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Examination of WFDS in Modeling Spreading Fires in a Furniture Calorimeter

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Abstract

Validation of physics-based models of fire behavior requires comparing systematically and objectively simulated results and experimental observations in different scenarios, conditions and scales. Heat Release Rate (HRR) is a key parameter for understanding combustion processes in vegetation fires and a main output data of physics-based models. This paper addresses the validation of the Wildland-urban interface Fire Dynamics Simulator (WFDS) through the comparison of predicted and measured values of HRR from spreading fires in a furniture calorimeter. Experimental fuel beds were made up of Pinus pinaster needles and three different fuel loadings (i.e. 0.6, 0.9 and 1.2 kg/m2) were tested under no-slope and up-slope conditions (20°). An Arrhenius type model for solid-phase degradation including char oxidation was implemented in WFDS. To ensure the same experimental and numerical conditions, sensitivity analyses were carried out in order to determine the grid resolution to capture the flow dynamics within the hood of the experimental device and to assess the grid resolution’s influence on the outputs of the model. The comparison of experimental and predicted HRR values showed that WFDS calculates accurately the mean HRR values during the steady-state of fire propagation. It also reproduces correctly the duration of the flaming combustion phase, which is directly tied to the fire rate of spread.

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Abbreviations

A :

Pre-exponential factor Arrhenius rate equations

c p :

Specific heat

dx b :

Grid size in the fuel bed

\( dx_{{{\text{b}}, \delta_{R} /3}} \) :

Grid size in the fuel bed computed as a third of the extinction length

\( dx_{{b, \delta_{R} /5}} \) :

Grid size in the fuel bed computed as a fifth of the extinction length

dx g :

Grid size for the reacting flow

\( dx_{{{\text{g}}, z_{c} min}} \) :

Grid size for the reacting flow computed as a sixteenth of z c,line

\( dx_{{g,z_{c} max}} \) :

Grid size for the reacting flow computed as a fourth of \( z_{c,line} \)

E :

Heat released per unit mass of O2 consumed during combustion or activation energy in Arrhenius rate equations divided by the gas constant

\( F_{{C_{D} }} \) :

Drag coefficient factor

g :

Standard gravity

h b :

Fuel bed depth

h c,e :

Convective heat transfer coefficient

HRR:

Heat released rate

I b :

Blackbody radiation intensity

LSHR:

Large Scale Hate Release apparatus (furniture calorimeter)

M:

Fuel moisture content of vegetation (dry basis)

MLR:

Mass loss rate

\( \dot{n}_{{O_{2} }}^{^\circ } \) :

Molar flow rate of O2 in the incoming air

\( \dot{n}_{{O_{2} }} \) :

Molar flow rate of O2 in the exhaust duct

OCC:

Oxygen consumption calorimetry

\( \dot{q} \) :

Heat release rate of the fire

\( \dot{q}^{\prime} \) :

Fire line intensity

\( \dot{q}_{c,b}^{\prime \prime \prime } \) :

Convective heat source

\( \dot{q}_{r,b}^{\prime \prime } \) :

Radiative heat source

r :

Radius

R:

Reaction rate

Re:

Reynolds number

RH:

Relative humidity

std:

Standard deviation

T :

Temperature

\( \varvec{u} \) :

Velocity vector

U :

Integrated radiation intensity

V:

Volume

Veg :

Vegetation

\( W_{{O_{2} }} \) :

Molecular weight of O2

Y:

Mass fraction

\( z_{c} \) :

Characteristic diameter of a fire defined by means of the heat release rate

\( z_{c,line} \) :

Characteristic length scale of a line fire defined by means of the fire line intensity

α char :

Fraction of the energy produced by the char combustion reaction that is deposited in the solid phase

α e :

Volume fraction of the solid-phase

β char :

Constant in char oxidation rate equation

β e :

Packing ratio

δ R :

Extinction length

κ :

Radiative absorption coefficient

\( \Delta h_{c} \) :

Mass-based heat of combustion

\( \Delta h_{char} \) :

Heat of char oxidation

\( \Delta h_{pyr} \) :

Heat of pyrolysis

\( \Delta h_{vap} \) :

Heat of vaporization

μ :

Dynamic viscosity of the gaseous mixture

\( \nu_{{O_{2} ,char}} \) :

Stoichiometric constant for char oxidation

ρ :

Mass density

σ e :

Surface-to-volume ratio for fuel elements

χ ash :

Fraction of char converted to ash

χ char :

Fraction of the dry vegetation converted to char

χ r :

Fraction of local chemical heat release radiated to surroundings

χ s :

Fraction of consumed fuel mass converted to soot

a :

Ambient

ash :

Ash residue from combustion

b :

Bulk quantity

char :

Char oxidation

CO 2 :

Carbon dioxide

dry :

Dry vegetation

e :

Fuel element type

F :

Fuel vapor

g :

Gaseous mixture or gas-phase

H 2 O :

Water vapor

O 2 :

Oxygen

pyr :

Pyrolysis

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Acknowledgments

This work was partly supported by the HPC Center of Champagne-Ardenne ROMEO, CINES (Centre Informatique National de l’Enseignement Supérieur) and the University of Corsica.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. SPE–UMR 6134 CNRS, University of Corsica, Campus Grimaldi, BP 52, 20250, Corte, France

    Y. Perez-Ramirez, P. A. Santoni, J. B. Tramoni & F. Bosseur

  2. Pacific Wildland Fire Science Laboratory, U.S. Forest Service, 400 N 34th Street, Suite 201, Seattle, WA, 98103, USA

    W. E. Mell

Authors
  1. Y. Perez-Ramirez
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  5. F. Bosseur
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Correspondence to Y. Perez-Ramirez.

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Perez-Ramirez, Y., Mell, W.E., Santoni, P.A. et al. Examination of WFDS in Modeling Spreading Fires in a Furniture Calorimeter. Fire Technol 53, 1795–1832 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10694-017-0657-z

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