Thermal, Flow, and Particle Characterization in Fire Environments
This project measures heat, flow, gases, and particles in fires to better understand fire behavior and improve fire models for safety and prevention.
This grant is no longer accepting proposals
NRC Research Associateship Programs has archived this opportunity.
Funder: NRC Research Associateship Programs
Due Dates: February 1, 2025 | May 1, 2025 | August 1, 2025 | November 1, 2025
Funding Amounts: $82,764 stipend plus $3,000 travel allowance; typical appointment duration 2 years.
Summary: Supports postdoctoral research measuring heat transfer, flow, gases, and particles in fire environments to advance fire science and improve computational fire models.
Key Information: Open to U.S. citizens with a doctoral degree earned within the last 5 years; requires contacting the Research Adviser prior to applying; NIST participates in February and August review cycles only.
Description
This fellowship opportunity supports research at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Engineering Laboratory, Fire Research Division, focusing on the characterization of thermal, flow, gas, and particle phenomena in fire environments. The research aims to provide reliable measurements of heat transfer, fluid flow, gases, and particles during fire ignition and dynamics, using a range of experimental methods including thermocouples, infrared thermography, gas sensors, velocity probes, and aerosol/particle measurement tools.
The project integrates principles of energy and mass conservation, conjugate heat transfer, and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling to deepen understanding of fire physical processes and validate computational fire models such as NIST's Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS). Outcomes are expected to improve fire detection and prevention systems, enhance predictions of fire smoke behavior (visibility, detection, deposition, emissions), and better characterize thermal exposure of firebrands (embers) in wildland-urban interface fires.
Research Environment
- Location: Gaithersburg, MD at NIST Engineering Laboratory, Fire Research Division
- Advisers: Amy E Mensch (amy.mensch@nist.gov, 301-975-6714)
- Research includes lab-scale and full-scale fire experiments.
Keywords
Thermal fluids, heat transfer measurements, heat transfer modeling, fire detection, smoke measurements, soot measurements, firebrand measurements.
