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Publications

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1.

Zhao, Kun; Gollner, Michael J; Liu, Qiong; Gong, Junhui; Yang, Lizhong

Lateral Flame Spread over PMMA Under Forced Air Flow Journal Article

In: Fire Technology, 2019, ISSN: 0015-2684.

Abstract | Links | BibTeX

@article{Zhao2019,
title = {Lateral Flame Spread over PMMA Under Forced Air Flow},
author = {Kun Zhao and Michael J Gollner and Qiong Liu and Junhui Gong and Lizhong Yang},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s10694-019-00904-x http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10694-019-00904-x},
doi = {10.1007/s10694-019-00904-x},
issn = {0015-2684},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-09-01},
journal = {Fire Technology},
publisher = {Springer US},
abstract = {In wildland and other flame spread scenarios a spreading fire front often forms an elliptical shape, incorporating both forward and lateral spread. While lateral flame spread is much slower than forward rates of spread, it still contributes to the growth of the overall fire front. In this work, a small-scale experiment is performed to investigate the mechanisms causing this lateral spread in a simple, small-scale configuration. PMMA strips with thicknesses ranging from 1 mm to 3.1 mm and widths of 5 cm and 10 cm were ignited under forced flow in a laminar wind tunnel. Unlike traditional concurrent or opposed flame spread experiments, flames were allowed to progress from one side of the sample to the other, perpendicular to the wind direction. An infrared camera was used to track the progression of the pyrolysis front by estimating the surface temperature of the PMMA. The flame spread rate, depth of the burning region, thermal diffusion length, and radiant heat flux were determined and analyzed. Based on a theory of heat and mass transfer for a laminar diffusion flame, a thermal heat transfer model was developed for the preheating region to predict the lateral flame spread rate. Results show that the thermal diffusion length decreases with wind velocity, ranging from 4.5 mm to 3 mm. Convection dominates the flame-spread rate, accounting for more than 80% of the total heat flux. The theoretical flame spread rate agrees well with experimental data from all but the thinnest samples tested, overpredicting the lateral flame spread rate for 1 mm thick samples. The resulting model for lateral flame spread under concurrent flow works for forced-flow dominated flame spread over thermally-thin fuels and helps provide physical insight into the problem, aiding in future development of two-dimensional, elliptical fire spread models.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}

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In wildland and other flame spread scenarios a spreading fire front often forms an elliptical shape, incorporating both forward and lateral spread. While lateral flame spread is much slower than forward rates of spread, it still contributes to the growth of the overall fire front. In this work, a small-scale experiment is performed to investigate the mechanisms causing this lateral spread in a simple, small-scale configuration. PMMA strips with thicknesses ranging from 1 mm to 3.1 mm and widths of 5 cm and 10 cm were ignited under forced flow in a laminar wind tunnel. Unlike traditional concurrent or opposed flame spread experiments, flames were allowed to progress from one side of the sample to the other, perpendicular to the wind direction. An infrared camera was used to track the progression of the pyrolysis front by estimating the surface temperature of the PMMA. The flame spread rate, depth of the burning region, thermal diffusion length, and radiant heat flux were determined and analyzed. Based on a theory of heat and mass transfer for a laminar diffusion flame, a thermal heat transfer model was developed for the preheating region to predict the lateral flame spread rate. Results show that the thermal diffusion length decreases with wind velocity, ranging from 4.5 mm to 3 mm. Convection dominates the flame-spread rate, accounting for more than 80% of the total heat flux. The theoretical flame spread rate agrees well with experimental data from all but the thinnest samples tested, overpredicting the lateral flame spread rate for 1 mm thick samples. The resulting model for lateral flame spread under concurrent flow works for forced-flow dominated flame spread over thermally-thin fuels and helps provide physical insight into the problem, aiding in future development of two-dimensional, elliptical fire spread models.

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  • https://doi.org/10.1007/s10694-019-00904-x http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s106[...]
  • doi:10.1007/s10694-019-00904-x

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Magazine Articles

Pathways for Building Fire Spread in the Wildland Urban Interface
Gollner, M.J., Society of Fire Protection Engineers’ Emerging Trends Newsletter, Issue 101. 2015

Pathways for Building Fire Spread in the Wildland Urban Interface
Gollner, M.J., SFPE Emerging Trends Newsletter, Society of Fire Protection Engineers, August, 2015.

