Kitchen

Ventilation
Update
Presented by Doug Horton, CFSP
Technology Consultant to the Foodservice Industry

July 2003
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Presentation copyright 2003 by D. J. Horton and Associates, Inc. All rights reserved.
Kitchen Ventilation - The Past
200 years ago, kitchens were separate
buildings, because they were expected to burn
down!

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Kitchen Ventilation Is Important!
Kitchen ventilation systems remove heat,
smoke, grease, steam, and combustion
products, and provide replacement air.
to keep kitchen staff comfortable,
to keep kitchens clean and safe,
to control heating and cooling costs, and
to preserve equipment (reduce corrosion).
And importantly, ventilation systems are
part of the overall mechanical system,
which is often not understood.
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Hood Classifications

Island Canopy Wall Canopy

Backshelf or
Proximity 4
The Essential Questions

How do hoods work?

What is the science
of hood operation?

If we know how hoods work, we can

understand why they often dont work
and how they might be improved.

5
CKV Research and Development
Gas Research Institute sponsored research at
American Gas Assn. Lab in early 1990s.
Electric Power Research Institute did testing at
former McDonalds Air Lab in 1990s.
ASHRAE has sponsored several CKV research
projects, and research continues.
Testing continues at FSTC Air Lab in Chicago
- sponsored by California Public Utility Commission,
California Energy Commission, and others,
including restaurant chains and equip. manufacturers.
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FSTC Air Lab - Chicago

(Video of Air Lab)

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Standard Test Methods
Energy Balance Protocol used to measure
hood performance and heat gains.
Interlab efforts produced ASTM 1704,
Standard Test Method for the Performance
of Commercial Kitchen Ventilation Systems.
New exhaust flow visualization system has
allowed breakthrough in CKV research.
Schlieren flow visualization system makes the
invisible effluent visible and video-recordable!

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 Basic Schlieren System

Courtesy of
FSTC Air Lab
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 What the Eye Sees!
Wall-
Mounted
Canopy
Hood
Is the
Hood
Working?

6-Burner
Range

Courtesy of FSTC Air Lab 10

 What the Schlieren Camera Sees!

Courtesy of FSTC Air Lab Gas Range: 112 kBtu/h, 300 CFM/ft. Exhaust 11
CKV Research Top Ten
Hood aerodynamics are now understood:
We understand the principles of hood capture
and containment
Effluent characteristics are now known.
Differ by appliances and food cooked.
Heat gains can be accurately estimated.
Gains from unhooded appliances can be large.
Control of kitchen humidity is also important.
Makeup air distribution can affect greatly
hood operation.
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Top Ten, continued
Backshelf/proximity hood performance
varies greatly with design.
Dynamic effects can be significant.
Short-circuit hoods are wasteful.
Simple design features increase hood
efficiency.
Negative pressurization seriously affects hood
operation.
Proper installation and setup are important!
Performance testing should be required.
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Hood Aerodynamics
Effluent forms a buoyant thermal plume.
Thermal plume entrains and heats make-up air.
Thermal plume tends to expand as it rises.
Thermal plume tends to hug back wall, if present.
Expanded plume rises into hood reservoir.
Effluent circulates cylindrically in hood.
As it circulates, effluent in reservoir is
eventually removed by low pressure
at face of filters.
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 8-ft. wall-mounted canopy hood
- showing recirculation

Courtesy of
FSTC Air Lab
Operating at threshold of C&C 15
Hood Aerodynamics, continued
Anything that disrupts the above factors can
interfere with natural operation => hood spills.
Drafts from external make-up air
Shelves, cheesemelters, etc. over appliances
Dynamic effects (e.g., opening oven doors)
Drafts from internal (short-circuit) makeup
Net exhaust is key to hood performance!
Hoods spill when stuff in > stuff out.
Spilling heat, odors, combustion products, etc.

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Hood aerodynamics - real-world!

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Effluent Characteristics
Effluent generation is highly dependent on
appliance and cooking process.
Fryers generate little or no grease particles
- its water vapor!
Grease in vapor form ranges from 30-90%!
Typical filters cant capture vapors,
so filter efficiencies are generally overstated.
Typically 1/3 each vapor, small particles, and
large particles.
Emissions are highly dependent on appliance,
food cooked, and cooking process.
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CE-CERT Cooking Processes
Under-Fired Charbroiler (gas)
(1) 25% fat hamburger
(2) New York steak
(3) whole chicken, butterflied
(4) Atlantic salmon fillet
Flat Griddle (electric)
(5) 24% fat hamburger
(6) skinless boneless chicken breast
(7) cod fillet
(8) 24% fat hamburger <shell down>
Deep-Fat Fryer (gas)
(9) 1/4 shoestring fries
(10) 3 oz. breaded chicken patties
(11) 4 oz. breaded cod fillet
Automated Charbroiler (gas)
(12) 21% fat hamburger
(13) 21% fat hamburger <with catalyst>

