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Author
Trelles, J. J. | McGrattan, K. B. | Baum, H. R.
Title
Smoke Transport by Sheared Winds.
Coporate
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD
Journal
Combustion Theory and Modelling, Vol. 3, 323-341, 1999
Keywords
smoke transport | wind effects | buoyant plumes | large eddy simulation | regional meteorology | fire plumes | fire behavior | mathematical models
Abstract
The effect that the wind's vertical variation has on fire plume behaviour is investigated. A parabolized set of governing equations are discretized using finite differences to arrive at the numerical model. Lagrangian particles are used to visualize the flow, account for atmospheric fluctuations and determine the smoke concentration field. A parametric study based on varying the wind lapse rate is performed. Four cases from actual soundings are analysed with both the actual and an averaged constant wind. The results suggest that an increasing wind profile suppresses plume dynamics, leading to decreased plume rise heights.