Engine Exhaust Silencers for Older Locomotives - a Case Study

Hanson, D; Wolfgang, B; Williams, P; Kirby, R; Neville, M

Engine Exhaust Silencers for Older Locomotives - a Case Study

Hanson, D Wolfgang, B Williams, P Kirby, R

Neville, M

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Publication Type:: Conference Proceeding
Citation:: Annual Conference of the Australian Acoustical Society 2021: Making Waves, AAS 2021, 2021, pp. 383-390
Issue Date:: 2021-01-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Hanson, D
dc.contributor.author	Wolfgang, B
dc.contributor.author	Williams, P
dc.contributor.author	Kirby, R https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3520-1377
dc.contributor.author	Neville, M
dc.date.accessioned	2022-06-25T01:38:17Z
dc.date.available	2022-06-25T01:38:17Z
dc.date.issued	2021-01-01
dc.identifier.citation	Annual Conference of the Australian Acoustical Society 2021: Making Waves, AAS 2021, 2021, pp. 383-390
dc.identifier.isbn	9781713844266
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/158354
dc.description.abstract	Mitigating engine exhaust noise from older locomotives is a substantial challenge. The engine noise is broadband, but also includes prominent low-frequency tones that vary with engine speed. There is very little space inside the locomotive, so while a silencer would ideally be as large as possible, it must fit within tight constraints around other locomotive equipment. Many older locomotives have two-stroke engines that are highly sensitive to back pressure and were designed to run with direct ventilation to atmosphere. This imposes tight constraints on the flow resistance that a silencer can introduce, thereby constraining the design options. This paper presents a successful case study in mitigating engine noise from an older locomotive. A team of Hushpak Engineering, UTS Tech Lab and Acoustic Studio designed, built and commissioned silencers for the C Class locomotives. The paper discusses how the design challenges of space, back-pressure and low-frequency tones were addressed. It also describes how developing the acoustic solution was not enough to deliver a successful project. The team had also to design and implement an upgraded crankcase ventilation system to maintain correct engine operation with the silencer in place. This project showed that silencers for older locomotives can be efficient, effective and inexpensive, and highlights a way forward for addressing noise across the fleet of older locomotives that will remain in service for years to come.
dc.language	en
dc.relation.ispartof	Annual Conference of the Australian Acoustical Society 2021: Making Waves, AAS 2021
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.title	Engine Exhaust Silencers for Older Locomotives - a Case Study
dc.type	Conference Proceeding
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
dc.date.updated	2022-06-25T01:38:15Z
pubs.publication-status	Published

Abstract:

Mitigating engine exhaust noise from older locomotives is a substantial challenge. The engine noise is broadband, but also includes prominent low-frequency tones that vary with engine speed. There is very little space inside the locomotive, so while a silencer would ideally be as large as possible, it must fit within tight constraints around other locomotive equipment. Many older locomotives have two-stroke engines that are highly sensitive to back pressure and were designed to run with direct ventilation to atmosphere. This imposes tight constraints on the flow resistance that a silencer can introduce, thereby constraining the design options. This paper presents a successful case study in mitigating engine noise from an older locomotive. A team of Hushpak Engineering, UTS Tech Lab and Acoustic Studio designed, built and commissioned silencers for the C Class locomotives. The paper discusses how the design challenges of space, back-pressure and low-frequency tones were addressed. It also describes how developing the acoustic solution was not enough to deliver a successful project. The team had also to design and implement an upgraded crankcase ventilation system to maintain correct engine operation with the silencer in place. This project showed that silencers for older locomotives can be efficient, effective and inexpensive, and highlights a way forward for addressing noise across the fleet of older locomotives that will remain in service for years to come.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/158354