Wind flow characterization associated with fire behaviour measurements

Abstract

The relationship between fire behaviour and ambient wind flow is often presumed, but seldom measured. General understanding of observed fire behaviour suggests an increase in fire intensity associated with increased wind speed (Van Wagner 1987, Rothermel 1991, Finny et al. 2006, Forthofer 2007). Fire behaviour characteristics (such as temperature, radiant and total heat flux, 2- and 3-dimensional velocities, and air flow) are extremely difficult to measure in-situ (Jimenez et al. 2007). Studies base on these phenomena often correlate empirical data either from observed wildland fire or laboratory experiments, but few data sets exist that capture ambient wind flow simultaneously with corresponding in-situ fire behaviour measurements. This paper reports on the corresponding fire behaviour and wind field relationship on six field study plots that were instrumented with several fire behaviour packages (Butler el al. 2004), and a network of wind anemometer towers deployed around the perimeter of each plot. The study plots were part of the Prescribed Fire Combustion and Atmospheric Dynamics Research Experiment (RxCADRE) 2012 field campaign, with the objectives aimed at developing synergies between fuels, fuel consumption, fire behaviour, smoke management, and fire effects measurements for fire model development and evaluation.