variavel0=<b>Elaine Reis de Carvalho Rabelo</b> - elaine@cptec.inpe.br Unesp - Campus de Guaratinguetá
<b>João Andrade Carvalho Jr.</b> - joao@feg.unesp.br Unesp - Campus de Guaratinguetá
<b>Carlos Alberto Gurgel Veras</b> - gurgel@unb.br UnB - Brasília - DF.
<b>Marco Aurélio Ferreira</b> - marco@lcp.inpe.br INPE - Cachoeira Paulista-SP
<b>David V. Sandberg</b> - David.Sandberg@orst.edu Forest Service, U.S.
<b>Abstract.</b> This work investigates non flaming combustion in biomass logs. The process is called smoldering combustion. The occurrence of smoldering is very common in forest fires, where the large sized biomass remains fuming for several days. The material in the state of is a source of toxic gases and of ignition for unburned biomass. The main goals of the work are: experimentally check the parameters that favor initiation and permanence of the smoldering process and measure CO, CO2, O2 and HC concentrations during the burning. The speed of the smoldering front was determined by thermocouples placed in different points of the biomass sample. The average burning rate was also determined. The tests were performed in a furnace of 1.80 m length by 0.60 m diameter. A temperature controller was used to set the desired furnace temperature. The mass flow rate of air was controlled by valves and measured with rotameters. Tests were conducted for different biomass species and sample volumes and moisture contents. To optimize the number of tests the technique "Project of Experiments" was applied. Results of the laboratory tests agreed well with those obtained in the Amazon forest, in the north of the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil.
<b>Keywords.</b> Biomass Combustion, Smoldering, Forest Clearing Experiment.