MTX311

Combustion
Borgnakke and Sonntag, Chapter 13
Lecture 2
Dr WG Le Roux

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdIB1sEpWVI
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 13.2 Combustion Process
Oxygen is supplied as air:

• Air is considered to be composed of 21%

oxygen and 79% nitrogen by volume
• For each mole of oxygen, 79.0/21.0 = 3.76
moles of nitrogen are involved.

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 13.2 Combustion Process
Air-fuel ratio (AF)

• AFmole =

• Afmass =

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 13.2 Combustion Process
For 100% theoretical air (no excess air):

Theoretical air (→ Stoichiometric Mixture)

• Minimum amount of air that supplies
sufficient oxygen for complete combustion
of all the carbon, hydrogen, and any other
elements in the fuel that may oxidize
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 13.2 Combustion Process
Stoichiometric mixture:

→ 100% theoretical air (or 0% excess air):

Air-fuel ratio (AFmole):

• AFmole = = (2+7.52)/1 = 9.52 kmol air / kmol fuel

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 13.2 Combustion Process
Stoichiometric mixture:

→ 100% theoretical air (or 0% excess air):

Air-fuel ratio (AFmass):

• = 9.52 (28.97/16.043)
= 17.19 kg air / kg fuel
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 13.2 Combustion Process
For 150% theoretical air (or 50% excess air):

Note that oxygen is now also present here

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 13.2 Combustion Process
For 150% theoretical air (or 50% excess air):

Air-fuel ratio (AFmole):

• AFmole = = (3+11.28)/1 = 14.28

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 13.2 Combustion Process
For 150% theoretical air (or 50% excess air):

Air-fuel ratio (AFmass):

• = 14.28 (28.97/16.043) = 25.79

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 13.2 Combustion Process
Equivalence ratio (Ф):
Theoretical (stoichiometric) air–fuel ratio (AFs)
divided by an actual air-fuel ratio (AF)

For example, as was shown above for 50% excess air:

Ф = AFs / AF = 17.19/25.79 = 0.666
OR Ф = AFs / AF = 9.52/14.28 = 0.666

• Note that 1/Ф = 1.5

 150% theoretical air
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 13.2 Combustion Process
Incomplete combustion:
• Amount of air supplied is less than the theoretical
air required
• For a slight deficiency of air, carbon monoxide (CO)
is also formed
• For a large deficiency of air, there may also be some
hydrocarbons in the products of combustion
• Even when some excess air is supplied, small
amounts of carbon monoxide may be present

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 13.2 Combustion Process
Class example:
60g/s of propylbenzene (C9H12) with
molar mass of 120 kg/kmol is combusted
with an AF-ratio (by mass) of 18.41.
a) Determine the mass flow rate of air
b) Determine the mole fractions of each
of the products.

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