Sound and Acoustics

Many building heat pumps use air as a heat source: ambient air is drawn in, passed through a heat exchanger and cooled in the process. The heat energy is absorbed into the heat pump's refrigeration circuit. The air flow and the heat pump's compressor can emit sounds. These are emitted into the environment through the air, the housing, and in some cases even through the type and location of the device. Depending on the installation location and operating point, these sounds can be perceived as disturbing. With the increasing number of heat pumps installed outside buildings, the requirements for device acoustics are therefore rising, especially in densely populated urban areas.

Fraunhofer ISE's work focuses on characterizing and evaluating structure-borne sound and deriving suitable measures for sound reduction. We have a wide range of experimental equipment and analytical expertise at our disposal for acoustic measurements and vibration analyses. In addition to implementing sound reduction measures, current research is focused on simplifying test procedures. Another goal is to be able to perform analyses on systems already available on the market as quickly and easily as possible.