Services
Aeroacoustics, acoustic and airflow simulation services
Five connected services for engineering teams working on engine and generator noise and on equipment that moves air — from predicting silencer and enclosure performance before a prototype exists to choosing the right fix when a problem already has. SH Consulting works from Plymouth, Minnesota, with teams across the Twin Cities and beyond.
01How the services fit together
From airflow to a design decision
Most noise problems in equipment that moves air or gas are a chain: the flow path sets both the noise and the pressure drop, the sound travels through silencers, ducts and enclosures to a listener, and the design team decides what to change. Each service answers one link in that chain. Aeroacoustics engineering consulting connects them when a problem needs all of it.
- Airflow
How does air move through and around the design?
Aerodynamic Modeling & Simulation - Back pressure
How much restriction do the intake, exhaust and silencer add?
CFD Flow & Pressure Drop - Attenuation & propagation
How much noise does the silencer or enclosure remove, and what reaches the listener?
Acoustic Modeling & Simulation - Decision
Which fix — at the source or along the path?
Noise Control & Mitigation
02Services
All services
- Core specialty
Aeroacoustics Engineering Consulting
A specialist engineer on noise generated by moving air — from the first design question to a stubborn late-stage problem.
- Sound propagation & radiation
Acoustic Modeling & Simulation
Predict how sound travels, resonates and radiates through a product or system — before it is built.
- Back pressure & restriction
CFD Flow & Pressure Drop
Predict back pressure, restriction and flow distribution through engine intakes, exhausts and silencers.
- Airflow & pressure
Aerodynamic Modeling & Simulation
Understand the airflow through and around a design — pressure losses, velocities, separation and unsteadiness.
- Source → path → fix
Noise Control & Mitigation
Identify the dominant source and path, understand the mechanism, and evaluate fixes before committing to them.
03Attenuation or back pressure?
Silencer design: two sides of one geometry
The features that make a silencer or intake quieter — chambers, baffles, perforations and lining — are the same ones that add back pressure. Acoustic modeling and CFD are run on the same geometry, so each design variant is judged on both.
| Aspect | Acoustic modeling: attenuation | CFD: flow & pressure drop |
|---|---|---|
| Question it answers | How much noise does the silencer or intake remove, and at which frequencies? | How much back pressure or restriction does it add, and where? |
| Main outputs | Transmission loss, and predicted levels and spectra at the positions that matter | Pressure drop at each operating point, a breakdown of the losses, and flow distribution |
| How it works | A finite- or boundary-element model of the silencer, or a plane-wave model below the first cross-mode frequency | Steady CFD of the gas path, with sub-models for perforated tubes and packing |
| Checked against | The sound target or site sound limit | The engine manufacturer’s back-pressure or restriction limit |
| Design choices | Chambers, baffles, perforates and lining | Pipe size, routing, silencer layout and rain cap |
04Scope & pricing
Scoped to the question
Cost depends mainly on the question being answered, the maturity of the geometry and inputs, the analysis method, and the frequency range or operating conditions that need to be covered. Defining those first keeps the work proportionate to the decision.
Not sure which service fits? Describe the problem — choosing the right analysis is part of the first conversation.
Discuss your simulation or aeroacoustics challenge
Describe the product, the noise or flow behavior, and the decision you need to make. The first conversation is a technical one.