A Numerical Study of Crown Forest Fires Behaviour

Abstract

The theoretical investigation of the problems oflarge forest fires initiation and spread was carried out in thispaper. Mathematical model of forest fire was based on ananalysis of experimental data and using concept and methodsfrom reactive media mechanics. The research was based onnumerical solution of three dimensional Reynolds equations. Theboundary-value problem is solved numerically using the methodof splitting according to physical processes. A discrete analoguefor the system of equations was obtained by means of the controlvolume method. The developed numerical model of forest fireinitiation and spreading would make it possible to obtain adetailed picture of the variation in the velocity, temperature andchemical species concentration fields with time. The results ofcalculation give an opportunity to describe conditions of crownforest fires initiation and spread at different properties of forestsand meteorological conditions. Forest fires contours and theirsizes depend on crown properties: bulk density, moisture contentof forest fuel, distribution of combustion sources and etc.