Getting the Most from Your Cooking Equipment

Direct or Indirect Heating?

A look at Kitchen Ventilation Make-Up Air Systems
Tom Stroozas - CFE, RCGC, CFSP

hanks to a recent White Paper by the

Foodservice Consultants Society International
(FCSI), we now have what should become a
universally accepted Best Practice guide for the design
and specification of one of the most misunderstood
and misapplied, out of sight, out of mind appliances
employed in every commercial kitchen the cooking
equipment ventilation system. This briefing will
summarize the recommendations of
the comprehensive study relative to
incorporating a heated make-up air
system into your kitchen and
reviewing the two prescribed
methods for doing so Direct or
Indirect Gas-Heated Systems.
Its no secret that the kitchen
v e ntilation s ystem is one of
the largest energy-consuming
appliances in the foodservice
industry. In a typical foodservice
establishment, the HVAC system
typically accounts for 20% - 30% of
the facilitys total energy consumption, with the
kitchen ventilation system representing nearly half of
that load.
For many years, the complex interactions between a
buildings overall HVAC system, make-up air, and
exhaust systems were not well documented. Recent
research sponsored by the California Energy
Commission, Pacific Gas & Electric, and others has
resulted in design recommendations for commercial
kitchen ventilation systems that can achieve significant

performance improvements, including lower

operating costs, increased energy efficiency,
reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, improved
indoor air quality (IAQ), and overall better
comfort for kitchen staff.

Best Practices for Optimization

In some situations, such as
Quick Service Restaurant
(QSR) concepts, it may be
acceptable to have 100% of the
make-up air (MUA) provided
through rooftop HVAC units.
However, in full service and
institutional kitchens with
larger exhaust requirements, it
may not be practical or energy
efficient to supply 100% of the
replacement air through the
building HVAC system. An
independent MUA supply is
often the answer, but it requires careful design. Not
only can make-up air velocities affect the ability of
the hood to capture and contain cooking effluent,
locally supplied make-up air that is too cold or too
hot can create an uncomfortable working
environment and significantly increase the energy
consumption of the HVAC system.
Before we look at the energy saving attributes of
gas-fired make-up air units, lets review some basic
design strategies that will help to optimize MUA and

COOKING FOR PROFIT comes to you compliments of your gas energy provider/January 15, 2007

improve the performance and energy efficiency of

your kitchen ventilation system.
Minimize the design exhaust rate by prudent
selection and application of Underwriters Laboratories
(UL) Listed hoods, and take advantage of the exhaust
flow recommendations from hood suppliers for the
cook line under consideration.
Do not use short-circuit hoods; field and
laboratory investigations have shown that these hoods
fail to capture and contain effluent adequately.
Do not use four-way or slot ceiling diffusers in
the kitchen, especially near hoods. Their higher air
velocity can have a detrimental effect on hood
performance, particularly when the flow through the
diffuser approaches its design limit.
Diversify MUA pathways using a combination of
backwall supply, perforated perimeter supply, face
supply, displacement diffusers, etc. Minimize MUA
velocity near the hood; it should be less than 75 fpm
(feet per minute).

Use direct-fired MUA heating when heating

is necessary.
That last suggestion is where we will focus the
remainder of this article. We will point out the
inherent differences between a direct-fired and
indirect-fired MUA system and show how a directfired system can save an operator a lot of money in
the long run.

How a Make-Up Air System Works

Make-up air systems replace the air exhausted
from the kitchen during the cooking process with
fresh outdoor air that has either been heated or
cooled (depending on the season). It maintains a
constant incoming air temperature regardless of the
outdoor air temperature. Many manufacturers offer
direct-fired burners with turndown ratios of up to

Indirect gas-fired make-up air heating equipment is

only 60% to 80% efficient due to heat exchanger
inefficiency and heat lost up the flue. It is also
possible to experience condensation within heat
exchanger sections of indirect-fired units in cold
climates, which causes corrosion and premature
failure.

Typical direct-fired burner assembly

This can be accomplished by minimizing the

volume (cubic feet per minute) of make-up air through
any one pathway and maximizing the area of the
grilles or diffusers through which the MUA is
supplied, or by using a combination of pathways.
Consider evaporative MUA cooling in dryer
climates. Evaporative cooling can be an effective
method of maintaining MUA temperatures within a
range that is comfortable for kitchen staff and does not
hamper hood performance. However, the maintenance
requirements of evaporative coolers must
be considered.
Consider a variable or two-speed exhaust fan
control for operations with a high diversity of
appliances or with a set schedule of use. Demand
ventilation controls allow reductions in exhaust and
make-up air while appliances are idle to help minimize
operating costs.

