210 - Fire Fundamentals pt. 16 - Turbulence with Randy McDermott

In the 16th part of the Fire Fundamentals series, we invite Randy McDermott from NIST to join us for a deep dive into turbulence and its critical role in fire dynamics modelling. We explore the physics behind turbulent combustion and how it fundamentally shapes fire behaviour, plume dynamics, and simulation accuracy. In this episode we cover:Defining turbulence as the enhancement of mixing and heat transfer through the creation of eddies and instabilitiesUnderstanding length scales in turbulence from the integral scale to the Kolmogorov scalePractical considerations when choosing grid resolutions for different fire engineering applicationsHow turbulence models work in Large Eddy Simulation (LES) and what they representLimitations of the D* criterion for mesh sizing and why higher resolution may be neededDifferences between pre-mixed and diffusion flames in turbulent combustionTime scales in fire and the concept of Damköhler number in determining combustion behaviourEntrainment physics at the base of fire plumes requires centimetre-scale resolutionWhy turbulence modelling ultimately determines the accuracy of fire simulations ---- The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.