Acoustic impact evaluation and mitigation of cement production factories

Industrial plants for cement production are characterized by a complex manufacturing cycle and they are composed by several different machineries, whose acoustic power is rather high. In the present study, an acoustical characterization of the main sources of a cement plant located in Umbria, Italy, was first of all conducted: mills to crush the solid fuel used in the furnace, crushers for the marlstone milling, mills for the crushing of the hot cement to obtain the optimum granulometry, materials handling systems and cooling fans. Afterwards, the acoustic impact of the cement factory on the surrounding areas was evaluated. Acoustic measurements in the area of the plant were performed, referring to different working conditions, at the aim of evaluating the most noisy sources. The influence of external noise sources was pointed out thanks to measurements with the plant off. The comparison between emitted power levels by the machineries and the relative effects on the external environment allowed to focus the needed acoustic mitigation interventions; the actions on each source and on the plant perimeter were identified, together with the modifications to the manufacturing cycle.