FUELS AND COMBUSTION

INTRUDUCTION: Fuel is a substance, containing carbon as a main constituent, which on

burning gives large amount of heat, which can be used economically for domestic and
industrial purposes.
Ex: Wood, coal, kerosene, petrol, diesel, natural gas, producer gas, oil gas etc.
Classification of fuels
Fuels are classified according to their occurrence as well as their physical state.
1) Natural or primary fuels 2) Artificial or secondary fuels
Fuels that are found and obtained from nature are natural fuels. Eg: Coal, petroleum etc.
Fuels that are prepared artificially from primary fuels are secondary or artificial fuels.
Eg: Diesel, Petrol, Kerosene, producer gas etc.
On the basis of physical state, fuels are classified as solid, liquid and gaseous fuels.
Characteristics of a good fuel
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A fuel should possess high calorific value.

It should have low ignition temperature.
It should have low moisture content.
A good fuel should have low content of non-combustible matter and ash.
Fuel on burning should not produce harmful gases like CO, SO2 etc.
A good fuel should be readily available in bulk at a low cost.
The fuel must be easily transported and stored safely.
The combustion of a fuel should be easily controllable.

Solid fuels: Solid fuels are mainly classified into two categories, i.e. natural fuels, such as
wood, coal, etc. and manufactured fuels, such as charcoal, coke, briquettes, etc..
The various advantages and disadvantages of solid fuels are given below :
Advantages
(a) They are easy to transport.
(b) They are convenient to store without any risk of spontaneous explosion.
(c) Their cost of production is low.
(d) They posses moderate ignition temperature.
Disadvantages
(a) Their ash content is high.
(b) Their large proportion of heat is wasted.
(c) Their cost of handling is high.