High resolution numerical simulations of methane pool fires using adaptive mesh refinement

Abstract

The ability to accurately predict the structure and dynamics of pool fires using computational simulations is of great interest in a wide variety of applications, including accidental and wildland fires. However, the presence of physical processes spanning a broad range of spatial and temporal scales poses a significant challenge for simulations of such fires, particularly at conditions near the transition between laminar and turbulent flow. Here, in this study, we examine the transition to turbulence in methane pool fires using high-resolution simulations with multi-step finite rate chemistry, where adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) is used to directly resolve small-scale flow phenomena. We perform three simulations of methane pool fires, each with increasing diameter, corresponding to increasing inlet Reynolds and Richardson numbers. As the diameter increases, the flow transitions from organized vortex roll-up via the puffing instability to much more chaotic mixing associated with finger formation along the shear layer and core collapse near the inlet. These effects combine to create additional mixing close to the inlet, thereby enhancing fuel consumption and causing more rapid acceleration of the fluid above the pool. We also make comparisons between the transition to turbulence and core collapse in the present pool fires and in inert helium plumes, which are often used as surrogates for the study of buoyant reacting flows.