UC San Diego

This study focuses on the phenomena of the blue whirl. A structure was built to produce a blue whirl. The apparatus was built with the capacity to transition from a typical fire whirl to a blue whirl. Different fuels were used in order to analyze the fire whirl. Fins were used to control the circulation and entrainment of air into the system. One of the main focal points of this study was fuel consumption and how it varied with each change in the fin angle. It was discovered a blue whirl began to emerge when we rotated the fins to twenty degrees, and developed fully when rotating the fins to five degrees. It was also noted in our experiment a blue whirl used less fuel than a yellow whirl. Conclusions are offered at the end of the study which examine the implications of the findings.