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Comparing gas composition from fast pyrolysis of live foliage measured in bench-scale and fire-scale experiments

Journal Article · · International Journal of Wildland Fire
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1071/wf23200· OSTI ID:2484337
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [5];  [6];  [4];  [4];  [7];  [7];  [8];  [9];  [10];  [11];  [11];  [3];  [12];  [4]
  1. USDA Forest Service, Riverside, CA (United States). Pacific Southwest Research Station
  2. Brigham Young Univ., Provo, UT (United States)
  3. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
  4. USDA Forest Service, Missoula, MT (United States). Rocky Mountain Research Station
  5. USDA Forest Service, Madison, WI (United States). Forest Products Laboratory
  6. Univ. of California, Riverside, CA (United States)
  7. USDA Forest Service, Athens, GA (United States). Southern Research Station
  8. USDA Forest Service, Seattle, WA (United States). Pacific Northwest Research Station
  9. USDA Forest Service, Moscow, ID (United States). Rocky Mountain Research Station
  10. Chiba University (Japan)
  11. Univ. of Alabama, Huntsville, AL (United States)
  12. University of Girona (Spain)

Background: Fire models have used pyrolysis data from oxidising and non-oxidising environments for flaming combustion. In wildland fires pyrolysis, flaming and smouldering combustion typically occur in an oxidising environment (the atmosphere). Aims: Using compositional data analysis methods, determine if the composition of pyrolysis gases measured in non-oxidising and ambient (oxidising) atmospheric conditions were similar. Methods: Permanent gases and tars were measured in a fuel-rich (non-oxidising) environment in a flat flame burner (FFB). Permanent and light hydrocarbon gases were measured for the same fuels heated by a fire flame in ambient atmospheric conditions (oxidising environment). Log-ratio balances of the measured gases common to both environments (CO, CO2, CH4, H2, C6H6O (phenol), and other gases) were examined by principal components analysis (PCA), canonical discriminant analysis (CDA) and permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA). Key results: Mean composition changed between the non-oxidising and ambient atmosphere samples. PCA showed that flat flame burner (FFB) samples were tightly clustered and distinct from the ambient atmosphere samples. CDA found that the difference between environments was defined by the CO-CO2 log-ratio balance. PERMANOVA and pairwise comparisons found FFB samples differed from the ambient atmosphere samples which did not differ from each other. Conclusion: Relative composition of these pyrolysis gases differed between the oxidising and non-oxidising environments. This comparison was one of the first comparisons made between bench-scale and field scale pyrolysis measurements using compositional data analysis. Implications: These results indicate the need for more fundamental research on the early time-dependent pyrolysis of vegetation in the presence of oxygen.

Research Organization:
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
2484337
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA--193308
Journal Information:
International Journal of Wildland Fire, Journal Name: International Journal of Wildland Fire Journal Issue: 9 Vol. 33; ISSN 1049-8001
Publisher:
International Association of Wildland FireCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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