Experimental and numerical study of the effect of sample orientation on the pyrolysis and ignition of wood slabs exposed to radiation

The effect of sample orientation (vertical and horizontal) on the pyrolysis and ignition of wood exposed to radiation has been studied with experimental and numerical methods in the present article. Experimental results show that the pyrolysis rate of vertically oriented wood exposed to radiation is higher than for horizontally oriented wood exposed to radiation. Pyrolysis gas significantly dominates the process of pyrolysis of wood exposed to radiation. Accounting for radiation absorption by pyrolysis gas, a numerical model has been developed to simulate the pyrolysis and ignition of wood in horizontal and vertical orientations exposed to radiation.