ChE-481 | Fuel and Combustion | Group 09

Introduction
The sequence of exothermic chemical reactions between a fuel and an oxidant accompanied by the production of heat and conversion of chemical species May result in the production of light or flame Simply referred to as Burning

Fuels Used
Mostly organic compounds (hydrocarbons) and may exist in the form of:
Solid fuel Liquid fuel

Gaseous fuel

How Fuels are Burned??

Solid fuels:
In form of beds in lump or in pulverized form

Liquid fuels:
Either by vaporizing or mixing with air before ignition In the form of fine droplets

Gaseous fuels:
In burners - either the fuel and air are premixed or the

fuel and air flow separately into a furnace

Combustion Process
Starts by heating the fuel above its ignition temperature in the presence of oxygen Chemical bonds of the fuel are split Release of energy Emission of light

Combustion Process

Complete Combustion
the elements carbon (C), hydrogen (H) and sulphur (S)

react with the oxygen content of the air to form CO2, H2O and SO2 and to a lesser degree SO3

Incomplete Combustion
Insufficient oxygen present Fuel / air mixture is insufficient Flue gases contain combustible components Examples include: CO, carbon (soot) and various hydrocarbons CxHy

Reaction
General reaction for combustion is: fuel + oxygen carbon dioxide + water + heat
In Elemental Form: CxHy + O2 --> CO2 + H2O + H

Combustion Process
Combustion optimization saves money! excess air ensures complete combustion
Quality of Combustion: A maximum percentage of complete combustion, along with a minimum of excess air Commonly 5 to 20% above the necessary level for ideal combustion

Products

Requirements
There are three main requirements: Fuel Oxygen The 3 Ts
Time

Temperature
Turbulence

Requirements
Fuel:

Primary fuels: oil, gas, coal and lignite Secondary fuels e.g. saw dust (by products in industries) Air is: 79% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, ignoring the inert gases. 79% of air (Nitrogen) doesnt enter the combustion But it has to be heated, which decreases the efficiency A large mass of air is supplied for meeting the oxygen requirement

Oxygen:

Requirements
3 Ts: Time: Sufficient time must be available for complete combustion to occur Significant for dilution effect of N2 in air Temperature: Fuel must be heated to its specific ignition temperature for complete oxidation Turbulence: Thoroughly mixing is vital for complete combustion

Applications
Boilers (Hot water / steam boilers) Power Boiler Fuel fired and heat treating furnaces Industrial ovens Warm-air furnaces

Types Of Combustion
Depends upon
means of contacting fuel and oxidant the condition of flame

Common types are:

Combustion with Stationary Flame

Surface Combustion
Submerged Combustion Combustion with Explosive Flame

Pulsating Combustion
Slow Combustion

Surface Combustion
If the combustion proceeds in contact with solid surface in the absence of flame is known as surface combustion Also known as flameless combustion Application: Tunnel burner combustion

Submerged Combustion
Special type of surface combustion with burner fully or partly submerged in the liquid Hot combustion products bubble through the liquid in an agitated condition

High heat transfer rate Direct liquid-hot gases contact high evaporation rate

Application: Used in the evaporation of severely scaling and corrosive liquids

Explosion Flame Combustion

Occurs in a homogeneous mixture of fuel and air Characterized by the flame front progressing rapidly through the mixture Process may be at

Constant Pressure e.g. mine explosion Constant Volume e.g. combustion in gasoline engine

Pulsating Combustion
Special type of explosion flame Occurs when one end of a long tube is open and the other end is closed by a non-return valve Air and fuel is introduced at the closed end On ignition the pressure in the system rises sharply at constant volume and prevent the flow of air and fuel momentarily

Pulsating Combustion
When exhaust gases leave the tube through the open end, a fresh supply of air and fuel arrived at the hot zone and combustion is repeated in the form of pulsation Offers:

Higher rates of combustion Higher heat transfer than the conventional burner High noise level

Slow combustion
Takes place at sub-flame temperature < 400 C No reaction zone or frame front is visible No direct industrial application Useful in the study of combustion mechanism Application: Useful in determining the chain reaction rates

Stationary Flame Combustion

Normal combustion process as practiced in oven/ furnaces Resultant flame front is more or less stationary in space Sub-division

Premixed: Fuel and oxidant are premixed before entering the burning zone Diffusive: Fuel and air are separately supplied to the burning zone

Stationary Flame Combustion

Stationary flame may be laminar or turbulent depending upon the velocity of premixed air Laminar flames are:

Longer, steady, regular, less noisy

Turbulent flames are:

Unsteady, irregular, noisy

Example:
When the air hole of a Bunsen burner is fully closed, a

laminar diffusive flame is obtained when if the air hole is fully opened a turbulent premixed flame is obtained

Stationary Flame Combustion

In practice a part of total air is premixed with the fuel and remaining is directly supplied to the combustion area The premixed air is known as primary air and the rest is called secondary air

Thank You