Ejectors are common devices used across many industries, however, they are often plagued by the presence of low frequency pressure pulsations causing both broadband and tonal noise. This thesis presents a theoretical and experimental investigation into the acoustics of an ejector-silencer combination with the emphasis placed on silencer design. More specifically, the noise generated by the jet, the diffuser and natural modes is explained and estimated. The noise generation mechanisms of impingement tones and edgetones are presented but accurate predictions are found to be hard to make. An outline of the experimental facility is followed by the mechanical, acoustical and aerodynamic design details of the approximately 70:1 ejector scale model. A detailed analysis on the primary nozzle control and calibration is presented before beginning an aerodynamic and acoustic characterization of both the ejector and the wind tunnel facility. From experimentation, it is found that the placement of a perforated cone in front of the solid cone is beneficial in reducing the noise generated without overly affecting the entrainment ratio. Other configurations tested tend not to be as acoustically effective or to decrease the entrainment ratio below an acceptable level. Experiments prove that the low frequency noise generated by the ejector is mainly caused by natural mode excitation.iv

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Ejectors are simple fluid movers and mixers used in a range of industries; however, the attractiveness of their simplicity can be offset by high levels of noise generation. This work experimentally investigates the use of a silencer affixed to the outlet of a subsonic air–air ejector as a means of quieting the ejector. An emphasis is placed on finding a silencer design which has a minimal impact on the mass flow rate exhausting from the ejector (pumping performance). This paper discusses the results of 10 different silencer designs, tested in an attempt to further understand noise generation mechanisms and to find a practical method to reduce the noise of ejectors. It is found that the placement of a perforated cone at the mid-length of the silencer is the only solution tested which provides a significant acoustic advantage with only a small drop in pumping performance. Other solutions tested provide either no acoustic advantage or have too great of a reduction in pumping performance. It is found that the size and shape of the ejector can be designed in such a way to reduce the overlap of natural modes and thus the overall noise levels of the ejector caused by high levels of resonance. The use of acoustic foam to dampen acoustic natural modes proves that the natural modes of the ejector are a significant contributor to the overall noise levels.