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CE-CERT Test Results
35 32.7
30

25

20 17.2
15
10.5
10 7.4
5.0
5 3.3
0.77
0 0 0.85 0 0 0
0
Food # 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Under-fired Deep-fat Chain
Charbroiler Flat Griddle Fryer Charbroiler

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 Effluent Grease Vapor Issues
Grease vapor is difficult to remove.
Vapor likely travels into the exhaust system,
where it condenses, and/or is emitted to the
atmosphere.
Vapor also condenses on cooler exterior
surfaces, such as:
Roof, HVAC intakes, building walls and
windows, etc., including nearby buildings!
 Energy Balance and Heat Gain
EOUT ESUP

ESUP + EAPP = EOUT

Hood
EAPP= EEXH+EFOOD+EGAIN

EEXH

EFOOD
EAPP EGAIN

Appliances

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Heat Gain Model
Capturing Spilling

Radiation Radiation

Convection
Radiation
Radiation

Radiation Radiation

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Spilling Exhaust Hoods
When exhaust hoods spill, they can release
into the kitchen:
Convective heat (hot air)
Cooking products
Water vapor, odors, etc.
Products of natural gas combustion
Carbon dioxide
Water vapor
Possibly carbon monoxide, NOx, SOx, etc.
If there is no hood, it all spills!
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 Heat Gain - Unhooded Toaster

4600 watts for 12+

hours/day.
Operating cost is >$2000
per year (at $0.10/kWh)!
Cooling load is 1.3 tons!
Contributes to need for
more cooling.
HVAC compressors run
more!

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Heat Gain => Energy Gain
We think of heat gain from appliances and
heat causing worker discomfort.
We need to think more about total energy
gain - heat and humidity - sensible and
latent ( = enthalpy):
because typical mechanical cooling (direct
expansion) removes total energy, whether
sensible or latent.
High humidity-producing operations should be
hooded!

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 Kitchen Comfort Zone?
ASHRAE Standard 55-1992R Comfort Zone
Clo=1.0

100

90
Too Humid!
80

70
Too Warm and Humid!
Relative Humidity, %

60

50
Too Warm!
40

30

20

10

0
64 66 68 70 72 74 76 78 80 82 84 86
Temperature, F

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 Dishwasher - No Hood

Unhooded or
poorly hooded
dishwashing
machines add
significant
humidity to
kitchens!

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Improving Humidity Control
Balance amount of outdoor delivered by
HVAC and dedicated makeup units.
Use hoods with humidity-producing
equipment - particularly dishwashers.
Including electric ovens!
Verify performance of all exhaust hoods.
Hood spillage includes humidity, as well as
grease, smoke, and convective heat.

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 FSTC Makeup Air Study
Funded by California Energy Commission
Hood styles:
Island and wall canopies, and proximity hoods
Six makeup air configurations:
Laminar (base case)
Face, air-curtain, back, 4-way, short-circuit
Testing with gas charbroilers and griddles.
Testing for static and dynamic effects, plus
effects of end panels and other features.
Makeup configuration affects hood operation! 30
Example: 4-way Diffuser

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 8-ft. wall-mounted canopy hood
(1400 scfm: 700 opp. wall + 700 4-way)

Courtesy of
FSTC Air Lab
Operating at threshold of C&C 32
 8-ft. wall-mounted canopy hood
(1400 scfm: all from 4-way diffuser)

Courtesy of
FSTC Air Lab
4-way diffuser causes hood to spill! 33
Backshelf/Proximity Hood Testing
Most codes specify 300 cfm per foot for
backshelf-type hoods, regardless of:
hood design, mounting height, or
vertical setback of hood front lip from front
edge of appliance or cooking area.
Testing and field observation confirm that:
backshelf/proximity hood performance varies
greatly with design and mounting location
size, height, reservoir, ends, setback, etc.

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Proximity Hood Examples

True Proximity Hood Approximate Hood 35

Dynamic Effect - Oven Door (6)

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Dynamic Effect - Oven Door (18)

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 Overhang Test

Courtesy of
FSTC
Air Lab

Lab Test: with maximum charbroiler output, required exhaust

was reduced 40% with overhang (setback) increased by 18
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Use 90 Elbow Before Regulator!

