Forms of Fuels

Form of Fuels
• Solid Fuel
• Liquid Fuel
• Gaseous Fuel
Form of Solid Fuel
Forms of Solid Fuels
Natural Form Artificial Form

Wood Wood Charcoal

Peat Peat Charcoal

Lignite Lignite Coke

Hard Coal Sub-bituminous Carbonized

Hard Coal bituminous Low, Medium & High Temp.
Hard coal anthracite Coke
Solid Fuels
• Solid fuel refers to various forms of solid material that
can be burnt to release energy, providing heat and
light through the process of combustion.
• Common examples of solid fuels include wood, coke,
peat, Corn straw, wheat straw, Rice husk, coal and
its different types.
• Solid fuels have been used throughout human history
to create fire and solid fuel is still in widespread use
throughout the world in the present day
 Advantages of Solid Fuels
• Solid fuels, compared to liquid fuels or gaseous fuels, are often
cheaper, easier to extract, more stable to transport and in
many places are more readily available.
• Coal, in particular, is utilized in the generation of 38.1% of the
world’s electricity because it is less expensive and more
powerful than its liquid and gas counterparts.
• They are convenient to store without any risk of spontaneous
explosion.
• Their cost of production is low.
Disadvantages of Solid Fuels
• However, solid fuels are also heavier to transport, require
more destructive methods to extract/burn and often have
higher carbon, nitrate and sulphate emissions.
• Their ash content is high.
• They burn with clinker formation.
• Their combustion operations cannot be controlled easily.
• Their cost of handling is high.
• Their thermal efficiency is low.
• Their calorific value is lower as compared to that of liquids
fuels.
• They require large excess of air for complete combustion.
Solid Fuel Analysis

Proximate Analysis Ultimate Analysis

Ultimate analysis also
Proximate analysis is the finding known as elemental
the weight percentage of analysis is finding the
weight percentage of
oMoisture
oCarbon
oVolatile matter
oHydrogen
oFixed carbon oNitrogen
oAsh oOxygen
oSulphur
of matter free from
moisture.
Solid Fuel Analysis
Proximate analysis: (ASTM D3172)
• To determine Moisture – Sample of known mass is dried at 105
to 110oC in an oven
• Volatile combustible matter – heated to 900oC in a covered
crucible
• Ash – the final residue (complete combustion different for different
materials)
• Fixed carbon –
FC=100-(% MC+%VM+%Ash)
Solid Fuel Analysis
Ultimate Analysis: (ASTM D3176)
• Elemental Analysis and CHNS analysis
• Provides the major elemental composition of the fuel, that is usually
reported on dry, ash-free basis
• Any analysis technique can be used which can provide the elemental
analysis mainly gas chromatoghpy is used.
 Wood
A Renewable Fuel
Wood:
Fuel wood has been the main source of energy in the domestic
sector.
The situation is quite different by urban/rural divide; 90% in
rural areas have used fuel wood for cooking but only 10% in
urban areas .
Wood fuel can refer to several fuels such as firewood,
charcoal, wood chips sheets, pellets, and sawdust.
 The particular form used depends upon factors such as
source, quantity, quality and application.
It is only after the discovery of fossil fuels that the fuel wood
has gradually been replaced.
 Wood
In many areas, wood is the most easily available form of
fuel, requiring no tools in the case of picking up dead
wood, or few tools. Today, burning of wood is the largest
use of energy derived from a solid fuel biomass.
Wood may be used indoors in a furnace, stove, or
fireplace, or outdoors in a furnace, campfire, or
bonfire. As with any fire, burning wood fuel creates
numerous byproducts, some of which may be useful
(heat and steam), and others that are undesirable,
irritating or dangerous.
Wood
In the context of Pakistan, the industries consuming fuel wood are rural based.
Pakistan has limited timber and wood resources. The forests not only provide
timber but also supply fuel wood
The most important in order of consumption are brick industry, tobacco curing
units, charcoal kilns, and some minor industries such as pottery and
ceramics, lime manufacturing, black smith, dyeing, washing, local medicines,
etc.
Wood Storage
Wood fuels undergo following losses in net available energy as
storage time increases
• Moisture accumulation with time and reaches saturation.
• Loss of volatiles due to evaporation i.e. 15% of net available
energy is lost this way.
• Shrinking and swelling of wood.
• Detoriation of good (biotic and abiotic)
Typical Proximate Analysis of Wood compared to Coal
Fuel Moisture, Volatile Fixed Ash, %
% Matter, % Carbon, %
Bituminous 2.5 37.6 52.9 7.0
Coal
Hard Wood 45.6 48.58 5.52 0.3
wet
Hard Wood 10 89.31 10.14 0.56
dry
Southern 52.3 31.5 15.9 0.29
pine wet
Southern 0.0 66.0 33.4 0.6
pine dry
Typical Ultimate Analysis of Some types of Wood in %
Type of Wood C H O N S Ash

California Red 53.5 5.9 40.3 0.1 Trace 0.2

Wood

Western 50.4 5.8 41.4 0.1 0.1 2.2

Hemlock

Douglas Fir 52.3 6.3 40.5 0.1 Trace 0.8

Pine (Sawdust) 51.8 6.3 41.3 0.1 Trace 0.5

Typical Ultimate Analysis of Some types of Bark Species in %

Types of Wood C H O N S Ash

Western Hemlock 53.0 6.2 39.3 0.0 Trace 1.5

Douglas Fir 51.2 5.2 39.2 0.1 Trace 3.7

Loblolly Pine 56.3 5.6 37.7 0.0 Trace 0.4

Long Leaf Pine 56.4 5.5 37.4 0.0 Trace 0.7

Short Leaf Pine 57.2 5.6 36.1 0.4 Trace 0.7

Flash Pine 56.2 5.4 37.3 0.4 Trace 0.7

Wood Carbonisaton
1. When temperature reaches 100-120oC, moisture of the wood
expelled first.
2. At 275oC, initial decomposition takes place resulting in formation
of little distillate gas containing acetic acid and water.
3. Active distillation of wood takes place upto 350oC producing
liquid products and gaseous products.
4. From 350 to 600oC, slow evolution of residual volatile matters
from wood and charcoal left.
Combustion Characteristics of Wood
• It can be easily ignited.
• Does not burn in large pieces because layers of semi-fused ash
forms on the surface.
• Produces a long, non-smoky flame when burned in excess air. With
limited air, it burns with a lot of smoke.
• Wood fines e.g. Sawdust burns quite easily and readily. Saw dust can
be made into binderless briquettes at high pressures.
Alternate fuels from Wood
1. Charcoal:
A carbonized form of wood. It Involves the
decomposition of the wood in the absence of air. Three
methods are known:
a. An ancient process: in pits.
b. Low temperature carbonization: In metal retorts,
at about 350oC.
c. High temperature carbonization: in retorts, at
around 1000-1200oC.

Charcoal is easily ignited. Used as reducing agent for iron

ore, domestic cooking and to manufacture producer gas.
Alternate fuels from Wood
Charcoal (Continued)
Typical Ultimate analysis on wet basis with ash:
Carbon: 85.2%
Hydrogen: 2.9%
Oxygen+Nitrogen: 3.5%
Ash: 2.5%
Moisture: 5.9%
Calorific Value: 31,400 kJ/kg
Alternate fuels from Wood
2. Substitute Natural Gas (SNG) and Methanol:
 Obtained by gasifying wood to carbon monoxide and hydrogen
after moisture is removed.
 Wood has self generating water supply and low ash and sulfur,
making its gasification superior to coal gasification.
 CO and H2 are synthesized to form SNG over a catalyst or
methanol. Methanol can be converted to gasoline.
Alternate fuels from Wood
3. Producer gas:
• In India, producer gas from wood is used as a fuel. Yield from about
500 kg wood is about 7400 m3 and calorific value is about 5600 kJ/
m3.

• Producer Gas has a large amount of Nitrogen and CO

Province wise wood consumption
Coal
• Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock
usually occurring in rock in layers called coal beds or coal seams.
• Throughout history, coal has been used as an energy resource,
primarily burned for the production of electricity and heat, and is also
used for industrial purposes.
Coal
• Coal is the largest source of energy for the generation of electricity
worldwide, as well as one of the largest worldwide sources of carbon
dioxide releases.
• The extraction of coal, its use in energy production and its byproducts
are all associated with environmental and health effects including
climate change.
Coal
• Coal play an important role as a primary and an
inexpensive source for power generation. In many
developed countries coal is being used as primary
source for power generation.
• In Pakistan, coal currently makes up 1% of the electric
power generation.
Advantages of Coal:
• Coal is an inexpensive form of energy.
• There is lots of coal available in mines around the world,
which helps to make the supply of coal stable.
• Coal is also reliable to produce because it is such an
established industry.
• Large amounts of electricity can be produced using coal,
so it is able to meet increasing energy demands.
• The transport infrastructure to move coal around the
world is well-established and reliable.
• Coal power stations are relatively easy to build, and they
can be built almost anywhere.
Disadvantages of Coal:
Coal is a cost-effective and reliable form of energy, but there are
concerns about the impact that coal has on the environment.
• Coal produces large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions,
including carbon dioxide, when burned in power stations.
• The processes of mining and transporting coal produce even
more greenhouse gas emissions.
• A lot of water is used in coal extraction.
• Water discharges from coal power plants pollute water sources.
• Other waste is produced, including solid waste in the form of
ash.
• Finally, while there is lots of coal, it is a finite resource, and
regarded as a non-renewable form of energy.