CH201E

-Dr. Shubhangi L. Sayre

Lecturer in Chemistry
Govt. Poly.Nagpur
 6. Energy & pollution control

• 6.1 Definitions of a fuel-

• Fuel :Substance which on burning

gives energy in the form of heat.
 Calorific Value of a fuel is the total quantity of heat
energy librated, when a unit mass (or volume) of the
fuel is burnt completely in excess air.

Definition of ignition temperature

: the lowest temperature at which a combustible substance
when heated,continues to burn.
 LPG, CNG
Diesel,
kerosene
Charcoal
Advantages of solid fuels

•They are easy to transport.

•They are convenient to store without any risk of spontaneous explosion.
•Their cost of production is low.
•They possess moderate ignition temperature.

Disadvantages of solid fules

•Their ash content is high.
•They burn with clinker formation.
•They combustion operations cannot be controlled easily.
•Their cost of handling is high.
•Their large proportion of heat is wasted during combustion.
•Their thermal efficiency is low.
•Their calorific value is lower as compared to that of liquids fuels.
•They require a large excess of air for complete combustion.
•They cannot be used as internal combustion engine fuels.
Advantages of liquid fuels :

•They possess higher calorific value per unit mass than solid fuels.
•They burn without forming dust, ash, clinkers etc.
•Their firing is easier and also fire can be extinguished easily by stopping
the liquid fuel supply.
•They are easy to transport through pipes.
•They can be stored indefinitely without any loss.
•The flame produced by burning liquid fuels can easily be controlled by
adjusting the liquid fuel supply.
•Liquid fuels are generally handled by pipes and one man can easily
regulate a large number of furnaces simultaneously.
•They are clean in use and economic in labour.
•Loss of heat to the chimney is very low due to greater cleanliness.
•They require less excess of air for complete combustion.
•They require less furnace space for combustion.
•There is no wear and tear of grate bars and cleaning of fires, unlike
solid fuels.
•They can be used as internal combustion fuels.
Disadvantages of liquid fuels :

•The cost of liquid fuel is relatively much higher as compared to solid

fuels.
•Costly special storage tanks are required for storing liquid fuels.
•There is a greater risk of fire hazards, particularly in the case of highly
inflammable and volatile liquid fuels.
•Liquid fuels give bad odour.
•For efficient burning of liquid fuels, specially constructed burners and
spraying apparatus are required.
•Choking for sprayers is a drawback of oil firing.
•Advantages of Gaseous fuels :

•They can be conveyed easily through a pipeline to the actual place of need
that is the main reason for eliminating the manual labour cost in
transportation.
•They can be lighted at moment's notice.
•They have high heat content and hence, help us in having high temperatures.
•They can be pre-heated by the heat of hot waste gases, thereby affording the
economy in heat.
•Their combustion can readily be controlled for changes in demand like
oxidizing or reducing atmosphere, length of flame etc.
•They burn without any smoke.
•They are ashless so there is no labour involved in ash handling.
•They are clean in use.
•They do not require any special burners.
•They can be produced by using even the poorest quantity of coal.
 •They burn without heat loss, due to convection currents.
•They burn in slight excess of air supply.
•They are free from solid and liquid impurities.
•Complete combustion without pollution is possible due to the uniform
mixing of air and fuel.
•They have high calorific value as well.
•They can also be used in internal combustion engine fuels.

Disadvantages of Gaseous fuels :

•Very large storage tank needed for them.
•They are highly inflammable, so chances of fire hazards are high in their
use.
•They are more costly as compared with solid and liquid fuels.
6.2 SOLID FUELS

 Coal Analysis techniques are specific analytical

methods designed to measure the particular
physical and chemical properties of coal. There
are two methods to analyze coal i.e, the proximate
analysis and the ultimate analysis.
 The proximate analysis determines only the fixed

carbon, volatile matter, moisture and ash

percentages.
 Useful to find out HCV(high calorific value)

 Needs simple analysis Equipment

 Proximate analysis involves the following determinations in terms
of percentage by weight:
Moisture means the water expelled from the fuel by specified
methods without causing any chemical change to the fuel. Hence,
lesser the moisture content better is the quality of fuel.
Volatile matter is the loss in weight minus the moisture when the
fuel is heated to a sufficiently high temperature under specified
conditions. A high volatile matter containing coal burns with a long
flame, high smoke and has low calorific value.
Ash is the inorganic residue left when the fuel is completely burnt in
air under specified conditions.
Fixed carbon is the residue obtained by subtracting the sum of the
percentages by weight of moisture, volatile matter and ash from
100. It is essentially carbon containing minor amounts of nitrogen,
sulphur, oxygen and hydrogen.
 Moisture content: 1 g of finely powdered coal, taken in a crucible, is
heated in an electric oven at 105-110 0C for l hour, cooled in a
dessicator and weighed. Percentage moisture content can be
calculated from the loss of weight.
% Moisture = loss in wt of sample × 100
wt of coal taken
 Volatile matter: For determining volatile matter content, the dried
sample of coal left in the crucible is then covered with a lid and is
placed in a muffle furnace at 925°C ± 20°C for exactly seven
minutes. The crucible is cooled first in air, then in the dessicator and
weighed. The loss in weight is due to volatile matter which is
calculated as:
% Volatile matter = loss in wt × 100
wt of coal sample
 Ash content: It is the residue obtained after
burning of the coal in a muffle furnace at 700-
750 0C for half an hour till a constant weight is
obtained.
% of Ash = wt of residue left x 100
wt of coal taken

Fixed carbon content: It is determined
indirectly by deducting the sum of total
moisture, volatile matter and ash content from
100.
% of Fixed carbon = 100 – (% of moisture + %
of volatile matter +% of ash)
  The proximate analysis
involves the

• determination of moisture, volatile matter, ash,

and fixed carbon. This gives quick and valuable
information regarding commercial classification
and determination of suitability for a particular
industrial use.
6.3 Liquid Fuels
 Composition

Biodiesel is a form of diesel fuel derived from plants or

animals and consisting of long-chain fatty acid esters. It is
typically made by chemically reacting lipids such as
animal fat (tallow), soybean oil, or some other vegetable
oil with an alcohol, producing a methyl, ethyl or propyl
ester.
6.4
Composition