Numerical simulation of harmful gas distribution in a range hood with an improved flow channel

In closed kitchens, adequate ventilation is necessary. The kitchen range hood is a particularly essential equipment, and its efficacy depends on its exhaust volume. One of the simplest methods for increasing the exhaust volume is fan speed acceleration, but this increases energy consumption. Therefore, this study focuses on identifying a method for increasing the exhaust volume in a fan and simulating the exhaust of a range hood before and after implementing improvements under the same conditions to evaluate the distribution of harmful gases in a kitchen. The computational fluid dynamics method is applied to a range hood. First, to compare the simulation and experimental values of a range hood, the simulation values were calculated to have a certain degree of accuracy. Next, the verification process comprised of three parts for implementing improvements. The first part involved improving the top of the hood cover to enable smoother discharge of the gas. The second part consisted of improving the bottom of the hood cover moderate the reflux effect of gas flow into the range hood. The third part comprised a simulation of the range hood discharge effect after improvements were made as well as evaluation of the amount of harmful gases remaining in the kitchen.