How Fuel Moisture Influences Near-Field Plume Development in Prescribed Fires: A Large-Eddy Simulation Study

Prescribed fire is a universally applicable technique of fuel treatment used for forest restoration and wildfire hazard mitigation. The smoke plumes from prescribed fires, however, may be troublesome for the neighboring communities and may substantially impact the air quality and increase the risk of road accidents. The near-field plume development and transport heavily depend on the fuel moisture content. By understanding the spatiotemporal variation of fuel moisture and its effect on turbulent plume dynamics, it may be possible to better guide the prescribed fire plan. This study investigates the effect of fuel moisture on the near-field plume dynamics. Through a series of computations involving a detailed dynamic fuel moisture model coupled with large-eddy simulation, this study compares the plume dynamics and fire propagation for a heading fire over a flat grassland for cases with dynamic and constant fuel moisture content.