B Trash Can Fire Tornado: Does It Really Happen?

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    Fire Tornado
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A trash can fire tornado occurs when a stationary fire draws air directly towards it, but a rotating trash can alters airflow, causing wind to circulate around the fire. This rotation can enhance the fire's intensity as it creates a vortex that lowers pressure at the base, increasing the influx of fresh air to the flames. The increased airflow fuels the fire, causing it to grow larger and more vigorous. Understanding these dynamics highlights the complex interaction between fire behavior and airflow. This phenomenon illustrates the fascinating physics behind fire tornadoes.
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Why does this happen?



When the trash can is not moving, the air gets drawn in through the mesh and flows more or less straight to the fire. I'm thinking that a rotating trashcan "pushes" the wind in the direction that it's rotating, so that the wind no longer blows towards the fire, but "around" the fire. is this correct?
 
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but also, the fire tends to get much bigger once it starts spinning, why is that?
 
RubinLicht said:
but also, the fire tends to get much bigger once it starts spinning, why is that?
I think the pressure at the bottom of the rotating flame (vortex) becomes lower and that increases the flow of fresh air to the burning fuel,
 
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