Abstract:
At present, there are different kinds of ecology units which are manufactured in the world for commercial kitchens. Generally, those systems have size ranges in capacity up to 20000 CFM (Cubic Feet per Minute). Those systems are expensive and too bulky for domestic purposes. In Sri Lanka, though kitchen ventilation systems and air purifiers exist, they may not work for grease and other small particles. In addition, the efficiency of filters is not sufficient. In this work, we focus on developing a highly efficient, low-cost, and small-scale ecology unit for domestic purposes. In this research, four conceptual designs were developed considering the system specifications and morphological analysis. Subsequently, weighted objective analysis was used to finalize the system components up to the fabrication and optimization of the final design. In the finalized system, we expected 90% exhaust air filtration efficiency. Apart from that, the baffle filter, activated carbon filter, HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filter, and nylon mesh filter are the filters that we use to filter cooking emissions of domestic applications. The estimated manufacturing cost of the finalized product which consists of the exhaust hood, stainless steel baffle filter, exhaust duct, filtering system, and fan is Rs. 300,000. This value is reasonable when compared with the existing domestic exhaust systems. This small-scale ecology unit has major advantages including system efficiency which is around 90%, and the reasonable manufacturing cost compared to the existing domestic filtration systems
