CH-24-C018 - CFD Analysis of Ventilation Performance of a Residential Kitchen with a Gas Stove

This Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis evaluated the impact of exhaust flow rate on the distribution of NO2 concentration and the resulting cumulative NO2 exposure in a residential kitchen. For the conditions analyzed in this CFD study, this analysis indicates that increasing the exhaust flow rate reduces the spread of high-concentration zones of pollutants. Also increasing the exhaust flow rate helps in the effective removal of residual pollutants after cooking when the burner is turned off. Thermal plumes arising from the occupants and buoyancy of hot gases can reduce the cumulative NO2 exposure. However, for all exhaust flow rates analyzed, the cumulative NO2 exposure levels remained significantly below the EPA acceptable level of 100 ppb-hr. Thermal stratification causes the pollutants to accumulate and migrate along the ceiling above the breathing zone of occupants. These analyses indicate that the thermal plume from an occupant can form a “protective shield” which can help in reducing the pollutant exposure.