The Flammability of a Storage Commodity
Gollner, M.J., Fire Protection Engineering Magazine, Society of Fire Protection Engineers, April 2014.

Theses

Effect of Microgravity on the Development and Structure of Fire Whirls

Jones, Michael, M.S. Thesis, University of Maryland College Park, 2020

A STUDY OF INTERMITTENT CONVECTIVE HEATING OF FINE LIVE WILDLAND FUELS

Orcurto, Ashlynne R, M.S. Thesis, Univeristy of Maryland, College Park, 2020

Laboratory Studies on the Generation of Firebrands from Cylindrical Wooden Dowels
Caton, Sara, M.S. Thesis, University of Maryland, College Park, 2017

Thermal Characterization of Firebrand Piles
Hakes, Raquel Sara Pilar, M.S. Thesis, University of Maryland, College Park, 2017

The Structure of the Blue Whirl: A Soot-Free Reacting Vortex Phenomenon
Sriram Bharath Hariharan, M.S. Thesis, University of Maryland, College Park, 2017

Moisture Content Effects on Energy and Emissions Released During Combustion of Pyrophytic Vegetation
Nathaniel Andrew May, M.S. Thesis, University of Maryland, College Park, 2017
A Fundamental Study of Boundary Layer Diffusion Flames
Singh, Ajay. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Maryland, College Park, 2015.
In Situ Burning Alternatives
Cohen, Brian, M.S. Thesis, University of Maryland, College Park, 2014.
Flame Spread Through Wooden Dowels
Zhao, Zhao, M.S. Thesis, University of Maryland, College Park, 2014.
Upward Flame Spread over Discreet Fuels
Miller, Colin, M.S. Thesis, University of Maryland, College Park, 2014
Studying Wildland Fire Spread Using Stationary Burners
Gorham, D.J., M.S. Thesis, University of Maryland, College Park, 2014.
Transient Fire Load on Aluminum Ferries (PDF)
Hall, B. M.S. Thesis, University of Maryland, College Park, 2014.
Studies on Upward Flame Spread (PDF, Official Copy, Presentation)
Gollner, MJ. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of California, San Diego, 2012.
A Fundamental Approach to Storage Commodity Classification (PDF, Proquest, Presentation)
Gollner, M.J. M.S. Thesis, University of California, San Diego, 2010.

Reports

Literature Review on Spaceport Fire Safety (NFPA Site)
Erin Griffith, Alicea Fitzpatrick, Seth Lattner, Joseph Dowling, Michael J. Gollner

Towards Data-Driven Operational Wildfire Spread Modeling: A REPORT OF THE NSF-FUNDED WIFIRE WORKSHOP
Gollner, M.J. and Trouve, A., 2015.

Pathways for Building Fire Spread at the Wildland Urban Interface (NFPA Site)
Gollner, M.J., Hakes, R., Caton, S. and Kohler, K., Fire Protection Research Foundation, National Fire Protection Association, March, 2015.

Literature Review on Hybrid Fire Suppression Systems
Raia, P. and Gollner, M.J., Fire Protection Research Foundation, National Fire Protection Association, May 2014.

Fire Safety Design and Sustainable Buildings: Challenges and Opportunities: Report of a National Symposium
Gollner, M.J., Kimball, A. and Vecchiarelli, T., Fire Protection Research Foundation, National Fire Protection Association, 2013.

Copyright Notes

In following copyright law, most journals allow their authors to share post-prints of their journal articles (essentially pre-prints with changes from the review process but lacking any publisher modifications or typesetting). Therefore, I have posted PDF Post-Prints of most journal articles in addition to document object identifier (DOI) links to the articles on the publishers site (sometimes requiring subscription). For more information about journal copyrights, please visit http://www.sherpa.ac.uk/romeo/. I have posted some conference proceedings on Research Gate. If you do not have access to a final article version, please contact me.

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