Development of a Predictive Model of the Performance of Domestic Gas Ovens Using Computational Fluid Dynamics

The history of the development of domestic gas ovens is outlined, and current designs of gas ovens are described. A need for improvements in the design and performance of domestic gas ovens is identified. These may be investigated through development of models of oven/food systems, and the technique of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) was selected as an appropriate method for the modelling of such systems.
Basic heat transfer and fluid flow theory is presented and the principles on which the CFD technique is based are outlined. PHOENICS, the CFD software package used in this project, is described together with additional coding used to adapt the basic software for the present application.
The basic input data needed to specify the CFD models are detailed, some of which were obtained by direct measurement on real ovens and foods. These included: the mass flowrate through the oven; oven wall heat losses; and thermal properties for food samples.
The results for CFD models of an empty conventional gas oven, and of ovens containing solid objects e.g. food samples, are reported, and their validation by comparison of predicted and measured temperatures and velocities is described. Good agreement between predicted and real data was achieved.
The CFD technique developed was applied to the modelling of a number of novel oven designs. The implications of the results predicted for these designs are discussed. The inclusion of fans was shown to lead to a more uniform temperature distribution within gas ovens.
The conclusions from this project with respect to the advantages and limitations of the CFD technique for the modelling of ovens and oven/food systems are reviewed, and recommendations for further work in this area are made.