Application of a two-component LDV to the measurement of flows induced by flames propagating over condensed fuels

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Abstract
In the early stages of a fire, the two mechanisms by which heat transfer occurs are conduction and convection ahead of the flame through gas and fuel phases. The convective flows induced are characterized by low-fluid velocities with changes in magnitude and direction occurring over small distances accompanied by sharp temperature changes. These characteristics make quantitative measurements of fluid velocities difficult using conventional techniques. With the advent of LDV techniques, a nonperturbing means of making high resolution measurements of 2-D flows now exists. In this paper the details of the LDV facility and the results of some recent experiments on the flame spread problem are presented.