Four paths, four treatments
Plant noise reaches neighbours through four distinct paths, and each needs its own treatment: airborne noise radiating from the machine casing, noise breaking out through ventilation openings, duct-borne noise travelling along air paths, and structure-borne vibration entering the building frame.
Treating only one path leaves the others untouched — which is why a new enclosure alone so often disappoints.
- Casing radiation → acoustic enclosure or barrier walls with absorptive lining
- Ventilation openings → acoustic louvers or duct silencers sized to the airflow
- Duct-borne noise → in-duct silencers and lined bends
- Structure-borne vibration → spring mounts, inertia bases and flexible connectors
Enclosures: the airflow is the engineering
A generator enclosure must attenuate noise while passing the full cooling airflow at Gulf ambient temperatures. Undersized silencers overheat the set; oversized ones leak noise. The enclosure design starts from the set's airflow and allowable pressure drop, not from the panel schedule.
Access matters too — daily-service doors need acoustic seals and rated construction, or the enclosure only performs when nobody ever opens it.
Chillers and rooftop plant
Rooftop chillers radiate low-frequency noise over long distances, and their fans dominate at higher frequencies. Barrier walls work when line of sight to the receiver is broken; full or partial enclosures suit tighter criteria. Either way, the unit's condenser airflow must remain unobstructed.
For towers with occupied space below, check the vibration path first — a correctly mounted chiller on restrained spring mounts often solves complaints attributed to 'noise' that was actually structure-borne.
Meeting UAE noise limits
Dubai Municipality and Abu Dhabi EAD set day and night limits at the nearest receiver — typically expressed as LAeq levels at the property line or façade. A compliance design starts from the limit at the receiver, works backwards through distance and screening, and sets the required insertion loss for each treatment element.
A typical OSGT package
- Site measurement or review of the equipment schedule
- Acoustic enclosure with absorptive modular panels
- High-density acoustic louvers / silencers on intake and discharge
- STC-rated access door with seals
- Spring isolation and flexible connectors where the vibration path matters
- Post-installation verification measurement
Frequently asked questions
How much noise reduction can a generator enclosure achieve?
Well-engineered enclosures typically deliver 20–35 dB(A) overall reduction at 1 metre, depending on the required ventilation and access. The achievable figure is set by the openings — silencers, louvers and doors — not by the wall panels alone.
Will an enclosure cause my generator to overheat?
Not if the ventilation is engineered. The silencers and louvers must be sized to the set's cooling airflow and pressure-drop allowance at site ambient temperature. OSGT verifies cooling performance at full load as part of commissioning.
Can you retrofit noise control to existing plant?
Yes — most OSGT enclosure and isolation work is retrofit. Modular panel systems are assembled around live equipment with minimal downtime, and spring mounts can be swapped machine-by-machine during maintenance windows.
Acoustic Enclosures
Generator, HVAC, chiller, compressor, pump and turbine enclosures.
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