Reliable measurements of the heat transfer, flow, gases and particles in fire environments are important to understand fire phenomena and improve computational fire models, such as NIST's Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS). We design lab-scale and full-scale experiments to study fire ignition and dynamics and employ a variety of measurement methods, from basic thermocouples to IR thermography for thermal measurements, gas sensors, velocity probes, and aerosol and particle measurement tools. The principles of energy and mass conservation are used for analysis, as well as conjugate heat transfer and CFD modeling, to provide more insight to the physical processes and compare to the measurements. Characterization of the thermal, fluid, and aerosol and particle physics can improve our understanding in different aspects of fire science, such as improved fire detection or prevention systems and improved model predictions of fire smoke (for visibilty, detection, deposition and emissions) in indoor fires and wildland-urban interface fires.

References 

Mensch A, Veley E, Seda S, Chernovsky A: “Smoke Production and Detection From Lithium Ion Battery Powered E-Scooter Fires in a Compartment,” Fire Safety Journal: 104780, 2026

Mensch AE, Falkenstein-Smith R, Park S:  “A Comparison of Photoacoustic and Grayscale Measurements of Soot Deposition on Surfaces,” Fire Safety Journal 162: 104767, 2026

Mensch AE, Wessies S, Hamins A, Yang JC: "Measuring firebrand heat flux with a thin-skin calorimeter," Fire Safety Journal 140: 103859, 2023

Thermal fluids; Heat transfer measurements; Heat transfer modeling; Fire detection; Smoke measurements; Soot measurements

citizenship

Open to U.S. citizens

level

Open to Postdoctoral applicants