Experimental studies of suppression of flaming combustion and thermal decomposition of model ground and crown forest fires

This paper presents an experimental study of heat and mass transfer and phase transformation in the suppression of flaming combustion and thermal decomposition of model ground, crown, and combined forest fires due to the local action of water. The experiments were carried out with typical combustible forest materials (mixture of leaves, needles, and twigs) and models of trunks and branches of trees. The conditions and characteristics of suppression of flaming combustion and the thermal decomposition of combustible forest materials were determined. It is shown that in the case of crown and combined fires, local short-term (a few seconds) action of a liquid projectile does not lead to suppression of thermal decomposition of material (only localization of flaming combustion is possible). In the case of ground forest fires, this approach may be effective with an appropriate choice of the area of the combustion zone sprayed with water and the spraying intensity and time.