Generation of Firebrands from the Burning of Full-Scale Vegetation in the Absence of Ambient Wind

Published

October 22, 2023

Author(s)

Isaac Leventon, Mahdi Tlemsani, Mohammadhadi Hajilou, Xiaoyu Ju, Michael Gollner

Abstract

Between December 2019 and January 2020, 14 full-scale experiments were conducted at the University of Maryland (UMD) in collaboration with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to measure variations in burning behavior and firebrand yield (i.e., mass of firebrands generated per total mass lost: = mfirebrands/ mburned as full-scale vegetation burned in the absence of ambient wind (crossflow). Measurements – including initial and final sample mass, time-resolved mass loss rate during burning, mass of firebrands generated, and time-resolved total heat flux (2 m away from the tree) – were obtained in replicate tests conducted on three unique tree species, each burning at a range of moisture contents (MC). Specifically, across all tests, initial moisture content varied between 0 and 128 %. Firebrand yield has been reported elsewhere[1,2]; however, this experimental series is unique in terms of the total number of firebrands collected (more than 10,000 across all 14 tests) and because is calculated from full-scale experiments, in replicate tests conducted on multiple fuel species with a wide range of initial moisture contents. Measured values of varied between 0.004 and 0.027, showing an inverse dependence on initial moisture content but no clear dependence on species. Further analysis quantified the sensitivity of measured firebrand mass and size (projected area) distributions to differences in tree species, size, moisture content, and peak mass loss rate.

Proceedings Title

IAFSS14

Conference Dates

October 21-27, 2023

Conference Location

Tsukuba, JP

Pub Type

Conferences

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Keywords

burning behavior, firebrand characteristics, firebrand yield, vegetative fuels, wildfires

Citation

Leventon, I. , Tlemsani, M. , Hajilou, M. , Ju, X. and Gollner, M. (2023), Generation of Firebrands from the Burning of Full-Scale Vegetation in the Absence of Ambient Wind, IAFSS14, Tsukuba, JP, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=956815 (Accessed April 9, 2026)