FUELS AND

COMBUSTION
VARDELLI SHANTHAN
MT21HPE001
FUELS
• A fuel is any material that can be made to react with other substances so that it releases
energy as thermal energy or to be used for work.
• By the process of combustion, fuels releases a large amount of heat.
• The study of fuels and its properties is important for selection of right fuel for right purpose
for the efficient use of energy.
• Generally fuels are classified into two categories based on occurrence and based on physical
form.
PROPETIES OF FUELS
• The knowledge of the fuel properties helps in selecting the right fuel for the right purpose and efficient use of the fuel.
• PROPERTIES OF LIQUID FUELS:

1. Density 2. Specific Gravity

3. Viscosity 4. Flash point
5. Pour point 6. Specific Heat
7. Calorific Value 8. Sulphur
9. Carbon Residue 10. Water Content
• PROPERTIES OF GASEOUS FUELS:
1. Calorific value
2. Moisture content
3. Ash content
4. Carbon content
5. Volatility
Properties of Solid fuels
1. Heating value
2. Moisture content
3. Volatility
4. Carbon and Ash content

Storage of Fuel Oil:

• It is hazardous to store liquid fuels in barrels. They must be stored in cylindrical tanks with
a size estimate that the stored fuel must be utilised in a span of over 10 days.
• Proper care must be taken while dealing with the transfer of fuels from tanker to barrels and
regular cleaning must be done so as to avoid mixing of dirt and contaminants in the fuel.
• Any leaks at the joints of the barrel must be admitted as soon as possible so as to avoid
accidents and the pipelines feeding into the combustion system should dealt with utmost
care.
COAL
• Coal is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of carbon and used as a fuel. Coal is
mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen,
and nitrogen.
• Coal is classified into three major types namely anthracite, bituminous, and lignite. However
there is no clear demarcation between them and coal is also further classified as
semianthracite, semi-bituminous, and sub-bituminous.
• Anthracite is the oldest coal and lignite is the youngest coal from geological perspective.
Preparation of Coal:
• Preparation of coal prior to feeding into the boiler is an important step for achieving good
combustion. Following steps are in involved in preparation of coal:
 Sizingof Coal
 Conditioning of Coal
 Blending of Coal
COMBUSTION
• Combustion refers to the rapid oxidation of fuel accompanied by the production of heat, or heat and
light.
• Oxygen (O2) is one of the most common elements on earth making up 20.9% of our air. Rapid fuel
oxidation results in large amounts of heat.
• Most of the 79% of air (that is not oxygen) is nitrogen, with traces of other elements. Nitrogen reduces
combustion efficiency by absorbing heat from the combustion of fuels and diluting the flue gases. This
reduces the heat available for transfer through the heat exchange surfaces.
3 T’s of Combustion:
• Temperature high enough to ignite and maintain ignition of the fuel,
• Turbulence or intimate mixing of the fuel and oxygen,
• Time sufficient for complete combustion.
• For complete combustion of every one kg of fuel oil 14.1 kg of air is needed. In practice, a certain
amount of excess air is needed to complete combustion and ensure that release of the entire heat
contained in fuel oil.
• A certain amount of air is needed for complete combustion of fuel as too much air leads to heat loss
and too less leads incomplete combustion.
• Excess air is determined by the amount of carbon dioxide in the emissions.
DRAFT SYSTEM
• The function of draft in a combustion system is to exhaust the products of
combustion into the atmosphere.
• The draft can be classified into two types :
1. Natural Draft
2. Mechanical Draft
 Balanced Draft
 Induced Draft
 Forced Draft
THANK YOU