Fire dragon to model bushfires

It looks like the set of Mythbusters, but the firebrand modelling dragon housed at Victoria University provides the perfect space for modelling the impacts of short, medium and long-range embers that occur during a bushfire.

CRC PhD student Rahul Wadhwani has used the facility to test the effects of short term embers.

“These embers travel in front of a fire front and can start new fires, which can trap firefighters or destroy houses,” Rahul said.

The dragon allows researchers and students to conduct a practical assessment of how a bushfire ignites in an area of high vegetation using a practical data analysis.

Rahul’s research focuses on refining two sub models in the Wildland-Urban Interface Fire Dynamics Simulator: pyrolysis and firebrand transport and testing these using the firebrand dragon.

“I’m hopeful that my results could help enable better predictions for fire behaviour in vegetation where a lot of embers are generated,” Rahul said.

Rahul’s research will benefit fire model developers and improve numerical modelling of short range embers.

Rahul is currently finalising his PhD and was given the opportunity to present his findings as part of a Three Minute Thesis at the CRC’s latest Research Advisory Forum in Brisbane.

“It was the best opportunity to present my work in front of the end-user community and see how my work has utilisation potential,” Rahul said.

Rahul also travelled to London’s Imperial College last year, where he undertook a five-month placement investigating how modelling can assist in safe evacuations and assist in emergency response.

Rahul will submit his thesis in the coming months.