Radiowave Propagation Modelling in the Presence of Wildfires: Initial Results

Abstract

In this paper, a thorough study of radiowave propagation phenomena in the presence of wildfires, is presented. Electrical modelling of a fire environment based on computational fluid dynamics is revisited. Modelling of the fire phenomena, in terms of refractive index and combustion of cold plasma, lays the foundation for considering the fire environment as a propagation medium. Electrical models are formulated to provide means of calculating propagation characteristics based on thermalionisation, to create a plasma surface under fire environments and, thus, to determine the excess loss arising in the burning region. This paper presents initial results for single trees under fire at 385 MHz, envisaged to assist the identification of radio exclusion zones in real-time during wildfires, in mission critical applications.