[go: up one dir, main page]
Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Characterization of Fuel Properties and Fire Spread Rates for Little Bluestem Grass

  • Published:
Fire Technology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Rapid urban sprawl and population decentralization in recent decades have increased the size of the wildland-urban interface and resulted in higher community risk and vulnerability to wildfire. This paper primarily focuses on understanding grass-fueled fires common to Texas and improving the understanding of the physics and fire dynamics that are inherent in the grassland and prairie flame spread problem. Little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) grass was chosen as the grassland fuel due to its prevalent coverage in the Texas area and its relevance to grassland fires in Texas. The methodology in this study relies on a framework to characterize fuel properties of little bluestem grass using small- and intermediate-scale experiments to better predict full-scale fire behavior. An intermediate-scale numerical flame spread model was developed for grass fuels that accounts for fuel moisture content to calculate the mass versus time of a burning little bluestem plant. The results of the small- and intermediate-scale experiments were used to develop input parameters for a field-scale numerical simulation of a grass field using a physics-based computational fire model, Wildland-urban interface Fire Dynamics Simulator (WFDS). A sensitivity analysis was performed to determine the effect of varying WFDS input parameters on the fire spread rate. The results indicate that the fuel moisture content had the most significant impact on the fire spread rate.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13
Fig. 14
Fig. 15
Fig. 16
Fig. 17
Fig. 18
Fig. 19
Fig. 20
Fig. 21

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Clements C (2007) Observing the dynamics of wildland grass fires: fireflux—a field validation experiment. Bull Am Meteorol Soc 1–14

  2. Massada A, Radeloff V, Stewart S, Hawbaker T (2009) Wildfire risk in the wildland–urban interface: a simulation study in northwestern Wisconsin. For Ecol Manage 258(9):1990–1999

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Gray R, Dunivan M, Jones J, Ridenour K, Leathers M, Stafford K (2007) Cross Plains, Texas wildland fire case study. Texas Forest Service, Lufkin

    Google Scholar 

  4. Inciweb (2011) Bastrop fire incident overview. http://www.inciweb.org/incident/2589/. Accessed 1 Dec 2011

  5. Finney MA (2004) FARSITE: Fire area simulator—model development and evaluation. USDA Forest Service Research Paper, RMRS-RP-4 Revised

  6. Mutlu M, Popescu S, Zhao K (2008) Sensitivity analysis of fire behavior modeling with LIDAR-derived surface fuel maps. For Ecol Manage 256(3):289–294

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Hardy C, Heilman W, Weise D, Goodrick S, Ottmar R (2008) Fire behavior science advancement plan

  8. Mell W, Jenkins M, Gould J, Cheney P (2007) A physics-based approach to modelling grassland fires. Int J Wildland Fire 16(1):1–22

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Albini F (1976) Estimating wildfire behavior and effects. USDA Forest Service, intermountain forest and range experiment station, general technical report INT-30, p 92

  10. Anderson H (1982) Aids to determining fuel models for estimating fire behavior. USDA Forest Service, intermountain forest and range experiment station. General technical report, INT-122, p 22

  11. Viney N (1991) A review of fine fuel moisture modelling. Int J Wildland Fire 1(4):215–234

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Bartoli P, Simeoni A, Biteau H, Torero JL, Santoni PA (2011) Determination of the main parameters influencing forest fuel combustion dynamics. Fire Saf J 46(1–2):27–33

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Beer T (1993) The speed of a fire front and its dependence on wind-speed. Int J Wildland Fire 3(4):193–202

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Allred K (1982) Describing the grass inflorescence. J Range Manage 35(5):672–675

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Cheney N, Gould J, Catchpole W (1993) The influence of fuel, weather and fire shape variables on fire-spread in grasslands. Int J Wildland Fire 3(1):31–44

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Mindykowski P, Fuentes A, Consalvi JL, Porterie B (2011) Piloted ignition of wildland fuels. Fire Saf J 46(1–2):34–40

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Tran H, White R (1992) Burning rate of solid wood measured in a heat release rate calorimeter. Fire Mater 16(4):197–206

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Quintiere JG (2006) Fundamentals of fire phenomena. Wiley, Chichester

    Book  Google Scholar 

  19. Society of Fire Protection Engineers (2008) SFPE handbook of fire protection engineering, 4th edn. National Fire Protection Association, Quincy

