The influence of an architectural design alternative (transoms) on indoor air environment in conventional kitchens in Taiwan.

This study investigates indoor air environment via the flow fields, temperature fields and air contaminants (carbon monoxide) distributions in conventional residential kitchens, and looks for effective methods to solve those problems through natural ventilation techniques. Numerical simulations of the physical problem under consideration have been performed via a finite volume method for solving the governing equations and boundary conditions. It is obvious that location of accumulation of air contaminants is highly relevant to the location of gas fires, and realising the dominant flow pattern will be successful in eliminating air contaminants. An architectural design alternative, utilising transoms, is then proposed to improve indoor air environment in kitchens.