FUELS AND COMBUSTION

Description of the oven:

The oven consists of number of silica chambers.
The chambers are about 10 – 12 m long, 3 – 4 m height and 0.42 –
0.45 m wide.
Each chamber has a charging hole (top), gas off- take valve and iron door (end)
for discharging coke.
Working:
 Coal is introduced into the silica chambers and the chambers are closed.
 The chambers are heated to 1200˚C by burning air and producer gas
through 2ndand 3rd hot regenerators.
 The flue gases produced during carbonization i s p a s s e d through 1st
and 4th regenerators to raise the temperature to 10000C.
FUELS AND COMBUSTION

 Each oven holds about 20 tons of coal and the time taken for carbonization
is about 12-20 hours.

 The yield of coke is about 70%.

 When the process is over, coke is removed from oven and cooled by
quenching.

Recovery of by – Products:

By- products Recovery procedure

-spraying liq.NH3.
Tar -NH3 is got back by heating process.
-spraying water.
Ammonia
-Ammonia is converted to NH4OH.
-spraying cool water.
Naphthalene
- naphthalene condenses.
-spraying petroleum.
Benzene
- benzene condenses to liquid.
-passing remaining gas through
H2S purifier packed with moist Fe2SO3
-H2S is retained.
-Final product that can be used as a gaseous fuel.
Purified coal gas

Flue gas analysis by Orsat method:

Flue gas is the mixture of gases (like CO2, O2& CO) coming out from the
➢

combustion chamber.
➢
The analysis of a flue gas would give an idea about the complete
or incomplete combustion process.
➢
The analysis of flue gas is carried out by using Orsat’s apparatus.
FUELS AND COMBUSTION

Description of Orsat’s apparatus:

➢
It consists of a horizontal tube.
➢
At one end of this tube, ‘U’ tube containing fused CaCl2 is connected through 3
– way stop cock.
➢
The other end of the tube is connected with a graduated burette.
➢
The burette is surrounded by a water jacket (keeps the temperature of the
gas constant).
➢
The lower end of the burette is connected to a water reservoir by means
of a rubber tube.
➢
The level of water in the burette can be raised or lowered by raising or lowering
the reservoir.

➢
The horizontal tube is connected with three different absorption bulbs 1,
2 and 3 for absorbing CO2, O2 and CO.

Bulb - 1 contains KOH and it absorbs CO2 only.

Bulb - 2 contains alkaline pyrogallol and it absorbs CO2and O2.
Bulb - 3 contains ammoniacal cuprous chloride and it absorbs CO2, O2

Working:
 The three way stop cock is opened to the atmosphere and the burette
is completely filled with water and air is sent out.
 The burette is filled with flue gas to 100cc by raising or lowering the reservoir.
Now the 3- way stop cock is closed.
Absorption of CO2:
FUELS AND COMBUSTION

 The Bulb-1 is filled with the flue gas is by raising the level of water in the
burette.
 Here CO2 is absorbed by KOH. The gas is again sent to the burette.
 The process is repeated several times to ensure complete absorption ofCO2.
 The decrease in volume of the flue gas = the volume of CO2 in 100cc of the flue
gas.
Absorption of O2:

➢
Bulb-1 is closed and Bulb-2 is opened.

➢
The gas enters into Bulb-2 where O is absorbed by alkaline pyrogallol.
2

➢
The decrease in volume of the flue gas = the volume of O .
2

Absorption of CO:
 Bulb 2 is closed and Bulb-3 is opened.
➢ The remaining gas is sent into Bulb-3, where CO is absorbed byammonical
cuprous chloride.
➢ The decrease in volume of flue gas = the volume of CO.
 The remaining gas in the burette is taken as nitrogen.
Significance:
i) It gives an idea about the complete or incomplete combustion.
ii) If the flue gas contains high amount of CO, it shows incomplete
Combustion and short supply of O2.
iii) If the flue gas contain high amount of O2, it indicates complete combustion
and excess supply of O2.

BERGIUS PROCESS- SYNTHETIC PETROL

Hydrogenation of coal
Coal is hydrogen deficient compound. If coal is heated with hydrogen at high
temperature and high pressure, it is converted into gasoline. This process of preparation of
liquid fuel from solid coal is called hydrogenation of coal.
FUELS AND COMBUSTION
FUELS AND COMBUSTION

Biogas( Gobar Gas)

 produced by the fermentation of bio wastes, sewage wastes etc., by anaerobic

bacteria

i) It is essentially methane.
ii) ii) Its Calorific Value is 5400 kcals/m3 .
iii) iii) Its average composition is CH4 = 60 % CO2 = 30 % H2 = 10 %

 It is obtained by fermentation of dung in absence of air.

 The dung is made into slurry and introduced into a brick - lined well called
fermentation well.
 Formation of gas starts in a week. The optimum temperature for this
fermentation is 34 - 48o C.
 The gas is taken out from the exit provided at the top of the drum. It is used as a
domestic fuel in villages.
FUELS AND COMBUSTION

Proximate analysis includes the determination of percentage of moisture, volatile matter, ash
and fixed carbon.

Proximate analysis involved the following determinations-

MOISTURE:
1. Weigh the empty crucible.
2. Take one gram of sample in a crucible.
3. Place the crucible with coal sample in the hot air oven.
4. Maintain the oven at temperature of 105-110oC for 0ne hour.
5. Cool and weigh the crucible.
6. Loss in weight is reported as the moisture content

VOLATILE MATTER:
1. Cover the crucible with lid and place the crucible in muffle furnace.
2. Maintain the temperature of muffle furnace at 925 ± 20oC .
3. Keep the crucible for 7 minutes.
4.Keep the crucible in desiccators for cooling.
5. Weigh the crucible.
% of Volatile Matter = (loss in weight /wt. of coal sample taken) X100

ASH:
1. Keep the crucible in the muffle furnace without lid.
2. Maintain the temperature of 700±50oC in muffle furnace for ½ an hour.
3. Remove the crucible and keep it in desiccators for cooling.
4. Weigh the crucible.

% of Ash = (wt. of ash left / wt. of coal taken) X 100

FIXED CARBON:
% of fixed carbon = 100 - % of (Moisture + Volatile matter + Ash content)
FUELS AND COMBUSTION

BIODIESEL
Biodiesel is a liquid biofuel obtained by chemical processes from vegetable oils or animal
fats and an alcohol that can be used in diesel engines, alone or blended with diesel oil.

Vegetable oils comprise of 90−95%

triglycerides with small amount of
diglycerides, free
fatty acids, phospholipids, etc. T
Vegetable oils comprise of 90−95%
triglycerides with small amount of
diglycerides, free
fatty acids, phospholipids, etc. T
Vegetable oils comprise of 90−95% triglycerides with small amount of diglycerides, free
fatty acids, phospholipids, etc

Reducing the viscosity of the vegetable oils by the process known as trans-esterification or
alcoholysis. Alcoholysis is nothing but displacement of alcohol from an ester by another
alcohol
FUELS AND COMBUSTION

Advantages
1. It can be produced from renewable, domestic resources.
2. Biodiesel is energy efficient.
3.It is nontoxic and biodegradable