A thermodynamic approach to estimating smoke plume heights

This paper presents a thermodynamic method of calculating the penetration height of smoke plumes from wildland fires. Inputs to the method are ambient lapse rate as well as energy released into the atmosphere by the fire.

Following Byram's equation, the buoyant energy released into the atmosphere is calculated from the fuel consumption values of the Canadian Forest Fire Behaviour Prediction (FBP) System and the area of a fire. This energy is then equated to energy per unit mass of dry air, which then modifies the column of air above the fire from the environmental lapse rate to dry adiabatic. The tephigram, a thermodynamic diagram, is used to derive a numerical solution for the penetration height.

The paper also outlines a smoke plume study being conducted in Alberta, which uses hand-held inclinometers and photographs taken by lookout tower personnel to measure smoke plume heights. Preliminary results from 2010 are presented along with a possible method of comparison with the thermodynamic calculation outlined above.