In brief
Backup generators, their exhaust and their air openings are significant noise sources on a data center site, and they run regularly for testing. Finkova offers Furtak & Salvenmoser industrial silencers for data center projects in Finland: exhaust gas silencers for diesel and gas engines, splitter silencers for intake and exhaust air, acoustic enclosures and acoustic cladding, each designed for the site.
What a buyer should provide
Share the engine or generator data (exhaust gas flow, temperature and allowed back pressure), airflows and opening sizes for intake and discharge air, layout drawings, the noise limits at the site boundary or nearest neighbour, and any measured or manufacturer noise spectra.
Where the noise comes from
Engine exhaust: strong low-frequency noise, which needs resonators as well as absorption to attenuate.
Air intake and discharge: combustion and cooling air openings of generator rooms and containers, and ventilation fans.
Casing noise: engines and generators radiate noise through the walls of their room or enclosure.
Pipe radiation: exhaust lines radiate noise along their length.
Noise is part of a data center's environmental permit terms, which is why it belongs in the plant design from the start, as the complete guide to data center cooling notes.
Furtak & Salvenmoser products for data centers
Exhaust gas silencers. They combine plate resonators and λ/4 resonators with absorption for broadband attenuation of up to 55 dB, low frequencies included. With suitable materials they handle exhaust gas temperatures up to 500 °C. Typical uses are diesel generators, gas engines and compressors.
Absorption and splitter silencers. For fans, intake ducts and exhaust openings. The absorption material resists fire and humidity, and the modules are designed for each application. At high flow velocities, flow-transparent acoustic covers are used next to perforated sheets.
Acoustic enclosures. They encapsulate a single noise source or a larger technical installation. Furtak & Salvenmoser designs both the noise-absorbing walls and the supporting steel structure, from consulting and design to manufacture and final assembly.
Acoustic cladding. Sound-absorbing insulation on pipes reduces the noise radiated from, for example, exhaust lines. Absorption linings on walls and ceilings shorten reverberation in machine rooms.
Design and delivery
Furtak & Salvenmoser designs noise protection project by project: design and conception, 3D layout and detailed design, project management and acoustic calculations, manufacture, inspection and acceptance testing, transport and site management. The company is certified to ISO 9001:2015, and the design standards and codes can be chosen to suit the project. Finkova offers Furtak & Salvenmoser silencers for projects in Finland. Delivery scope is agreed per project.
Installation work
Alongside product supply in Finland, Finkova installs specified silencers and coordinates acoustic enclosures and cladding on site, also on projects elsewhere in the Nordics:
- installation of exhaust, intake and discharge air silencers within the agreed work package
- site coordination for acoustic enclosures, cladding and barriers
- access, equipment interfaces and maintenance clearances
- installation inspection and handover support against the approved design
Frequently asked questions
How much can an exhaust silencer reduce generator noise?
Furtak & Salvenmoser exhaust gas silencers reach broadband attenuation of up to 55 dB by combining resonators for low frequencies with absorption. What a project achieves depends on the engine's noise spectrum, the allowed back pressure and the space available.
What is a splitter silencer?
A splitter silencer is a duct silencer with parallel sound-absorbing baffles, or splitters, in the airflow. It suits fan, intake and exhaust air paths, where it reduces noise while keeping the pressure drop acceptable.
What information is needed to size a data center silencer?
For exhaust silencers, the exhaust gas flow, temperature and allowed back pressure. For air silencers, the airflows and opening sizes. In both cases the layout and the noise limit at the site boundary or nearest neighbour are needed. Measured or manufacturer noise spectra make the sizing more precise.
