Uncontrolled fires in buildings and nature are a major issue, worsened by climate change and an ageing population. The project “Utilizing spectroscopy to quantify Thermal transport In fLame spread” (UTILE) aims to understand how flames spread by measuring heat transfer using ultra-fast multidimensional lasers. The project is led by David Escofet-Martín, a researcher from the Turbulence and Aerodynamics in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Research Group (TUAREG) of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya - BarcelonaTech (UPC) and a professor at the Terrassa School of Industrial, Aerospace and Audiovisual Engineering (ESEIAAT).

Combining advanced experiments with tailored laser measurement techniques will provide new data to quantify heat flux, which determines fire propagation. The project aims to improve computational models to optimise fire protection.

To this effect, UTILE will develop an experimental laboratory-scale facility to study flame spread rate and measure different heat fluxes. It will directly measure the gas-phase and the condensed-phase temperature, which has never been done before. Additionally, it will develop measurement techniques specifically for fire propagation based on the non-linear interaction between light and matter.

In the future, UTILE will support the scientific community studying fire spread and improve firefighting conditions in fire scenarios.

The UTILE project has been funded with 1.5 million euros. The European Research Council (ERC) has awarded a Starting Grant to 494 young scientists across Europe. The funding—totalling nearly 780 million euros—supports cutting-edge research in a wide range of fields, from life sciences and physics to social sciences and humanities. These grants support pioneering early career researchers to launch their own projects, form teams and pursue their most promising ideas.