PRINCIPLES OF COMBUSTION

FOR MARINE BOILER

1.1
COMBUSTIO
N
FUNDAMENT
ALS
What are the components for
combustion to take place?
FIRE TRIANGLE
1. Heat
• A source of heat is required in order for ignition to occur,
and different materials have different ‘flash points’ e.g. the
lowest temperature at which they ignite.
• Unfortunately, combustion reactions also produce heat as
they burn, further increasing the temperature of the fuel.
2. Fuel
• A fire cannot begin if there is no material to burn. Homes
and businesses are full of flammable materials, such as
paper, oil, wood and fabrics. Any of these can serve as a
fuel for a fire.
• Some materials burn more easily than others. Fuels are
probably the most difficult ‘side’ of the fire triangle to
remove, so it’s wise to store them appropriately to prevent
them becoming a fire hazard.
FIRE TRIANGLE
3. Oxygen
• To sustain the combustion reaction, oxygen (or an
oxidising agent) is needed, as it reacts with the
burning fuel to release heat and CO2. Earth’s
atmosphere consists of 21% oxygen, so there is
plenty available to trigger a fire if the other two
components are present.
COMBUSTIO
N PROCESS
• Combustion is a chemical process. It
is a reaction between the fossil fuels
such as coal or natural gas and
oxygen. The main products of the
combustion process are carbon
dioxide and water. The combustion
process is always exothermic and it
liberates heat. The actual reaction
taking place due to combustion can
be written down as-
• Fuel + O2 -> Product + Heat
COMBUSTION PROCESS
• The process of combustion can be completely carried out only in
the presence of adequate amount of oxygen. Rapid fuel
oxidation results in large amount of heat. Almost 79% of air
which is not oxygen is nitrogen. Nitrogen is considered as
temperature reducing diluter.
• Nitrogen absorbs heat and reduces the combustion efficiency of
the fuel. The amount of heat which is available for use is also
reduced. At high temperatures, nitrogen combines with oxygen
to produce oxides of nitrogen, which are toxic pollutants.
• Under certain conditions, carbon combines with oxygen to form
carbon monoxide. This incomplete combustion releases small
amount of energy as compared when carbon combines with
carbon dioxide.
COMBUSTION PROCESS
• It's important to remember that combustion reactions are easy to
recognize because the products always contain carbon dioxide and
water. Here are several examples of balanced equations for
combustion reactions. Note that while oxygen gas is always
present as a reactant, in the trickier examples, the oxygen comes
from another reactant.
• Combustion of methane
CH4(g) + 2 O2(g) → CO2(g) + 2 H2O(g)
• Burning of naphthalene
C10H8 + 12 O2 → 10 CO2 + 4 H2O
• Combustion of ethane
2 C2H6 + 7 O2 → 4 CO2 + 6 H2O
• Combustion of butane (commonly found in lighters)
2C4H10(g) +13O2(g) → 8CO2(g) +10H2O(g)
COMBUSTION
PROCESS
• Complete Combustion: Also called "clean combustion," complete
combustion is the oxidation of a hydrocarbon that produces only carbon
dioxide and water. An example of clean combustion would be burning a
wax candle: The heat from the flaming wick vaporizes the wax (a
hydrocarbon), which in turn, reacts with oxygen in the air to release carbon
dioxide and water. Ideally, all the wax burns so nothing remains once the
candle is consumed, while the water vapor and carbon dioxide dissipate
into the air.
• Incomplete Combustion: Also called "dirty combustion," incomplete
combustion is hydrocarbon oxidation that produces carbon monoxide
and/or carbon (soot) in addition to carbon dioxide. An example of
incomplete combustion would be burning coal (a fossil fuel), during which
quantities of soot and carbon monoxide are released. In fact, many fossil
fuels—including coal—burn incompletely, releasing waste products into the
environment.
COMBUSTION PRODUCT
 COMBUSTION
PRODUCT
• Poor combustion creates smoke, which
pollutes the atmosphere and wastes fuel
and reduces the efficiency of the engine or
boiler.
• production of smoke may lead to
prosecution.
• MARPOL Annex VI - prevention of air
pollution from ships
What means available at marine boiler
to monitor perfect combustion?

• Physically
• Instrumentation