Simulation study of grass fire using a physics-based model: striving towards numerical rigour and the effect of grass height on the rate of spread
K. A. M. Moinuddin A B E , D. Sutherland A B and W. Mell D
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Centre for Environmental Safety and Risk Engineering, Victoria University, Melbourne 8001, Vic., Australia.
B Bushfire and Natural Hazards Cooperative Research Centre, 340 Albert Street, East Melbourne, Vic., Australia.
C Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Melbourne, Parkville 3010, Vic., Australia.
D US Forest Service, Pacific Wildland Fire Sciences Laboratory, Seattle, WA 98103, USA.
E Corresponding author. Email: khalid.moinuddin@vu.edu.au
International Journal of Wildland Fire 27(12) 800-814 https://doi.org/10.1071/WF17126
Submitted: 21 August 2017 Accepted: 25 September 2018 Published: 2 November 2018
Abstract
Grid-independent rate of spread results from a physics-based simulation are presented. Previously, such a numerical benchmark has been elusive owing to computational restrictions. The grid-converged results are used to systematically construct correlations between the rate of spread (RoS) and both wind speed and grass height, separately. The RoS obtained from the physics-based model is found to be linear with wind speed in the parameter range considered. When wind speed is varied, the physics-based model predicts faster RoS than the Mk III and V (McArthur) models (Noble et al. 1980) but slower than the CSIRO model (Cheney et al. 1998). When the grass height is varied keeping the bulk density constant, the fire front changes from a boundary layer flame mode to plume flame mode as the grass height increases. Once the fires are in plume mode, a higher grass height results in a larger heat release rate of the fire but a slower RoS.
Additional keywords: atmospheric boundary layer, operational model, physics-based modelling, wildland fire, wind speed.
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