A comparison of two methods to measure pyrolysis gases in a wind tunnel and in prescribed burns

Abstract

Pyrolysis products from wildland fuels are typically measured under tightly controlled conditions using fuels which have been processed to remove water content and physical shape. Different instruments can be used to identify and quantify the composition of these gases. Measurement of pyrolysis gases under conditions typical of wildland fires has seldom occurred. We used FTIR spectroscopy and GC/FID analysis to measure pyrolysis gases produced in wind tunnel experiments and small prescribed burns in longleaf pine needle fuel beds with live shrubs. Use of compositional data techniques on the 8 common gases measured by both methods showed that the compositions were affected by the measurement method and interaction between method and location was significant.

Citation

Weise, David R.; Johnson, Timothy J.; Myers, Tanya L.; Hao, Wei Min; Baker, Stephen; Palarea-Albaladejo, Javier. 2022. A comparison of two methods to measure pyrolysis gases in a wind tunnel and in prescribed burns. In: Viegas, D.X.; Ribeiro, L.M., eds. Advances in Forest Fire Research 2022. Coimbra, Portugal: University of Coimbra: 483-487. https://doi.org/10.14195/978-989-26-2298-9_74