Parametrized design for the integration of range hood and air cleaner in the kitchen

This study proposed a novel integrated design combing an air cleaner with the conventional exhaust hood for the improvement of indoor air quality in the residential kitchen. Airflow interaction between the exhaust confluence of the range hood and the strong momentum induced by air cleaner was investigated for this kind of compact configuration. The potential of energy saving by using the air cleaner was discussed. Firstly, numerical simulation was employed to obtain well-organized recirculation purification parameters under different air outlet widths and angles and experiments were conducted to verify the control effect of pollutant concentration in the kitchen space with the good design. Results show that the oblique upward air supply of the air cleaner was found significantly better to clean the kitchen space than horizontal and oblique downward supply. The relative purification effect of the integrated air cleaner is less affected by the exhaust flowrate of the hood. The PM 2.5 concentration reduction rate by the air cleaner at the breathing zone is near 60%, while the TVOC concentration reduction approximately 30%. Secondly, concentration decay rate at post-cooking period with/without the integrated air cleaner was measured and compared. It was found that the concentration decay rate achieved by the integrated air cleaner with 100 m3/h and oblique upward air supply is close to the decay rate of exhaust hood with 200 m3/h. It means that the integrated design proposed in this study is effective in reducing human exposure to cooking-related pollutants and has a significant energy-saving potential.