Duct-Free Cooking Air Filtration with Centrifugal Grease Separation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current ductless cooking ventilation systems are ineffective in removing smoke and lingering odors, as they rely on inadequate grease separators and odor filters that block airflow and fail to capture cooking by-products efficiently.
Innovation Solution
A duct-free cooking air filtration system with a centrifugal blower-grease extractor that liquefies and separates grease, followed by a charcoal filter for odor removal and a high-density smoke filter with a large contact area to ensure effective capture and removal of smoke and odors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional grease separators and odor filters are used in ductless range hoods, then the system structure is simple, but the removal efficiency of cooking contaminants (smoke, odor, grease) is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The filtration system is divided into three distinct functional stages: (1) a grease separator that removes grease particles from the air stream, (2) a charcoal filter that adsorbs odors, and (3) a smoke filter that captures smoke particles. This segmentation allows each component to specialize in removing specific contaminants, significantly improving overall removal efficiency while maintaining manageable system complexity through modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
Each filter is positioned and designed to address specific local contamination issues: the grease separator is located first to handle heavy grease particles, the charcoal filter is positioned second for odor absorption, and the smoke filter is placed third to capture remaining smoke. This local quality approach optimizes the performance of each component for its specific function within the overall filtration system.
2Ease of operation
If thin odor filters are used in conventional systems, then the device complexity is low, but the capture space and natural airflow are blocked
Solution Approach 1:
The grease separator is designed to extract and remove grease particles from the air stream before the air reaches the charcoal and smoke filters. This extraction function prevents grease from contaminating the other filters, maintaining their effectiveness and allowing the hood aperture to remain relatively open for efficient capture of cooking contaminants while still providing effective filtration downstream.
3Reliability
If conventional filters are used, then the system is easy to manufacture, but smoke and lingering odors are not effectively removed
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs a composite filtration approach combining three different material types: a grease-separating material (such as oiled baffle boards or specialized grease-filtering media), activated charcoal for odor adsorption, and a smoke-filtering material (such as HEPA-grade filters). This composite material strategy leverages the unique properties of each material to address different contaminant types, achieving superior smoke and odor removal effectiveness while using commercially available components that remain relatively easy to manufacture and assemble.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system efficiently captures and removes grease, odors, and smoke, preventing contamination of the charcoal filter and ensuring effective odor and smoke removal, with the centrifugal blower-separator allowing unobstructed airflow and prolonged exposure of air to activated charcoal for enhanced odor removal.
Implementation Method 1
a grease extracting blower unit takes in air, grease, and smoke through the hood and exhausts air and smoke through the exhaust section of the housing with a substantial amount of the grease removed by centrifugal force
Implementation Method 2
A thick, heavy charcoal filter advantageously ensures that the exhaust air flow remains in contact with the activated filter media for a sufficiently long period of time to remove odor
Implementation Method 3
a smoke filter removes smoke from the air passed through the charcoal filter
Data Source
AI summary
A duct-free air filtration system including a housing having a hood for capturing air, grease, and smoke, and an elongated exhaust section in fluid communication with the hood. A grease extracting blower unit takes in air, grease, and smoke through the hood and exhausts air and smoke through the exhaust section of the housing with a substantial amount of the grease removed by centrifugal force. A charcoal filter disposed in the exhaust section removes odors from the air exhausted from the grease extracting blower unit and a smoke filter removes smoke from the air passed through the charcoal filter.