Simulation Study of the Capture and Purification Performance of Exhaust Fume Systems in Chinese Commercial Kitchens—Case Study in Tianjin

Abstract

A Chinese commercial kitchen fume exhaust (CCKEF) system mainly consists of a wall-mounted canopy hood, air duct and terminal electrostatic purifiers, the capture and purification performance of which should be guaranteed to obtain satisfactory indoor and outdoor air environment in engineering applications. However, few studies have focused on the operation performance of CCKEF systems. This study was aimed at providing a simulation method to investigate the operation performance of such systems. The simulation model of a representative CCKEF system was established using CFD software and validated with measured temperature, air velocity and purification efficiency with a deviation within 10%. The validated model was used to predict the indoor air environment and purification efficiency of the CCKEF system under different working conditions. The results showed that the temperature of transfer air from adjacent rooms had a greater impact on the thermal environment of the cooking area than the surface temperature of stoves. The exhaust air volume had a significant influence on both the indoor air environment and purification efficiency. CCKEF system was suggested to be operated at the optimum airflow according to the simultaneous coefficient of stoves as the energy consumption of the system can be saved by 3.75%.