Optimization Analysis of Kitchen Cooking Environment for Air Conditioning Range Hood Based on Thermal Comfort and PM10 Concentration

For the issues of the high temperatures and pollutant accumulation generated during kitchen cooking, this paper proposes a kitchen comfort analysis method based on the air conditioning range hood. The method comprehensively considers the thermal comfort and pollutant concentration in the kitchen and systematically investigates the influence mechanism of the air conditioning range hood’s structural parameters on kitchen comfort. Firstly, the reliability of the simulation model was verified through a comparative analysis of experimental tests and simulation data. Secondly, the temperature field, relative humidity, PM10 concentration, and Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) distribution in the kitchen were analyzed before and after air conditioning activation, confirming its positive effects and limitations. Finally, the optimal structural parameter configuration of the air conditioning range hood was explored in depth by combining orthogonal experiments with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations. The results show that the range hood’s exhaust airflow rate is the dominant factor affecting the PM10 concentration distribution, while the initial diffusion velocity of oil fumes has the most significant impact on reducing the kitchen’s PMV value. When the range hood’s exhaust airflow rate is 15 m3/min, the initial diffusion speed of oil fumes is 0.6 m/s, the air conditioning supply temperature is 20 °C, and the comprehensive evaluation index of kitchen comfort reaches its optimum. Under these conditions, the volume-averaged PMV value in the kitchen is 0.36, which is a decrease of 34.56%, and the spatially averaged PM10 concentration is 41.04 μg, which is a decrease of 69.49%.