVAC companies. It is true there are problem jobs, usually low-noise environments that do not meet expectations, but these jobs are constantly being worked on and the numbers are being reduced by people using the ASHRAE Handbook. But, unfortunately, the Noise and Vibration chapter is far from perfect. This paper reviews a standby in HVAC acoustics, the 1995 ASHRAE Handbook: HVAC Applications, I--P Edition, ``Chapter 43 Sound and Vibration Control,'' published by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers, Inc. The review provides an evaluation based on the perspective of a member of the Technical Committee 2.6 on Sound and Vibration, from which the chapter originated. The paper points out just a few of the several areas in which the data and information contained need to be used with caution. [See NOISE-CON Proceedings for full paper.]