Practical Study of the Effects on Thermal Comfort of a Campfire

Abstract

The objective of this study was to clarify the increase in SET* due to an outdoor campfire. Measurements were carried out at a public campsite located within Kasugai City, Aichi, Japan on the night of September 19, 2020. The campfires were constructed twice, using mainly pine firewood, at a fire pit there, and the thermal parameters around the campfire were measured. The campfires were found to raise the air temperature at a horizontal distance of 1.5 m from the flame and 1.1 m above the ground by a maximum of 3.5–3.9°C and the globe temperature by a maximum of 4.7–6.1°C. At a distance of 1.5 m from the flame, the campfires raised the plane radiation temperatures facing the campfire by 32.5–36.3°C. Since the radiation emitted from the campfire did not irradiate the back of the sensor, the plane radiation temperature on this side did not rise at all. Within a distance of 1.5 to 2.5 m from the flame, the campfire could provide occupants with a comfortable and acceptable thermal environment. At a distance of 1.5 m from the flame, the campfire raised the SET* by 4.8–6.7°C. The greater the distance from the flame, the smaller the rise in SET* due to the campfire. There was no thermal effect from the campfire flame at a distance of 4 m and above.