range hood

Exposures to elevated concentrations of airborne fine particulate matter with diameter ≤ 2.5 µm (PM2.5) have been linked to multiple negative health effects. Investigations into PM2.5 exposures primarily focus on external concentrations, which are easier to monitor. However, there is a growing interest in indoor exposures, as people spend up to 70% of their time at home, concentrations in dwellings may have a greater influence on personal exposures.

Cooking can be a major source of exposure to particulate matter. Range hoods can be used to reduce odours, moisture and contaminants resulting from cooking. The capture efficiency with regard to these contaminants is determined by the thermal plume and the aerodynamic properties of the range hood. There is a new ASTM (an international standards organization) test method: ASTM E3087. It measures capture efficiency under specific conditions that permits standardized comparison of range hoods under controlled laboratory conditions.

Exposures to elevated concentrations of fine particulate matter with diameter ≤2.5µm (PM2.5) are linked to multiple acute and chronic health effects, including increased risk of cardiovascular and respiratory disease. As people spend up to 70% in their own homes, exposures to pollutants indoors could have a greater impact on health than exposure outdoors. Cooking is a primary emission source of PM2.5 in dwellings, and is of interest as it is an activity conducted several times a day in most households.

Cooking activities generate massive fine particulate matter (number concentration). Effective ventilation system can improve the indoor air quality impacts of pollutants from residential cooking. Make-up air supply system can improve the range hood and Indoor air quality. In this study, we measured a capture efficiency of range hood with make-up air supply and indoor particles during cooking activates. For household’s comfort, make-up air supply was installed the line diffuser type. Case 1 PN concentrations increased to around 60,000#/cm3.

Substantial energy is used to condition the air that enters California homes through leaks in the building envelope and ductwork - typically about a third of all heating and cooling. Reducing this through air sealing is essential to California achieving zero energy homes. However, this outdoor air also dilutes pollutants emitted inside homes and contributes to a healthy indoor environment and acceptable indoor air quality (IAQ). To address this IAQ issue, California’s Title 24 Building Standards have required mechanical ventilation in new homes since 2008.

In Korea, a large amount of fine dust and carbonyl compounds is generated during cooking in the kitchen. The purpose of this study is to select 20 apartment houses and measure contaminants that are generated during cooking in apartment houses in Korea. The measurement result showed that 15 out of 20 apartment houses exceeded the guidelines for PM10 based on its peak concentration. The concentration of carbonyl compounds was measured in the descending order of acrolein (270.0㎍/m3), formaldehyde (239.5㎍/m3) based on its average concentration.

A key aspect of achieving acceptable indoor air quality is source control. Cooking has been recognized as a significant source of pollutants for health impacts (e.g., PM2.5 and NO2) as well as moisture and odour. A common method of controlling this pollutant source is by using a range (or cooker) hood that vents to outside. However, field and laboratory experiments have shown highly variable performance for these devices. We use the capture efficiency metric (the fraction of the pollutants that are exhausted to outside at steady state) to characterize the range hood performance.