A Physics-Based Model of Thermodynamically Varying Fuel Moisture Content for Fire Behavior Prediction

Fuel moisture content (FMC) is a critical parameter in fire and plume behaviors, showing diurnal and spatial variations influenced by local meteorological conditions, soil characteristics, and fuel properties. In low-intensity fires, small-scale FMC variations intensify, leading to an amplification of their effects on fire physics. In an effort to capture these variations, we developed a physics-based model that couples a thermodynamic-based FMC prediction model for dead fuels with the Fire Dynamics Simulator of the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The model accuracy is validated against several existing experimental datasets, showing improvements over the baseline model, which uses the kinetic-based Arrhenius drying approach. A case study of flame propagation in a small fuel bed is also presented, indicating the improved performance of the new model and its novel capabilities in capturing complex processes of fuel drying and moisture flux exchanges between the fuel and ambient atmosphere.

Data and Resources

Additional Info

Field Value
Last Updated July 4, 2025, 09:33 (UTC)
Created July 4, 2025, 09:33 (UTC)
Source https://wfsi-data.org/view/doi%3A10.60594/W46K5C
award The Role of Vorticity and Fuel Moisture on the Near-Field Plume Structure and Ember Dynamics
creators Ritambhara Dubey, rrd20z@fsu.edu, Florida State University, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8097-0394 | Neda Yaghoobian, nyaghoobian@fsu.edu, Florida State University, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3399-8650
doi doi:10.60594/W46K5C
encoding utf8
funder U. S. Department of Defense (DoD), Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP), http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100013316
harvest_object_id b7895dbe-8e08-4619-a3c1-079043afc996
harvest_source_id a2637971-af12-457f-ae4a-831d2202a539
harvest_source_title WIFIRE Commons
maintainor Neda Yaghoobian, nyaghoobian@fsu.edu
method The details of the model and its validation studies and data can be found in: "Dubey, R. R., & Yaghoobian, N. (2024). A physics-based model of thermodynamically varying fuel moisture content for fire behavior prediction. Environmental Modelling & Software, 179, 106111". The instructions on how to run the code can be found in the README file included in the dataset.
project Funding Award RC20-1298: The Role of Vorticity and Fuel Moisture on the Near-Field Plume Structure and Ember Dynamics
spatial {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[-81.771737, 31.978517], [-81.848333, 31.978517], [-81.848333, 32.004167], [-81.771737, 32.004167], [-81.771737, 31.978517]]]}
temporal {"endTime": "2024-01-15", "startTime": "2024-01-08"}