Numerical simulations of grass fires using a coupled atmosphere-fire model: Basic fire behavior and dependence on wind speed

被引:139
作者
Linn, RR [1 ]
Cunningham, P
机构
[1] Los Alamos Natl Lab, Div Earth & Environm Sci, Los Alamos, NM 87545 USA
[2] Florida State Univ, Dept Meteorol, Tallahassee, FL 32306 USA
[3] Florida State Univ, Inst Geophys Fluid Dynam, Tallahassee, FL 32306 USA
关键词
D O I
10.1029/2004JD005597
中图分类号
P4 [大气科学(气象学)];
学科分类号
0706 ; 070601 ;
摘要
Numerical simulations using a fire model, FIRETEC, coupled to an atmospheric dynamics model, HIGRAD, are examined to investigate several fundamental aspects of fire behavior in grasslands, and specifically the dependence of this behavior on the ambient atmospheric winds and on the initial length of the fire line. The FIRETEC model is based on a multi-phase transport approach, and incorporates representations of the physical processes that govern wildfires, such as combustion and radiative and convective heat exchange. Results from the coupled model show that the forward spread of the simulated fires increases with increasing ambient wind speed, and the spread rates are consistent with those observed in field experiments of grass fires; however, the forward spread also depends significantly on the initial length of the fire line, and for a given ambient wind speed the spread rate for long (100 m) lines is greater than that for short (16 m) lines. The spread of the simulated fires in the lateral direction also depends on the ambient wind speed and the length of the fire line, and a possible explanation for this effect is given. For weak ambient winds, the shape of the fire perimeter is dramatically different from that seen with higher wind speeds. The shape of the fire perimeter is also shown to depend on the initial length of the fire line. These differences in fire behavior are attributed to the differences in the nature of the coupled atmosphere-fire interactions among these cases, and are described in terms of the complex interplay between radiative and convective heat transfer.
引用
收藏
页数:19
相关论文
共 40 条
[11]   THE INFLUENCE OF FUEL, WEATHER AND FIRE SHAPE VARIABLES ON FIRE-SPREAD IN GRASSLANDS [J].
CHENEY, NP ;
GOULD, JS ;
CATCHPOLE, WR .
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF WILDLAND FIRE, 1993, 3 (01) :31-44
[12]   Fire growth in grassland fuels [J].
Cheney, NP ;
Gould, JS .
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF WILDLAND FIRE, 1995, 5 (04) :237-247
[13]   Prediction of fire spread in grasslands [J].
Cheney, NP ;
Gould, JS ;
Catchpole, WR .
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF WILDLAND FIRE, 1998, 8 (01) :1-13
[14]   Numerical simulations of grassland fires in the Northern Territory, Australia: A new subgrid-scale fire parameterization [J].
Clark, TL ;
Griffiths, M ;
Reeder, MJ ;
Latham, D .
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-ATMOSPHERES, 2003, 108 (D18)
[15]   Description of a coupled atmosphere-fire model [J].
Clark, TL ;
Coen, J ;
Latham, D .
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF WILDLAND FIRE, 2004, 13 (01) :49-63
[16]   A coupled atmosphere-fire model: Role of the convective Froude number and dynamic fingering at the fireline [J].
Clark, TL ;
Jenkins, MA ;
Coen, JL ;
Packham, DR .
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF WILDLAND FIRE, 1996, 6 (04) :177-190
[17]  
Clark TL, 1996, J APPL METEOROL, V35, P875, DOI 10.1175/1520-0450(1996)035<0875:ACAMCF>2.0.CO
[18]  
2
[19]   Coherent vortical structures in numerical simulations of buoyant plumes from wildland fires [J].
Cunningham, P ;
Goodrick, SL ;
Hussaini, MY ;
Linn, RR .
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF WILDLAND FIRE, 2005, 14 (01) :61-75
[20]  
Drysdale D., 1998, An introduction to fire Dynamics