Heat Flow Measurements From Smoldering Porous Fuel

Abstract

A stirred water calorimeter measured the total downward heat load beneath a simulated smoldering organic soil horizon of peat moss. Moisture and inorganic ratios (fraction of water and inorganic contents relative to organic dry mass) of the peat moss ranged from 0 to 0.6 and near 0 to 4 respectively. Feat moss was packed to organic hulk densities of 90 kg m^-3 and 120 kg m^-3 at depths of 2 cm, 4 cm, and 6 cm. Total heat load was recorded over the range of conditions given above. Data were analyzed by stepwise multiple linear regression. Measured heat loads were within the range of 10 MJ m^-2 to 100 MJ m^-2. The heat load increased nonlinearly with increasing inorganic ratio and decreased linearly with increasing moisture ratio. The heat load is linear with depth holding the organic hulk density and the moisture and inorganic ratios constant.