Fluid Dynamics of Airtanker Firefighting

Abstract

Airtanker firefighting is the most spectacular tool used to fight wildland fires. However, it employs a rudimentary large-scale spraying technology operating at a high speed and a long distance from the target. This review gives an overview of the fluid dynamics processes that govern this practice, which are characterized by rich and varied physical phenomena. The liquid column penetration in the air, its large-scale fragmentation, and an intense surface atomization give shape to the rainfall produced by the airtanker and the deposition of the final product on the ground. The cloud dynamics is controlled by droplet breakup, evaporation, and wind dispersion. The process of liquid deposition onto the forest canopy is full of open questions of great interest for rainfall retention in vegetation. Of major importance, but still requiring investigation, is the role of the complex non-Newtonian viscoelastic and shear-thinning behavior of the retardant dropped to stop the fire propagation. The review describes the need for future research devoted to the subject.