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A two-dimensional model for large-scale bushfire spread

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 February 2009

Lawrence K. Forbes
Lawrence K. Forbes
Affiliation:
Department of Mathematics, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, AUSTRALIA
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Abstract

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A model for bushfire spread is proposed, in which radiative heat transfer, species consumption and flammable gas production are taken into account. It is shown that fire propagation in this model does not occur as a one-dimensional travelling wave, except for smouldering combustion of wet bushland. Numerical solutions for the evolution of a line fire are obtained using a diagonally implicit finite difference scheme, and the effects of firebreaks and uncleared combustible debris are studied. An energy theorem is presented for the case of a spreading two-dimensional fire, and numerical results are illustrated.

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
The ANZIAM Journal , Volume 39 , Issue 2 , October 1997, pp. 171 - 194
Copyright
Copyright © Australian Mathematical Society 1997

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