Experimental study of thermal comfort of urban residential

Abstract

In residential kitchens insufficiency of ventilation of exhaust gaseous products from gas fired stoves is to be considered a major health apprehension. It may become the reason of destruction of property as well as human life. Our study aims to find out a better and comfortable condition in the kitchens through moderate ventilation. Aiming to the target, a typical kitchen having a standard dimensions of 19in*17in*24in was modeled. A 350W heater with resistance was used for modeling the kitchen that resembles the double burner gas stove of an urban residential kitchen in developing countries. The present numerical method was validated by comparing with the experimental data reported by Posner et al. [1]. The comparison showed very reasonable agreement. A grid independence test was also performed to determine the optimum grid resolution reflecting the Final Year Project MCE 2013 4 accuracy of the numerical solution. The comparative results are presented for various velocity of cooling fan, used for ventilation. The location of the breathing zone was at a height of 10in and a distance of 4in from the center of the heater. Huge variation of temperature profile was observed. If proper ventilation is not provided, this environment may cause serious health damage.