Svantek, a manufacturer of high performance noise and vibration instrumentation for environmental and occupational health monitoring applications, has recently supplied four SV 307 noise monitoring stations to First Choice Hire Ltd for a major 13-week demolition project as part of phase one of the London Borough of Merton’s High Path Estate regeneration initiative.
The High Path Estate project involves the phased regeneration of an existing 1950’s estate in the London Borough of Merton to create a vibrant mixed-use, mixed tenure community. It will include up to 1,700 homes across the whole development and over 10,000sqm of commercial, retail, office and community uses.
First Choice Hire Ltd was chosen by Tower Demolition Limited, a leading specialist in sustainable demolition, to provide real-time noise monitoring on a 24/7 basis during the demolition of residential garages and factory buildings at High Path.
Paul Dwyer, Director at First Choice Hire comments: “We have an excellent relationship with Tower Demolition having worked with them on other projects. As a result, they were confident in our experience and ability to provide the best noise monitoring solution for High Path.
“There were several key reasons for choosing Svantek’s SV 307 noise monitoring terminal. As well as being small, compact and unobtrusive, it features an accurate Class 1 IEC 61672 sound level meter with 3G modem for fast data transfer and MEMs microphone with lifetime warranty. Plus the GPRS hardware module meant we knew where the instruments were located at all times, as well as providing measurement time synchronisation.”
The Svantek SV 307 noise monitoring stations were installed on the four corners of the High Path site with two systems located to the right of a block of flats and factory building and the others on a main road, close to factories and offices.
Throughout the demolition phase, the two SV 307 instruments located to the rear of the site were closely monitored as they were positioned next to a residential area.
The small, lightweight SV 307 system features a new Class 1 MEMs microphone for major cost benefits and sleeve type case for easy mounting. Offering optional airport and community characteristics, a Class 1 MEMs microphone comes with lifetime warranty and enables wide frequency range up to 20 KHz with the measurement data stored on a microSD card.
The energy efficient SV 307 incorporates an innovative patented system check with an inbuilt reference sound source producing level of 100dB at 1 KHz. As an option, the SV 307 can perform real-time frequency analysis in 1/1 and 1/3 octave bands and save results with the time history data. In addition, it can record the audio signal as standard WAVE files for noise source recognition.
Paul continues: “The SV 307 is much easier to install and set up than similar noise monitoring equipment. You simply fix in position, switch on and it starts reporting immediately. Plus there is less down time as configuration can be done remotely.”
A large colour OLED display and 10 push buttons enable easy configuration of the SV 307 in the field removing the need for an external handset or reconnection to a PC. The large windscreen is highly efficient in reduction of a wind noise effects even at high wind speeds. Metal spikes protect the SV 307 from birds.
The SV 307’s waterproof casing can be easily mounted to a post and removed for quick access to the user interface. It also offers protection against extreme weather conditions whilst fulfilling Class 1 accuracy.
“The SV 307’s internal Li-Ion battery really came into its own on the High Path project,” Paul adds. “The main power at the site was turned off each evening but the SV 307 instruments would switch to battery power throughout the night ensuring 24/7 continuous operation as required by the client.
“What’s more, the SV 307 would alert me to the fact it had been removed from the main power and was now using its battery. I don’t believe other noise monitoring systems do this which is a major advantage.”
A waterproof mains adapter for charging the battery and powering the station is also included for continuous operation in the field.
Svantek’s SvanNET cloud service monitors the wireless communication, powering and access to the SV 307 data. The scope of the basic SvanNET can be extended with multipoint project management that offers data storage in the cloud, data sharing, advanced alarming and reporting features. SvanNET is an on-line solution which means it doesn’t require software installation and is accessible through a web browser. The responsive design enables use of SvanNET on various devices such as smartphones or tablets.
Talking about SvanNet, Paul says: “Simply inserting a sim card into the SV 307 connects it to SvanNET. It meant I had access to each station and measurement data 24 hours a day. It also allowed me to change parameters remotely if required. In fact, I made some alterations from Holland at one point.
“Because SvanNET is accessible from SvanPC++ reporting application, I was able to easily provide monthly reports for Tower Demolition.”
SvanNET data storage is a quick access to the measurement data due to an unlimited download speed. In the case of long term measurements, the stored data can be conveniently browsed and downloaded by the time range.
The SvanPC++ Environmental Measurements feature is designed for post processing of data recorded by the SV 307 system. It offers a powerful calculator and an automated noise event finder for noise source identification.
The option for 1/3 octave real-time analysis allows measurement of the noise frequency contents and is used for verification of noise sources in the environment. Plus time domain signal recording to WAVE format works during measurement and is logged in parallel to a time history. Once downloaded to PC it can be played back.
The SV 307 is supplied with a factory calibration certificate and 36-month warranty card.
“We have been very pleased with the overall performance of all four SV 307 noise monitoring stations, and the service from Svantek has been excellent. As a result, I wouldn’t hesitate to use them again on other projects,” Paul concludes.
Svantek is part of the AcSoft Group which also comprises AcSoft Sound & Vibration, AcSoft Health & Safety and GRAS UK.
