Dynamics of fire whirls and dust devils

该项目旨在发展基本的理解和模型，为开发更准确的火灾前沿传播计算机模型提供信息。火旋风和尘暴是由环流和浮力相互作用产生的强烈旋转的局部涡流，可能延伸到数百米的空中。通过将火把投射到远离地面的地方，火旋风可以在火锋之外引发点火，以比大多数火蔓延模型预测的更高的速度推进火锋。该项目旨在利用与实验室实验相匹配的计算流体动力学和结果的尺寸分析，提高对产生和稳定这些流动的当地条件的理解。

The project aims to develop fundamental understanding and models to inform the development of more accurate computer models of fire front propagation. Fire whirls and dust devils are strongly swirling localised vortex flows that result from an interplay of circulation and buoyancy, may extend hundreds of metres into the air. By projecting firebrands well away from the ground strike, fire whirls can initiate spot fires well beyond a fire front, advancing fronts at much higher speeds than most fire spread models predict. The project aims to improve understanding of the sets of local conditions that produce and stabilise these flows, using computational fluid dynamics matched to laboratory experiments and dimensional analysis of results.