Category: Fuels And Combustion

Bioalcohols are produced by the action of microorganisms and enzymes through the fermentation of sugars or starches, or cellulose. Biobutanol is also known as biogasoline as claimed to provide a direct replacement for gasoline, because it can be used directly in a gasoline engine. Ethanol can be used in petrol engines as a replacement for gasoline;…

A biofuel is derived from biological carbon fixation. Biofuels include fuels derived from biomass conversion as well as solid biomass, liquid fuels, and various biogases. Fossil fuels having their origin in ancient carbon fixation are not considered biofuels because they contain carbon that has been out of the carbon cycle for a very long time.…

Methane is the main constituent of natural gas and accounting for about 95% of the total volume. Other components are ethane, propane, butane, pentane, nitrogen, carbon dioxide and traces of other gases. Very small amounts of sulphur compounds are also present. Since methane is the largest component of natural gas, generally properties of methane are…

LPG is a predominant mixture of propane and butane with a small percentage of unsaturates (propylene and butylene) and some lighter C2 as well as heavier C5 fractions. Included in the LPG range are propane (C3H8), propylene (C3H6), normal and iso-butane (C4H10) and butylene (C4H8). LPG may be defined as those hydrocarbons, which are gaseous at normal…

Gaseous fuels in common use are liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), natural gas, producer gas, blast furnace gas, coke oven gas, etc. The calorific value of gaseous fuel is expressed in kilocalories per normal cubic meter (kcal/Nm3), i.e., at normal temperature (20°C) and pressure (760 mm Hg).

Water content of furnace oil when supplied is normally very low as the product at refinery site is handled hot and maximum limit of 1% is specified in the standard. Water may be present in free or emulsified form and can cause damage to the inside furnace surfaces during combustion especially if it contains dissolved…

Carbon residue indicates the tendency of oil to deposit a carbonaceous solid residue on a hot surface, such as a burner or injection nozzle, when its vaporizable constituents evaporate. Residual oil contains carbon residue ranging from 1% or more.

The ash value is related to the inorganic material in the fuel oil. The ash levels of distillate fuels are negligible. Residual fuels have more of the ash-forming constituents. These salts may be compounds of sodium, vanadium, calcium, magnesium, silicon, iron, aluminium, nickel, etc. Typically, the ash value is in the range of 0.03–0.07%. Excessive…

Sulphur The amount of sulphur in the fuel oil depends mainly on the source of the crude oil and to a lesser extent on the refining process. The normal sulphur content for the residual fuel oil (furnace oil) is in the order of 2–4%. The ranges of variation of sulphur in liquid fuels in percentage…

The calorific value is the measurement of heat or energy produced and is measured in terms of gross calorific value or net calorific value. Gross calorific value (GCV) assumes all vapour produced during the combustion process as fully condensed. Net calorific value (NCV) assumes the water leaves with the combustion products without fully being condensed.…