Study of Baffle Height and Wind Velocity Effect on the Characteristics of Pool Fires in a Wind Tunnel

Abstract

Wind-blown pool fire accidents in a ventilated tunnel usually pose and present serious risks to properties and personal safety. In this paper, the flame characteristics and flow field changes of pool fires under the combined influence of baffles and crosswinds were investigated using wind tunnel experiments and numerical simulations. The fire experiments reveal that the flame length increases first, then decreases with increasing crosswind speeds up to 3 m/s and then becomes almost constant. Finally, as the wind speed continues to increase, the flame length remains constant. The flame height decreases with crosswind speed up to 3 m/s and then remains almost unchanged. As for the flame tilt angle, the flame above the baffle increases first and then remains unchanged when the velocity of crosswind increases from 2 to 5 m/s. According to the simulation results, the clockwise rotating eddy will be generated downstream of the baffle. The recirculation zone on the surface of the pool transfers the fresh air to the flame. The vortex zone downstream of the pool can retain heat and send back unignited fuel vapor to be burned rather than being blown away. The results may provide beneficial suggestions for understanding flame development behind obstacles for ventilated tunnels.