Combustion of Pyrolysis Gases Involved in Wildland Fire: Experimental Study

Authors: VALERIE LEROY, ERIC LEONI, PAUL-ANTOINE SANTONI, LAURENCE BONNEAU

Abstract: In wildland fire the gaseous fuel released from the pyrolysis of vegetation fuels is a complex and highly variable mixture which include CO, CO_2, CH_4, H_2 and light hydrocarbons. A detailed study of the gas-phase oxidation of such a mixture is reported. The experiments were performed in a perfectly stirred reactor (PSR) at 1 atm, over the temperature range 773 -- 1273 K and for equivalence ratio of 1 and 1.2. Mole fractions versus temperature were obtained for molecular species (reactants, intermediates and products). These measurements were used to record the behavior of several species during the combustion of a typical pyrolysis gas mixture released from a Mediterranean species involved in wildland fires. Experimental results were compared to the simulations obtained with the CHEMKIN PSR code. Two detailed mechanisms developed for the oxidation of methane were tested The simulated and experimental results are in good agreement for the mixture investigated.

Keywords: Wildland fire, perfectly stirred reactor, gas oxidation, detailed mechanism

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