Mathematical Modeling of Crown Forest Fire Spread in the Presence of Fire Breaks and Barriers of Finite Size

Abstract

The spread of crown forest fires in the presence of fire breaks and barriers of finite sizes was studied by mathematical modeling. Mathematically, this problem reduces to solving the Reynolds equations for turbulent flow taking into account chemical reactions. The control volume method was used to obtain a discrete analog. The fields of temperature, concentrations of oxygen and volatile pyrolysis and combustion products, and volume fractions of the condensed phase were calculated. The model made it possible to establish the dynamics of the contours of crown forest fire spread, which depend on the amount and type of forest fuel, moisture content, wind velocity and direction, etc. In addition, we determined the dependence of the sizes of fire breaks and barriers on the above parameters for which crown fire spread stops.