Fire and explosion safety based on the mathematics of combustion and extinction mechanisms

Reference No.	20210007
Type/Category	Grant for Project Research-Short-term Joint Research
Title of Research Project	Fire and explosion safety based on the mathematics of combustion and extinction mechanisms
Principal Investigator	Kazunori Kuwana（Department of Global Fire Science and Technology Tokyo University of Science・Professor）
Research Period	September 6,2021. ～ September 6,2021. March 7,2022. ～ March 8,2022.
Keyword(s) of Research Fields	Fire and explosion safety, flame propagation, extinction
Abstract for Research Report	Accidental fires and explosions can occur not only at companies and chemical plants but also at general houses. In addition, the number of wildland fires and their damages have been rapidly increasing recently. Climate change is thought to be a major reason, and wildland fires produce huge amounts of carbon dioxide; some researchers point out that there exists a negative spiral between wildland fires and global warming. In order to prevent accidental fires and explosions and to minimize their damages, scientific understanding of the phenomena is crucial. However, the current level of our understanding is far from complete, and safety measures are taken largely based on empirical rules. The goal of this project is to establish mathematical models of fire and explosion phenomena, thereby enabling the establishment of science-based safety measures. Phenomena to be considered include ignition and extinction phenomena during gas and dust explosions, flame acceleration caused by instability mechanisms, and fire dynamics in wildland fires (e.g., the occurrence of fire whirls). The proposed group of researchers in the fields of mathematical sciences, combustion and safety engineering from academic and industrial sectors will cooperate to achieve the goal, i.e., establishing mathematical models to properly describe the above phenomena. The results obtained in this project will lead to proposing scientific codes and standards related to the safe management of hazardous materials and effective firefighting strategies, as well as the development of new fire-detection and fire-extinguishing systems. Mathematics-based quantitative prediction of fire and explosion phenomena must be the first step toward establishing effective safety measures; the contribution of mathematical sciences will be significant.
Organizing Committee Members (Workshop) Participants (Short-term Joint Usage)	Kazunori Kuwana（Tokyo University of Science・Professor） Yasuhide Fukumoto（Kyushu University・Professor） Kaname Matsue（Kyushu University・Assistant Professor） Ryuichi Tominaga（Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd.・Team Leader） Daisaku Ishizuka（Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd.・Researcher） Masahide Yamazaki（Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd.・Researcher） Shigetoshi Yazaki（Meiji University・Professor） Hirofumi Izuhara（University of Miyazaki・Associate Professor） Shunsuke Kobayashi（Kyoto University・Assistant Professor）