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Short-Circuit Hoods
A typical short-circuit design:

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Typical Short Circuit Hood

In

Out

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 Short-circuit hoods - background
Short-circuit hoods were a response to:
higher-than-necessary exhaust rate requirements,
to not heat or cool more-than-necessary
make-up air.
Define net exhaust = total exhaust minus
internal makeup (inside reservoir)
Research proves that hood performance is
principally dependent on net exhaust.
Understanding this fact leads to understanding
the wastefulness of short-circuit hoods.
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 Case study - short-circuit hood
An engineering firm studied their existing
design and installation of 24 short-circuit
hoods in supermarkets, which worked.
Appliance lineup included:
Conveyor toaster and 6 griddle
4-burner range
2 stacked convection ovens
2 pressure fryers and an open fryer
Rotisserie oven

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 Short-circuit hood - as installed
Exhaust (7250 cfm)
Fresh Air HVAC Unit Make-up
Unit

61% Hood
39% Make-up
Transfer Air Make-up in Hood
(2828 cfm) (4422 cfm)

Heat
Convected
Energy

Appliances
Additional
Radiant
Appliances
Energy

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Short-circuit hood - field test
Objective was to test reduced internal
makeup configurations, while holding net
exhaust constant:
All appliances at operating temperatures.
Exhaust and make-up reduced in eight steps
Exhaust minus make-up was held constant = net
Amount of transfer air from supermarket was held
constant.
Final condition: short-circuit make-up turned off
with exhaust air = transfer air.
Hood performance was evaluated visually with
smoke candles. 45
 Short-circuit hood - equivalent
Exhaust (2828 cfm)
Fresh Air HVAC Unit

100% Hood
Transfer Air Make-up
(2828 cfm)

Heat
Convected
Energy

Appliances
Additional
Radiant
Appliances
Energy

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 Short-circuit case study, cont.
Hood performed equivalently:
with no internal make-up,
with net exhaust held constant.
Case study confirms that exhaust hood
performance is based on net exhaust.
Short-circuit hood designs are wasteful!
Higher first cost, for hood, fans, ducts, & heater!
Higher operating cost for exhaust and makeup
fans, as well as makeup heater, if installed!
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Another Point of Failure
Consider the interference between short-
circuit makeup air and natural recirculation.

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Design Improvements
Many design features can take advantage of
research and case study results:
Improved reservoir designs
Circulation assistance in hood reservoir
Deeper hoods for containing dynamic effects!
Improved, low velocity make-up air designs!
Side panels, where feasible - big impact!
Improvements provide for lower exhaust
rates, with reduced need for makeup air.

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 Gas Range: Addition of 1/4 Side Panels

Courtesy of
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FSTC Air Lab
Negative Pressure Effects
Common design practice is:
Kitchen negative to dining area, to keep effluents
and odors in the kitchen
Overall facility positive to outside, to keep dust
and insects outdoors.
If exhaust system sees negative pressure
from kitchen to outdoors, hood capture and
containment can fail,
because negative pressure adds to static
pressure across exhaust system, which reduces
fan performance.
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Case Study - Negative Pressurization
8 mo. old QSR - over 1000 cfm negative!
Observations:
Number of HVAC units not by plan.
No outdoor air from any HVAC unit, though
specified to be from all units.
Results:
800 cfm though drive-thru window!
Hood performance seriously affected - spilling!
HVAC distribution affected: kitchen 82, dining
72, mens 60, womens 55!
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Proper setup is important!

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Summary
Research and real-world experience suggest
many potential areas of CKV design
improvement.
Net exhaust is key to hood performance.
Savings are simultaneously possible in both
first costs and operating costs.
A system approach is necessary to
provide maximum potential savings,
Coordinating exhaust and mechanical system
designs, installation, setup, and performance
testing. 54
Recommendations
Designers should specify exhaust-only hoods
1/4 side panels enhance performance at modest cost
Deeper hoods are pay once solution for dynamic effects.
Coordinate HVAC air distribution in kitchen to not
compromise hood performance.
Eliminate all cross-drafts that can affect hood
performance, such as from 2, 3 and 4-way diffusers.
Heat make-up air only as necessary
Heat only as required by kitchen temperature
About 50 degrees (or below estimated balance point).
Direct-fired gas heating is ideal for this purpose.
More efficient than HVAC with indirect-fired gas.
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Recommendations, continued
Specify variable-speed, direct-drive exhaust and
make-up air fans, for easy setup and air balancing.
Require ventilation system performance testing as
part of new construction and remodeling.
Adjust and verify all exhaust and make-up airflow rates.
Verify C&C at ready to cook conditions, and adjust,
using simple means of flow visualization, such as
smoke puffers.
Verify pressurization, and adjust if necessary.
Building positive to outdoors, kitchen negative to
dining, and kitchen neutral to outdoors.
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A Perfect Ventilation Device?
Natural draft - no exhaust fan to buy
or maintain!
No motor to burn out!
No belt or pulleys to maintain!
Full end panels
Sufficient front overhang!
Full capture and containment,
even with solid fuel!

Too good to be true?

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