30:1 that are 100% efficient all the heat goes

directly into the airstream. The high turndown
capability allows the flame to adjust to wide,
outdoor-air temperature swings throughout the
heating season. For example, a unit with a maximum
temperature rise of 90F in the winter can adjust
down to as little as a 3F temperature rise for milder
spring and fall weather.
Make-up air systems replenish equal amounts of
fresh air for every cubic foot of air exhausted. Other
types of air-handling systems temper air, but simply
do not offer the efficiency in operating costs and in
fuel consumption while providing comfort that
direct-fired systems deliver. Plus, a direct-fired
system installs easily no vents, flues or chimneys,
which means less maintenance.
A direct-fired make-up air system solves five
major ventilating problems:

COOKING FOR PROFIT comes to you compliments of your gas energy provider/January 15, 2007

 maintains comfort for customers

in the dining room
controls infiltration
replaces stale air with fresh air
prevents negative air pressure
reduces cold and hot spots on the
cooking line and in the kitchen,
resulting in happier employees.
In a direct-fired make-up air unit, the air that is to be
heated is passed directly over an open flame. No heat
exchanger is involved. This design results in an
extremely efficient system that achieves 100%
combustion efficiency and a 92% overall thermal
efficiency (with 8% of the total heat lost in the latent
heat of water formed in combustion). The combustion
is so complete that any remaining combustion products
are well within code-prescribed safety limits. Because
of these benefits, direct-fired units are ideal for
commercial kitchen ventilation applications.

restaurant with similar operating hours; the heat load

then becomes only 1600 therms. Besides, heating
MUA to 55F can be a comfortable and welcome
addition to the kitchen versus not heating it at all
when the oudoor temperatures fall below freezing!
And using lower ductsat settings will prevent the
potential to overheat the MUA being supplied to the
kitchen and cooking line.

Is Safety a Concern?
Some foodservice consultants and mechanical
inspectors have expressed concern over these directfired systems and, thus, have posed a slight
hindrance to marketing efforts. However, directfired MUA is the safe and efficient way to introduce
fresh, make-up air continuously and save a lot of
energy when it comes to comfortable heating
and airflow.

Direct gas-fired make-up air technology is the most

energy efficient choice for heating make-up air
because it does not use a flue or heat exchanger. The
gas is burned directly in the air stream being heated.
That means 100% of the available heat (every BTU
of gas burned) is delivered directly and efficiently
to the building.
Typical direct-fired heater unit

As the name implies, an indirect system utilizes a

heat exchanger where the by-products of combustion
are circulated and vented to the outside. A blower then
circulates the make-up air around the heat exchanger,
where it is heated and drawn into the kitchen. Although
this is a good way to provide heated make-up air, the
fact that a heat exchanger is utilized results in a far less
efficient delivery system than that of a direct-fired
system. Typical efficiencies of indirect make-up air
units are 60% - 80% and thus more costly to operate.
If we run the numbers with the Outdoor Airload
Calculator for Charlotte, NC using 5000 cfm heated to
68F in a restaurant operating 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., the
annual heat load for the MUA heater would be 4000
therms. For simplicity, well use $1.00/therm, making
the annual operating cost $4000. For the indirect heater
at 65% efficiency, this would increase to over $6000
over 50% more! However, turning down the ductstat
might reduce this significantly. Consider, for example,
a direct-fired unit supply heated to only 55F in a

Conservation & Comfort are Key

With the continuing rise and fall of energy prices
over the past couple of years, conservation has
definitely become a critical topic once again. As a
result, the attributes of direct-fired gas make-up air
systems for todays commercial kitchens will go a
long way towards reducing energy costs while
providing a comfortable environment for
kitchen employees.
If you are interested in learning more about
maximizing your profits through improved energy
conservation or how GFEN can assist you in the
evaluation process, log on to www.gfen.info and
look for the directory of participating natural gas
companies and affiliated kitchen ventilation members.
Photos and drawings by D. J. Horton & Associates

COOKING FOR PROFIT comes to you compliments of your gas energy provider/Januray 15, 2007