FUELS AND COMBUSTION

BY
G.MAHESH
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
VISHNU INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
BHIMAVARAM
INTRODUCTION
• Fuels are defined as “Substance which Undergoes
Combustion in the presence of air or oxygen to produce a
large amount of heat that can be used economically for
industrial and domestic purpose”.
• Any chemical process accompanied by the evolution of
light and heat is called combustion. It is simply the reaction
of substances with oxygen and converts chemical energy
into heat and light. Commercially important fuels contain
carbon and hydrogen and their compounds, which provide
heating value.
 APPLICATIONS
Fuels play an important role in our everyday life because they are
used in homes, transport and industry for providing energy
• Domestic/house hold Usage: Cooking, lighting, heating, cooling
etc. Fuels like wood, coal, kerosene, cow dung etc are used.
• For Transportation: IC engines in cars, buses, trucks etc. Coal,
diesel and petrol are used as fuel for road, sea and air transport in
automobiles and locomotives.
• For industry: Boilers, furnaces, reciprocating engines, gas turbine
engines, for power plants, rocket motors etc. Fuels like coal and
natural gas are used.
• For Air Space Centre: Specially prepared fuels like hydrazine
(Rocket fuels) [NH2-NH2] are used.
• Fuel devices: Candle flames, lighting of match sticks, cigarette
burning, wood burning, gasifier, furnace, Liquefied petroleum gas
(LPG) burners for cooking
CLASSIFICATION OF FUELS
 Characteristics of a Good Fuel
• High Calorific value.
• Moderate Ignition Temperature.
• Low Moisture Content.
• Low Non-Combustible Matter Content.
• Moderate velocity of combustion.
• Product should not be Harmful.
• Low cost.
• Easy of Transport.
• Combustion Should be Easily Controllable.
Advantages of solid fuel :
1. Solid fuel can be stored conveniently without any risk of
explosion.
2. They can easily transported.
3. They have moderate ignition temperature.
4. Leakage problem is not takes place.
Disadvantages :
1.Rate of combustion of solid fuel can’t be easily
controlled.
2. Large amount of heat is wasted.
3. The ash content of solid fuel is very high.
4. The cost of handling of solid fuel is high.
5. After burning it produce large quantity of smoke.
Advantages of liquid fuels
1) Liquid fuel having higher calorific value.
2) Less space is required for storage.
3) Easy control of combustion by stopping supply of fuel.
4) It is very clean fuel, dust free.
5) Reduction in cost of handling.
6) Easily transported through pipes.
7) During burning it does not form ash.
Disadvantages :
1) Cost of liquid fuel is high.
2) The storage tank specially designed.
3) It has higher cost.
4) Danger of explosion.
5) Liquid fuels mostly we import from other countries. So we
depends on other countries.
Advantages of gaseous fuels :
1. They are free from solid and liquid impurity.
2. Maximum complete combustion of gaseous fuel is possible.
3. The rate of combustion and temperature in the combustion
chamber can be easily controlled.
4. For complete combustion less amount of excess air is required.
5. Do not produce ash and smoke.
6. Large amount of heat and temperature is obtained at a moderate
cost.
Disadvantages :
1) They are readily inflammable.
2) They require large storage capacity.
3) The cost of gaseous fuel are more.
 COMBUSTION EQUATIONS
1. Combustion of hydrogen:
2H2 + O2 → 2H2O
This equation tells us that:
2 volumes of Hydrogen + 1 volume of Oxygen → 2 volumes of H2O

This shows that there is volumetric contraction on combustion.

The H2O may be liquid or a vapor depending on whether the product has
been cooled sufficiently to cause condensation.
The proportions by mass are obtained by using atomic weights as
follows:
2(2 X 1) + 2 X 16 → 2(2X1 + 16) 4kg of H2 + 32kg of O2 → 36kg of
H2O 1kg of H2 + 8kg of O2 → 9kg of H2O 
 COMBUSTION EQUATIONS
 Combustion of carbon:
(i) Complete combustion of carbon to carbon-dioxide
C + O2 → CO2
1 volume Carbon + 1 volume Oxygen → 1 volume CO2
And 1kg C + 8/3 kg O2 → 11/3 kg CO2
(ii) The incomplete combustion of carbon.
The incomplete combustion of carbon occurs when there is an
insufficient supply of oxygen to burn the carbon completely to
carbon-dioxide.
2C + O2 → 2CO
1kg C + 4/3 kg O2 → 7/3 kg CO
If a further supply of oxygen is available then the combustion can
continue to completion.
2CO + O2 → 2CO2 1kg CO + 4/7 kg O2 → 11/7 kg CO2
 STOICHIOMETRIC AIR-FUEL RATIO
• Stoichiometric Mixture Of Air And Fuel Is One That Contains Just
Sufficient Oxygen For Complete Combustion Of The Fuel.
• A weak mixture is one which has an excess of air.
• A rich mixture is one which has a deficiency of air.
FLUE GAS ANALYSIS