CH-89-09-5 -- A Realistic Evaluation of Kitchen Ventilation Hood Designs PDF

Proper application of kitchen ventilation hood designs has been difficult for several reasons, including:

1. Codes vary widely. Some areas require little or no testing and impose no restrictions on hoodesigns. Other areas require hoods to meethe requirements of several code agencies and use excessive quantities of exhaust and supply air.

2. Cooking equipment served by ventilation hoods varies greatly in its heat, grease, and smoke output.

3. Exaggerated claims and scientifically unfounded designs and theories have caused many architects and engineers to specify equipment based on unrealistic expectations.

4. No uniformly accepted method of testing hood performance has been established.

This paper examines the performance of the most common hood designs in an effort to determine the best application and credibility of each design. It gives results of field tests on two hood designs. The paper also examines other factors that contribute to efficient operation of kitchen ventilation equipment.