    Google Scholar 

  20. Anderson H, Rothermel R (1965) Influence of moisture and wind upon the characteristics of free-burning fires. In: Proceedings of symposium (international) on combustion, vol 10. Pittsburgh, pp 1009–1019

  21. Cheney N, Gould J, Catchpole W (1998) Prediction of fire spread in grasslands. Int J Wildland Fire 8(1):1–13

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Rehm R, McDermott R (2009) Mathematical modeling of wildland–urban interface fires. Paper presented at the mathematics and fire workshop, Zaragoza

  23. Sharples JJ, Mcrae RHD, Weber RO, Gill AM (2009) A simple index for assessing fuel moisture content. Environ Model Softw 24(5):637–646

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Madrigal J, Guijarro M, Hernando C, Diez C, Marino E (2011) Estimation of peak heat release rate of a forest fuel bed in outdoor laboratory conditions. J Fire Sci 29(1):53–70

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Mell W, Maranghides A, McDermott R, Manzello S (2009) Numerical simulation and experiments of burning douglas fir trees. Combust Flame 156(10):2023–2041

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Dupuy J, Marechal J, Morvan D (2003) Fires from a cylindrical forest fuel burner: combustion dynamics and flame properties. Combust Flame 135(1–2):65–76

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Stenseng M, Jensen A, Dam-Johansen K (2001) Investigation of biomass pyrolysis by thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. J Anal Appl Pyrol 58–59:765–780

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Zhang Z, Zhang H, Zhou D (2011) Flammability characterisation of grassland species of Songhua Jiang-Nen Jiang Plain (China) using thermal analysis. Fire Saf J 46(5):1–6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Overholt KJ, Ezekoye OA (2012) Characterizing heat release rates using an inverse fire modeling technique. Fire Technology. doi:10.1007/s10694-011-0250-9

  30. Dalgarn M, Wilson R (1975) Net productivity and ecological efficiency of andropogon scoparius growing in an Ohio relict prairie. Ohio J Sci 75(4):194–197

    Google Scholar 

  31. Golley F (1961) Energy values of ecological materials. Ecology 42(3):581–584

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Kidnie S (2009) Fuel load and fire behaviour in the southern Ontario tallgrass prairie. Thesis, University of Toronto

  33. Lyon RE (2000) Solid-state thermochemistry of flaming combustion. In: Grand AF, Wilkie CA (eds) Fire retardancy of polymeric materials. CRC Press, Boca Raton, pp 391–447

    Google Scholar 

  34. Incropera FP (2001) Fundamentals of heat and mass transfer. Wiley, New York

    Google Scholar 

  35. McGrattan K, McDermott R, Hostikka S, Floyd J (2010) Fire dynamics simulator (Version 5): user’s guide. NIST special publication 1019–5. National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg

  36. Ritchie S, Steckler K, Hamins A, Cleary T, Yang J, Kashiwagi T (1997) The effect of sample size on the heat release rate of charring materials. In: Fire safety science: Proceedings of the fifth international symposium, Melbourne, pp 177–188

  37. Rothermel R (1972) A mathematical model for predicting fire spread in wildland fuels. USDA Forest Service Research Paper INT-115

  38. Morvan D, Méradji S, Accary G (2009) Physical modelling of fire spread in grasslands. Fire Saf J 44(1):50–61

    Article  Google Scholar 

  39. Leithead HL, Yarlett LL, Shiflet TN (1971) 100 native forage grasses in 11 southern states (Agriculture handbook no. 389). U.S. Soil Conservation Service

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge contributions from and collaboration with Karen Ridenour and Richard Gray of Texas Forest Service, Kate Crosthwaite of Texas National Guard, and Craig Weinschenk of National Institute of Standards and Technology. The authors also thank Ruddy Mell for his useful comments on the details of WFDS.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Texas, Austin, TX, 78712, USA

    K. J. Overholt, J. Cabrera, A. Kurzawski, M. Koopersmith & O. A. Ezekoye

Authors
  1. K. J. Overholt
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. J. Cabrera
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. A. Kurzawski
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. M. Koopersmith
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. O. A. Ezekoye
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to O. A. Ezekoye.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Overholt, K.J., Cabrera, J., Kurzawski, A. et al. Characterization of Fuel Properties and Fire Spread Rates for Little Bluestem Grass. Fire Technol 50, 9–38 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10694-012-0266-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10694-012-0266-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation