Dr. Jeff Colwell specializes in the engineering analysis of thermal and combustion processes, especially the cause, origin, and propagation of fires and explosions. Dr. Colwell has investigated fires and explosions in a wide array of applications including motor vehicles, residential and commercial structures, wildfires, and industrial complexes associated with the chemical, drilling, refining, and mining industries.
Technical issues addressed have included cause and origin determination, burn pattern interpretation, evaluation of ignition mechanisms, smoldering and self-heating, fire spread, smoke transport, smoke detector operation, building evacuation, fire department response, carbon monoxide poisoning, and lithium-ion battery performance. He also evaluates the design and performance of household appliances, heating and cooling equipment, and various other consumer products.
Dr. Colwell’s research has focused on fire dynamics, burn patterns, and forced ignition mechanisms, including spark (electrostatic) and hot-surface ignition of combustibles, as well as ignition mechanisms associated with various types of electrical components. He has also conducted research involving complex two-phase flows, liquid atomization, and droplet transport.
Prior to joining ESi, he was a founder of Colwell Consulting, and was a Principal Engineer at Exponent where he worked for more than 18 years. Dr. Colwell also held research positions at AlliedSignal Aerospace, the Combustion Laboratory at Arizona State University, the High Temperature Gas Dynamics Laboratory at Stanford University, and the Thermal Sciences and Propulsion Center at Purdue University.
Areas of Expertise
Publications
- Evaluating Fire Propagation into the Passenger Compartment via Full-Scale Burn Testing, SAE Technical Paper 2024-01-2502, January 2024
- Full-Scale Vehicle Burn Test of a 2013 Sedan in a Wildfire Setting, SAE Technical Paper 2024-01-2503, January 2024
- Reliability of Eyewitness Statements in Fire and Explosion Investigations, International Journal of Psychological and Behavioral Sciences, 16(9), 483 – 487, January 2022
- Full-Scale Burn Test of a 2014 Sport Utility Vehicle, SAE Technical Paper 2020-01-0925, January 2020
- Burn Tests of Side-by-Side All-Terrain Vehicles, SAE Paper 2018-01-0279, January 2018
- Performance Rear- and Mid-Engine Vehicle Exhaust System Temperatures, SAE Paper 2018-01-1436, January 2018
- Full-Scale Burn Test of a 2007 Cargo Van, SAE Paper 2016-01-1403, January 2016
- Oxidation Patterns in Motor Vehicle Fire Investigations – Unraveling the Myths, Fire and Arson Investigator, 26-36, January 2015
- Full-Scale Burn Test of a 1998 Compact Passenger Car, SAE Paper 2014-01-0426, January 2014
- Full-Scale Burn Test of a 2001 Full-Size Pickup Truck, SAE Int. J. Trans. Safety 1(2). Also in SAE Paper 2013-01-0214, January 2013
See CV for additional publications.