Saturday 25 January 2014

Alternative Drilling Noise Control Techniques

By Nelda Powers


Drilling noise control is important for all industries especially the in the building and construction, oil, gas and water exploration sectors. It is important to ensure that both employees and the community around are shielded from excessive noises emanating from the work equipment. There are various control techniques that can be employed such as vibration isolation, sound absorbing wall panels, sound abatement and air silencers among others.

It is impossible to quantify the noise-level on linear scale. This problem has been solved by the use of a logarithmic scale which is called a decibel. Human hearing can be greatly affected by the intensity of sound and the length of time one is exposed to the extreme sound conditions. Excessive sound energy can easily damage the ear drum causing deafness.

Surveys can be used to determine potential hazards at the work place. Most industries that are ISO certified have to comply with the standards set to act as benchmarks. As per matters relating to noise, there is an acceptable sound level. Preliminary surveys should single out work places that have exceeded the acceptable sound level. A detailed survey identifies the sources of excess sound energy, quantifies their level and comes up with pragmatic solutions on ways of reducing the noises.

Areas relating to administration, hearing protection and engineering are where most controls are pegged. Before embarking on any noise-control techniques, one needs to gain an understanding on the basic principles. These principles include the sources, transmissions and receptions. There can be various pathways as well as receptors.

To lower the levels, one should try and separate the sources. This is because combined noises produce a sound that can be 3db higher than the usual one hence posing a risk of hearing damage. Sound insulation can be used to reduce the sound energy that is able to pass. It works by reflecting most of the sound. The most common way of insulation is the use of an obstacle such as a wall or partition. One can use a porous material to absorb sound energy. This is widely applied in music recording studios. These absorbents can absorb 50 percent of the sound energy produced.

Administrative policies can also be used to mitigate sound levels. A firm can have a policy of only purchasing noise-free equipment. As more and more companies are going green, purchase of noise-free equipment has also become an emerging trend. Many manufacturers have embraced the change and are responding to market changes so as not to miss out on the lucrative trade this opportunity has presented. An individual employee exposure time can be reduced through job rotation. The plant operator should also ensure that all machines are well maintained.

There are instances where reducing the noises as the source is impossible. A sealed simple enclosure can come in handy in such a case. It reduces sound energy produced by 15 to 20 dB. Large and heavy equipment should not be mounted near a building. An elastic stable foundation such as that of rubber or springs can be used to mount the machines.

Drifters have various drilling noise control techniques. Any use of down the hole hammer machines should be restricted to those that have hydraulic drive motors. The levels of sound energy can also be reduced by the use of double glass insulation.




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