Influence of Air Curtain Characteristics on the Capture Performance of Range Hood

Abstract

Range hood is a common ventilation appliance applied in a kitchen for maintaining healthy environment. This paper numerically studied the effect of air curtain on capture performance of a range hood, which was equipped in a residential kitchen chamber of 3.5 m * 2.7 m * 2.4 m. Two key parameters of air curtain, air-supply velocity and angle were investigated for improving the capture performance with CFD methods. Only when both the air-supply velocity and angle were well defined simultaneously, could the range hood have a good capture performance. When air-supply angle is 4°, air-supply velocity is recommended at 2.0–2.5 m/s. When air-supply velocity is 4.5 m/s, air-supply angle is recommended at 10°–14°. In the above situation, the range hood has better capture performance. The findings showed that the air curtain with reasonable air-supply velocity and angle could effectively improve the capture performance of range hood and protect the cook.