“The delicate and fractal nature of charring cellulose is amplified here in repeated magnified images of a flame spread front over ashless filter paper.”
Sandra Olson (NASA Glenn Research Center), Fletcher Miller (San Diego State University), Indrek Wichman (Michigan State University)
“The research around the picture involves predicting the flame spread on warehouse fires using small-scale cone calorimeter data. The image shows a test performed on the cone calorimeter in which 2 cardboard cells are set up and free burned to better understand the burning characteristics of a larger packed commodity box. The outer shell of the box is corrugated cardboard and the fuel inside consists of polystyrene cups. The image shows the polystyrene burning after the front face of cardboard has burned away. The mass loss rate from the tests is then used to predict flame spread on large 30-40 foot stacks of boxes stored in warehouses.”
Kristopher Overholt (Worchester Polytechnic Institute)
“This short exposure photograph of a non-premixed turbulent jet flame of ethylene burning in quiescent air captures detached flamelets with an eerily human form.”
Scott Skeen (Washington University in St. Louis)
“Swirl-stabilized flame enclosed by porous inert media (PIM). PIM stabilized portion of the flame experiences flashback and the flame gradually stabilizes within the PIM.”
Daniel Sequera and Ajay Agrawal (University of Alabama)