Thermal analysis of a kitchen natural ventilation system with computational fluid dynamics: a case study

A numerical study was conducted to perform the design analysis of a novel kitchen natural ventilation system of Madirelo Hotel School. The analysis was performed by using Computational Fluid Dynamics to assess the performance of natural ventilation system. The design is expected to be energy efficient and cost effective. The parameters of interest are temperature distribution and air flow velocities within the kitchen. These two parameters provide the fluid dynamics in the kitchen for both human comfort and evacuation of fumes. The ventilation system utilized concepts such as displacement ventilation, buoyancy effect and green house effect. The boundary conditions were derived from the assumed loading of the kitchen. The results have revealed that the flow phenomena in the kitchen cannot provide both human comfort and extraction of fumes in a satisfactory manner. It would be necessary to optimize the positioning and flow rates of the fluid flow components.