Numerical Investigation of the Airflow in a Kitchen Hood

This study presents the results obtained when Computational Fluid Dynamics is applied tocalculating the flow in a domestic kitchen hood at operating conditions. Special emphasis has been placed on parametric modeling of the geometry to permit the rapid modification of fundamental parameters, such as the number of blades and the twisting angle. The governing equations (mass, momentum, energy and turbulence) have been solved using the commercial code, Fluent. The predicted characteristic curves of the hood ventilator based on the dimensionless flow and load coefficients have been built, and they are shown to be in good agreement with the experimental data. Finally, the hood model has been incorporated into a full-scale kitchen to predict airflow conditions in this space.