The need for the companies to adopt a solid noise control policy has been widely covered in a recent article.

Regarding the control of the noise during its propagation – from the source to the receiver (generally the worker) – some or all of the following actions need to be considered meticulously, in order to set-up the most appropriate infrastructure within the plant:

• Use of vent silencers (for valves and tanks), designed to reduce noise level of exhaust piping to the atmosphere for pressurized gaseous fluids.
• Use of acoustic barriers (single walls), partial enclosures or full enclosure of the entire item of equipment.
• Use of enclosures for noisy components on a machine.
• Use of reactive or dissipative mufflers; the former for low frequency noise or small exhausts, the latter for high frequencies or large diameter exhaust outlets.
• Use of in-line plenum chambers or lined ducts for air handling systems
• Reverberation control – the addition of sound absorbing material to reverberant spaces to reduce reflected noise fields. Note that care should be taken when deciding upon this form of noise control, as direct sound arriving at the receiver will not be affected. Experience shows that it is extremely unusual to achieve noise reductions in excess of 3 or 4 dB(A) using this form of control which can be exorbitantly expensive when large spaces or factories are involved. In flat rooms the spatial sound distribution is of interest, see ISO 11690-1,-2.
• Active noise control, which involves reflection, suppression or absorption of the noise radiated by an existing sound source by use of one or more secondary or control sources.

The commitment starts with a detailed analysis in order to ensure proper noise control measures for the facility design process. Three necessary steps in raw are accurately executed:

• Field assessments Interpretation

• Risks Mitigation

• Reduction of noise control’s costs

All the analysis performed on noise and vibration problems are accomplished taking in account of noise control optimization’ costs, risk management from facility noise, complaints and regulatory compliance challenges.

The fully customized solutions realized by Stopson Italiana cover Oil and Gas, Power Generation, Marine and other industries. The long-time maintenance assessments and long-term monitoring services are adopted to ensure full compliance over time.

Stopson Italiana is one of the Italian leading provider of innovative sound control solutions, noise impact model design and prediction.

In order to expand its staff, Stopson has recently open five new job positions in the following areas: Design Engineering, Project Engineering, Sales Engineer, and Quality Assurance-Control (QA-QC).
See more on Stopson Italiana CAREER Section.

A new refinery for blended lubricants to meet lower emission and raise fuel economy

Last February 16th, ExxonMobil Corp. has announced the expansion of its Singapore refinery to support the production of the company’s EHC™ Group II base stocks.

The aim is to develop the global supply of these products, enhancing the Singapore facility’s competitiveness. In facts, the project has been meant to enable customers “to blend lubricants that satisfy more-stringent specifications, help reduce emissions, and improve fuel economy and low-temperature performance“, ExxonMobil said.

On the other hand, Reuters published last week an announcement that a carbon tax on direct emitters is to be introduced from 2019. A strong signal that places Singapore – Asia’s main oil trading hub – in the way to moving towards a longer-term future dominated by cleaner technology and resources.

The ExxonMobil’s EHC product line has been designed to maximize the performance of all major automotive engine oil grades and to enhance the performance of finished lubricants used in multiple industries.

This expansion project represents the latest in a series of recent ExxonMobil investments in base stock production, including a previous expansion of capacity at the Singapore refinery in 2014, a recently-commissioned project at the company’s major integrated facility in Baytown, Texas, and introduction of Group II base stocks into European markets ahead of the anticipated completion of the new Rotterdam hydrocracker unit in 2018.

ExxonMobil released that a cogeneration project has started to improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions at the Singapore refinery. Construction is expected to begin during the second quarter of 2017 with completion anticipated in 2019.