Introduction to Fire Dynamics

A lecture on fire dynamics delivered in March 2019 by Professor Guillermo Rein in the IDX/ME4 course ‘Combustion Science’ at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Imperial College London. It is mostly tailored to mechanical engineers with an interest in the basics of fire dynamics. It covers how flames and fire evolve, from ignition to spread.

Guillermo Rein is Professor of Fire Science at the Department of Mechanical Engineering of Imperial College London and Editor-in-Chief of the journal Fire Technology.

His research is centred on heat transfer, combustion and fire. The purpose of his work is to reduce the worldwide burden of accidental fires and protect people, their property, and the environment. His research portfolio is ample, but over the last 20 years he is best known in three areas: 1) how polymers and wood ignite so we can avoid fires from starting; 2) how engineers can design better structures that resist fire; and 3) how wildfires spread and how to fight them. He leads the research group Imperial Hazelab which currently counts 15 fire researchers.