The Pyrotron is used to study the combustion and spread of fires in bushfire fuel under controlled conditions. It aims to improve fire safety and fire-fighting for Australian communities.
About the Pyrotron facility
This national research facility builds on over 60 years of experience CSIRO has with large-scale field experiments. It enhances research on bushfire behaviour by enabling observations of flame propagation and behaviour not possible in field experiments due to limited burning conditions, lack of access and safety concerns.
Experiment underway in the Pyrotron with dry eucalypt litter fuel
Experiment underway in the Pyrotron with dry eucalypt litter fuel
The Pyrotron allows us to:
gain a better understanding of the physical processes involved in the behaviour and spread of bushfires under a range of conditions
develop better models of fire behaviour to improve effectiveness and safety of fire-fighting
improve the design and execution of large-scale field experiments
develop a better understanding of likely emissions from bushfires in different fuel and burning conditions.
The facility enables close observation of combustion mechanisms under repeatable conditions not possible in the field. It is used to study:
the mechanisms by which bushfires spread
thermokinetics - the chemistry of combustion in bushfires
fuel consumption, emissions and residues under different burning conditions.
Published research
Since it was opened in 2008, research conducted at the Pyrotron has helped build fire behaviour knowledge. A selection of key papers is provided below:
2 tonne fan capable of moving 22 cubic metres of air a second
Variable wind speed of up to 5.5 metres per second, equivalent to wind speed of around 60 kilometres per hour in the open
Fuel bed
1.5 m wide by 4.8 m long
Lined with ceramic tiles
LPG line or ethanol ignition sources
Toughened-glass viewing doors for observing the fire
Artificially illuminated, so that the fuel will be visible against the light from flames.
Holds up to 15 kg of dry fuel spread to around 2 cm deep, being roughly equivalent to an average forest fuel load of 25 tonnes/ha.
Can accommodate different fuel types, such as small logs, leaves, forest litter or grasses.
Fuels can be artificially dried to replicate extreme burning conditions associated with wildfires.
Instrumentation and observations
A wide range of sensors in the working section ensure correct and accurate measurement.
Data is captured by a multi-channel data acquisition system that provides real-time output of sensors to a multi-display system.
Multiple high definition video cameras above and from the side of the Pyrotron, a high speed camera capable of shooting HD footage at 1000 frames per second, and a high resolution infra-red thermal imaging camera capture details of combustion.
Other details
Relies upon ambient temperature and humidity, meaning that experiments can be conducted on days of high heat and low humidity to observe fire behaviour in extreme conditions.
Experiments last about 15 to 20 minutes and yield about as much smoke as a wood-fired backyard barbecue.
Read more
Summaries of critical new research results from CSIRO’s Bushfire Behaviour and Risks team are regularly updated at CSIRO’s PyroPage.
