Prioritization of noise control in different units of an oil refinery using noise control priority index (NCPI) and technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS)

Abstract Introduction:

This study was aimed to prioritize noise control in different units of an oil refinery using noise control priority index (NCPI) and technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS)
 
 

This cross-sectional-descriptive and analytical study was conducted in the oil storage tanks and transportation unit of an oil refinery, in 2019. In the first stage, environmental sound was measured based on the standard of ISO 91612. In the second stage, the values of NCPI index in different units was calculated by three variables, including the exposed people number, the exposure duration, and the weighting factor related to the sound pressure level. In the third stage, noise control strategies were prioritized using TOPSIS method.
 

The highest sound emission was observed in NTA unit (98 dB) and the lowest sound emission was related to spherical tanks (84 dB). Among the 10 units studied, the NTA unit with 12 workers had the highest priority of noise control (NCPI = 1.25). The results of TOPSIS method showed that the solution of time exposure control with the final weight of 0.722 is the most ideal method to decrease noise exposure in NTA unit.
 

via the two method of NCPI and TOPSIS, it is possible to determine the appropriate prioritization in different units and implement the solutions of technical and managerial noise control in order of priority. The model used in this study can also be applied in other similar industries with noise pollution