Custody Transfer Products Group

Technical Note5
Title Effects of Pressure Control Valve noise on ALTOSONIC V12
Product ALTOSONIC V12
Author Hilko den Hollander
Date 9 September 2013

Scope
In this document the difference between audible and ultrasonic noise is explained. Also the effects of
ultrasonic noise on ALTOSONIC V12 and the use of noise dampening elements such as Tee’s and bends
is explained.

Technical background
Sound propagates as a wave through a medium. Below picture represents sound waves through a gas,
creating areas where the gas density is slightly higher and areas where the gas density is slightly lower.
The human ear can typically hear sound waves between 20 Hz (20 waves per second) and 20 kHz. UFMs
(ultrasonic flowmeters) operate at a much higher
frequency, typically between 100 and 350 kHz for gas
and 1 to 2 MHz for liquids.

Just like it is difficult for humans to hear each other in

a noise environment, it is difficult for UFMs to hear
the ultrasonic signals in case of noise inside the
meter. Note that this is only valid for noise in the
same frequency at which the UFM operates, for
example noise that humans can hear will not affect an
UFM. Vice versa humans can still hear each other
when they stand close to an operating UFM, simply
because our ears cannot hear the high frequency
noise.

Fig 1: Sound propagation in gas. Noise levels, indicating how loud a noise is, are
measured in dB (Decibel). In case of audible noise it is
often expressed as dB(A), the (A) here stand for ‘Audible’ to indicate the level of noise that can be
expected between 20 Hz and 20 kHz. dB(A) usually indicates the noise level on the outside of equipment
or a pipeline to advise if the noise is a problem for humans.

Since gas USMs work on a frequency between 100 and 350 kHz, the dB(A) value that only goes to 20 kHz
cannot be used to check for potential issues in the USM. Also for USMs the noise level inside the pipeline
is important, rather than the noise level outside the pipeline.

When to expect noise

Noise with frequencies over 100 kHz are typically caused by PCVs (Pressure Control Valves) due to
random pressure fluctuations within the valve body. Manufacturers of PCVs use trims to shift the
frequency of the noise from audible (≤ 20 kHz) to frequencies that the human ear cannot hear (> 20 kHz).
As a result PCVs can produce noise in the operational range of a USM (100 – 350 kHz).

To do a full noise analysis the noise spectrum of a PCV would be required, indicating what the noise level
is at which frequency. An example of a noise spectrum can be found on the next page. In case the
manufacturer of the PCV does not have this info available, we will make an estimation based on our
experience and internal test results.

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Fig 2: Example of a noise spectrum, the blue line represents the noise production from this particular
valve. The audible frequencies are highlighted in green, the typical operational frequencies of a gas USM
are indicated in red. Liquid USMs operate at frequencies of 1 MHz and higher where pressure control
valve is no longer an issue.

Installation of PCVs and noise reducting elements

When pressure control valves are installed close to the USM, it is always recommended to install the PCV
downstream (after) the flowmeter. The trim that is used to shift away for audible spectrum into the
ultrasonic spectrum should be positioned away from the meter as per below picture.

Fig 3: installation of a Pressure Control Valve

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In case a manufacturer of USMs indicates that the noise production of a PCV is too high it is required to
install noise reduction elements between the USM and the PCV. Below list shows what the noise
dampening values of the different components are.

Element Noise reduction (200 kHz)

100 meter pipeline -5 dB
Elbow 45° -2 dB
Elbow 90º -5 dB
Two elbows out of plane -14 dB
Tee’s -10 dB
Filter / heat exchanger -20 dB
Figure 4: Noise reducing elements

In case Tee’s are used one has to make sure that the Tee’s are correctly positioned. A correctly positioned
Tee will give a 10 dB noise reduction as noise will reflect in the cap of the Tee. An incorrectly mounted Tee
will only give 5 dB noise reduction as the noise will go through the Tee as it would go through a normal
bend.

Figure 5: Installation of Tee’s. The top example has a noise reduction of 10 dB (2x 5dB) only as the noise
does not reflect in the cap of the Tee’s. The bottom example has a noise reduction of 20 dB (2x 10 dB) as
the noise reflects in the end caps of the Tee’s.

Pitfalls
In the past we have a few situations where customers used a dB(A) value, that indicates the audible noise
outside a pipeline, to evaluate if a USM would work. Of course this comparison does not make any sense
as for a USM it is important to know what the noise level is at the operational frequency of the USM and
inside the pipe. To avoid these situations we do not supply a maximum noise level that the meter can
tolerate, but prefer to ask the customer for the noise spectrum of the PCV so we can provide a complete
calculation to the customer.

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