Design for Forest Fire Environments: Numerical Tree and Fireman Thermal Response for Nearby Forest Fire Environments

This article presents a numerical study where the thermal responses of a tree and a fireman are compared, both inserted in a forest fire environment. The three-dimensional pine tree model is constituted by 1039 cylindrical elements to represent its trunk, branches and leaves. The human body model is divided into 35 elements. Each element is subdivided into several layers, constituted by fat, muscle, core and skin, and can be shielded from the outside environment by several clothing layers. The tree and fireman thermal response numerical models are based on energy and mass balance integral equations. In the last one the thermoregulatory system is also considered. Both systems consider the phenomena of conduction, convection, transpiration and radiation. The tree and the fireman are placed nearby the fire front, which represents the forest fire. The surface temperature of both bodies is analyzed on a steady-state and transient regime.