HEAT-FLOW MEASUREMENTS FROM SMOLDERING POROUS FUEL

A stirred water calorimeter measured the total downward heat load bene ath a simulated smoldering organic soil horizon of peat moss. Moisture and inorganic ratios (fraction of water and inorganic contents relati ve to organic dry mass) of the peat moss ranged from 0 to 0.6 and near 0 to 4 respectively. Feat moss was packed to organic hulk densities o f 90 kg m(-3) and 120 kg m(-3) at depths of 2 cm, 4 cm, and 6 cm. Tota l heat load was recorded over the range of conditions given above. Dat a were analyzed by stepwise multiple linear regression. Measured heat loads were within the range of 10 MJ m(-2) to 100 MJ m(-2). The heat l oad increased nonlinearly with increasing inorganic ratio and decrease d linearly with increasing moisture ratio. The heat load is linear wit h depth holding the organic hulk density and the moisture and inorgani c ratios constant.