Meta-analysis reveals a nearly universal mass specific extinction coefficient across 29 fuels, indicating smoke mass concentration can be directly inferred from light extinction.
Key Points
Determine the mass specific extinction coefficient at 633 nm for post-flame smoke across diverse fuels and quantify sources of measurement variability.
Compiled and synthesized experimental data from seven studies evaluating post-flame smoke across 29 fuels produced during overventilated burning.
Conducted an analysis of variance across measurements of light extinction at a wavelength of 633 nm to assess inter-laboratory and fuel-dependent differences.
Between-laboratory differences were identified as the primary source of variability across the seven evaluated studies.
The estimated mean mass specific extinction coefficient (σs) was 8.7 m2/g, with an expanded uncertainty (95% CI) of 1.1 m2/g.