The Design and Development of a Capture Efficiency Test Facility By Using Tracer Gas Monitoring For Performance Testing of Kitchen Ventilation Systems
Abstract
Effective kitchen ventilation systems are critical for removing hazardous
pollutants generated during cooking to maintain acceptable levels of indoor air quality.
Current indoor air quality standards specify air flow and sound ratings as the only
metrics to analyze the performance of kitchen ventilation. Lawrence Berkeley National
Laboratory has been working alongside ASTM to develop a test standard for analyzing
the fraction of cooking pollutants removed by kitchen range hoods.
RELLIS Energy Efficiency Laboratory (REEL) was given the opportunity to
design, develop, and construct a capture efficiency test facility using tracer gas
monitoring to analyze the performance of kitchen ventilation systems. REEL established
seven sub-components of the testing facility based on the requirements outlined in the
test standard developed by LBNL. The 4.34 m x 3.93 m x 3.05 m testing chamber was
sized to best represent a residential kitchen, which can accommodate range hood flow
rates up to 200 L/s. All components and necessary equipment and instrumentation were
designed and selected to conform to the dimensional, measurement, and accuracy
requirements outlined in the test standard.
Testing procedures were developed and preliminary data for 5 kitchen range
hoods were taken to qualify the room and to analyze the effects of range hood air flow,
mounting height, and cooking surface temperature on capture efficiency. Air flow rates
< 100 cfm yielded capture efficiencies between 55-82%, while air flow rates > 150 cfm
yielded capture efficiencies between 86-92%. Average capture efficiencies were 67.7%
and 77.8% for mounting heights of 30” and 21” for flow rates < 150 cfm, respectively,
while at air flow rates > 190 cfm, capture efficiencies were measured to be 88.2% (30”)
and 90.3% (21”). At air flow rates < 130 cfm capture efficiencies were 66.4% and 55.6%
for surface temperatures of 150 0C and 200 0C, respectively. At air flow rates > 160 cfm,
capture efficiencies were measured to be 79.9% and 74.3%.
It was found that capture efficiency increased with increasing air flow rates, and
decreasing mounting heights (closer to cooking surface) and surface temperatures. Large
differences in measured capture efficiencies at flow rates < 150 cfm suggests that
cooking and ventilation parameters are more impactful at lower operating speeds.
Citation
Hicks, Trey Matthew (2018). The Design and Development of a Capture Efficiency Test Facility By Using Tracer Gas Monitoring For Performance Testing of Kitchen Ventilation Systems. Master's thesis, Texas A & M University. Available electronically from https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /174360.