Physics Colloquium Co-hosted by HEROES: “Physics of Fire: The Relevance of Heat Release Rate (and Its Measurement) in Fire Dynamics” with Fernando Raffan-Montoya 10/20

10/16/2026
By Amanda Vozzo

The HEROES 2026 Seminar Series and Physics Colloquium will feature Fernando Raffan-Montoya, assistant professor of fire protection engineering at the University of Maryland, who will give a talk on “Physics of Fire: The Relevance of Heat Release Rate (and Its Measurement) in Fire Dynamics.”

• Date: Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026
• Time: 3:30 – 4:30 p.m.
• Location: Olsen 503

Abstract

Decades ago, NIST researchers Babrauskas and Peacock argued that the heat release rate of a fire (the rate at which the fire releases thermal energy) is the best single predictor of fire hazard. Since then, a large body of research in the fire science community has reinforced this argument. In this talk, fundamental physical phenomena governing fire dynamics (pyrolysis, ignition, growth and spread) will be presented, with a focus on measurement approaches to quantify heat release rate at multiple scales, and how this parameter is used by the fire science and fire protection engineering communities.