Performance evaluation of make-up air systems for pollutant removal from gas stove in residential kitchen by using a push-pull ventilation system

Chinese food is characterized by frying and steaming, which generates a large amount of cooking oil fumes. The air quality inside a Chinese residential kitchen looks not satisfying, and the ventilation system is usually poorly designed. An excellent air distribution system is an effective way to maintain the good indoor air quality in the kitchen where high-concentration contaminants are released. This study explores a new way of make-up air based on a push–pull ventilation system in the kitchen. The performance of ventilation systems with mechanical and natural supply methods, as well as the combined effect with door seam, is evaluated experimentally and numerically. Results indicated the significance of the air distribution system on kitchen ventilation performance. The experiment results show that when an air curtain with velocity 0.6 m/s (38.1% of exhaust rate) is used in the MD (mechanical air slot, downside door seam) system, the average temperature in the occupied zone and iF (intake fraction) of the occupant could be maintained at lower values compared to that in the other three systems. Numerical results show that the average temperature and CO₂ concentration in the occupied zone with the MD system are 8.0–15.8% and 33.3–60.9% lower than that for other three systems, respectively. Moreover, the MD system has the largest ratio (94.7%) of 0–200 s MAA (mean air age) area and the highest ACE (air change efficiency) (39.5%) among the four studied systems. Therefore, the MD system could be used to create a more effective airflow distribution and a good environment in the kitchen.