Kitchen Hood Impact Filter With Grease Trap for Small Particle Capture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing filters for kitchen exhaust hoods are ineffective in removing small grease particles and require frequent cleaning, leading to high maintenance costs and contamination of ducting systems.
Innovation Solution
The application of impactor technology to design a filter system that uses differential inertia to separate and collect small grease particles from the air stream, with a nozzle and impact plate configuration that accelerates air and particles to separate them based on size, and a baffle system to prevent re-entrainment of collected contaminants.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If known grease filters and screens are used to remove contaminants from kitchen exhaust, then large particles (10 microns and larger) are removed, but small grease particles are not effectively captured and frequent cleaning is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the fundamental operating parameters of the filter system by introducing an impactor mechanism that uses high-velocity air streams (supersonic or subsonic) to impinge particles on a surface. This parameter change enables the removal of small grease particles that conventional filters cannot capture, thereby improving reliability while reducing cleaning frequency through more effective particle capture.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the conventional mechanical filtration system (screens and filters that rely on physical blocking) with an impactor system that uses aerodynamic forces and particle inertia. This substitution allows for more effective separation of small particles from the air stream, addressing both the effectiveness and maintenance frequency issues.
2Ease of manufacture
If conventional filters are used in kitchen exhaust systems, then installation is simple, but maintenance costs are high due to frequent cleaning requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The impactor design allows grease and particles to be collected on a surface where they can be easily accessed and removed. The system essentially self-cleans by directing particles to a collection point, reducing the need for complex maintenance procedures and lowering maintenance costs while maintaining installation simplicity.
3Reliability
If impactor technology is applied to remove small grease particles, then particle removal effectiveness is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The impactor system is divided into distinct functional segments: the nozzle or opening for accelerating air, the impact surface for particle collection, and the region for separating clean air from collected particles. This segmentation allows for effective small particle removal while maintaining relatively simple construction and ease of maintenance.
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 impact filter efficiently removes small grease particles from the air stream, reducing the need for frequent cleaning and minimizing contamination of ducting systems, while allowing for continuous operation and easy maintenance.
Implementation Method 1
Inertia of particles heavier than air carries the particles against or close to an impact surface. However, the air stream having negligible inertia turns more quickly.
Implementation Method 2
The particles of greater mass deviate from the air stream and hit the impact surface. The influence of the surface on the deflection path that each particle follows depends on the mass of the particle.
Implementation Method 3
isolation of the collected contaminants from the exiting air stream
Data Source
AI summary
An impact filter suitable for a kitchen exhaust hood is provided with a grease trap to capture grease particles and channel the particles away. The trap can be of different configurations. The filter can be used in various processes to clean air streams, such as filtering processes for removing grease and other cooking exhaust particles and other processes for removing grease particles.