Numerical Simulation of a Pool Fire and Large Object in a Cross-Wind

The present investigation is focused on assessing the capabilities of Large Eddy Simulations (LES) using simplified sub-models for combustion and soot in a specific fire scenario. Fire development resulting from an aviation fuel spill close to a plane fuselage is considered. The computational domain and boundary conditions are defined according to the experimental configuration used in tests run by the Fire Research Group at the University of Waterloo. The present setup consists of a 2-m-diameter pool fueled with kerosene and located 1-m-upstream of a 2.7-m-diameter culvert in a large enclosure. A cross-wind with a velocity of 13 m/s is imposed on the fire and culvert. The calculations are time-dependent and three-dimensional. Sensitivity to the grid refinement, size of the enclosure and wind profiles is first investigated. Comparison between measured temperatures and numerical results across the computational domain is made. Velocity profiles are also examined. Reasonable agreement with the experiments is found. In the light of the present results, directions for future work are also discussed.