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Author(s):
Abdelrahman Abouali, Domingos Xavier Viegas, J. R. Raposo
Year Published:

Cataloging Information

Topic(s):
Fire Behavior
Simulation Modeling
Weather

NRFSN number: 23975
FRAMES RCS number: 64639
Record updated:

This paper presents results from a computational and laboratory investigation of wind flow and fire spread over an isolated sloped-ridgeline laboratory-scale hill under various slopes with the wind blowing perpendicularly to the ridgeline. The results show two situations of unexpected or unusual fire behaviour; one is a lateral spread of the fire front over the windward face into a down-ridge direction resulting from a strong near-surface flow component parallel to the ridgeline. The other behaviour is a lateral enlargement of the fire front near the ridgeline over the leeward face in an up-ridge direction resulting from a flow parallel to the ridgeline. Comparison with reference fire spread rates and wind flow observations highlight the importance of the interaction between terrain-modified flow mechanisms and the fire in which they result in accelerated flows that drive the indicated unexpected behaviour.

Citation

Abouali, Abdelrahman; Viegas, Domingos Xavier; Raposo, Jorge Rafael. 2021. Analysis of the wind flow and fire spread dynamics over a sloped-ridgeline hill. Combustion and Flame 234:111724. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.combustflame.2021.111724

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