Evaluation of the air quality and the thermal comfort in the kitchen fume environment under the fresh air supplement

• Published in: Results in engineering 2024-09, Vol.23, p.102681, Article 102681
• Main Authors: Xin, Jianjian, Shi, Xuna, Ye, Feng, Zhenlei, Chen, Yin, Pandeng, Miao, Baobin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Air quality; Cooking particles; Kitchen; Numerical simulation; Thermal comfort
• ISSN: 2590-1230; 2590-1230
• DOI: 10.1016/j.rineng.2024.102681

Kitchen cooking particles can severely deteriorate indoor environment, aggravating the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, as well as respiratory diseases. In view of the severe hazard of cooking particles to human health, this paper numerically studies the trajectory and deposition of the cooking particles in the kitchen environment based on a numerical model. Also, quantitative evaluations for the air quality and thermal comfort are performed, hoping to provide a useful reference for the control of kitchen air pollution. Firstly, a kitchen environment simulation model is established based on Fluent. A post-processing UDF program for evaluating the effectiveness of fume absorption is developed. The reliability of the numerical model is verified by comparing the results of the fume concentration with those by the cooking experiments. Using this numerical model, the fume extraction effectiveness of the range hood under different velocities of the fresh air is analyzed comprehensively, including particle trajectory, air age, temperature, PMV (Predicted Mean Vote), and PPD (Predicted Percentage of Dissatisfied) indicators. Results have shown that high speed of the fresh air can cause a strong blowing sensation, deteriorating indoor air quality. The PMV and PPD values around the human body show a parabolic trend. Generally, the relatively low fresh air speed can achieve satisfactory air quality and thermal comfort while saving energy consumption. •A numerical model for kitchen environment is established with UDF programming.•Experimental tests were conducted for validation.•Quantitative evaluations for the air quality and thermal comfort are performed.•The fume absorption effectiveness of the range hood is analyzed comprehensively.