HVAC Noise Gets Decided Well Before the First Prototype Exists

Airflow itself is nearly always the source of HVAC equipment noise, turbulence around fans, flow separation inside ducts, air interacting with nearby surfaces. By the time a physical prototype comes into being, the design decisions that will define its noise rating are already locked in, and correcting a noise problem at that stage typically means expensive rework. Capturing this type of flow generated noise with any accuracy means resolving the turbulent structures behind it, an averaged flow field won't get you there.

Webinar Scope

This webinar demonstrates how high fidelity, scale resolving CFD simulation can predict flow generated noise early in HVAC product development. Traditional RANS based approaches model turbulence rather than resolve it; scale resolving methods instead capture the unsteady, time transient flow behavior behind tonal and broadband noise, giving engineers a far more accurate read on expected noise performance before physical testing ever starts. You'll see how this applies specifically to fans, ducts, dampers, and other airflow driven HVAC components.

Topics Covered

• Why airflow generated noise is fundamentally an unsteady, scale resolving problem

• Where traditional RANS simulation falls short for predicting HVAC noise

• Scale resolving simulation approaches: capturing turbulence rather than modelling it

• How boundary layers, shear layers, and flow separations drive noise generation

• Simulating fans, ducts, and other airflow driven HVAC components

• Linking simulation results to noise ratings and acoustic metrics

• Reducing the number of physical test iterations needed to reach a target noise rating

• Computational efficiency: high fidelity results without excessive computing cost

What Simulation Delivers

• Early, accurate insight into flow generated noise before a prototype exists

• Noise sources predicted more reliably than with traditional RANS based methods

• Fewer costly physical test and redesign cycles

• Clear insight into which design features drive noise, and to what extent

• A faster, more predictable path to a target noise rating

Who Should Attend?

• Engineers and product developers designing fans, ducts, or other HVAC airflow components

• Acoustic and NVH engineers working on HVAC noise targets

• Teams facing late-stage noise surprises during physical testing

• Anyone evaluating simulation as a way to reduce physical test dependency for noise performance