A simulation model for forest fires

Abstract

The control of forest fires is a very important problem for many countries around the world. Proper containment and risk management depend on the availability of reliable forecasts of the flame front propagation under the prevailing wind conditions, taking into account the terrain features and other environmental variables. In this paper we discuss our initial development of the central part of an integrated system, namely a tool to simulate the advancement of the flame front, We discuss the pyrolisis model, the wood characteristics taken into account, and the modeling of heat exchange phenomena; this modeling tool is derived from the well known fluid dynamics code Kiva, originally developed for engine design applications, Finally, we give an overview of the future directions of development for this activity, with special attention to the models of combustion employed. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2006.