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Combustion is a chemical process in which a substance reacts rapidly with oxygen and
gives off heat. The original substance is called FUEL, and the source of oxygen is called
the OXYDISER. For combustion FUEL, OXYDISER and HEAT must be present. As a result of
combustion EXHAUST are created and HEAT are produced. We can control or stop the
combustion by controlling the amount of fuel or the amount of oxygen or source of
heat.
Reactants are the components that exist before the reaction of a combustion process.
Products are the components that exist after the reaction.
Why study Combustion?
1. Production and reduction of hostile fires which annually kill over thousands of
people and leave many thousands more with life long physical and psychological
scars.
2. Reduction of harmful liquid waste matter which are slowly but surely damaging
the civilization that grew to depend on combustion.
3. It promotes to design of efficient and safe furnace to dispose wastes.
4. It lets us to improve efficiency of chemical energy resources.
5. Innovation methods to extract energy from sources which are uneconomical
before.
Stoichiometry
Stoichiometry air is the quantity of air required to burn a unit quantity of fuel
completely with no oxygen appearing in the product of combustion.
Air contains oxygen by mass 23.2% and by volume 21%. Also air contains Nitrogen by
mass 76.8% and by volume 79%.
1
Stoichiometric Combustion Equations:
Take an example of combustion of carbon with oxygen
Lecturer: Ram Chandra Sapkota | Note prepared by Surya Narayan Mandal
C + O2 = CO2.
This is balanced equation. Here carbon and oxygen are called reactants and CO2 is
product. This is called Stoichiometric Combustion Equations.
Next Example:
H2 + O2 = H2O. This is unbalanced equation.
2 H2 + O2 = 2 H2O. This is balanced equation, which is called Stoichiometric
Combustion Equations.
Third Example:
C6H14 + O2 = CO2 + H2O. Which is unbalanced equation.
2 C6H14 + 19 O2 = 12 CO2 + 14 H2O. Which is balanced equation which is called
Stoichiometric Combustion Equations.
Analysis on mass basis:
Let us take an example.
2 H2 + O2 = 2 H2O
This equation says that 4 mass of H2 combined with 32 mass of O2 to produce 36 mass
of H2O. i.e.
1 mass of H2 + 8 mass of O2 = 9 mass of H2O.
1 kg H2 + 8 kg O2 = 9 kg H2O if unit is kg.
Oxygen is combined in air and is 23.2% by mass. So the 8 kg O2 = 8kg/0.232 = 34.5 kg
air. It means N2 contains 34.5‐8 = 26.5 kg.
Analysis on volume basis:
It is based on Avogadro’s Law which states that “ equal volume of different gases at
same temperature and pressure contain the same number of molecules”.
2 H2O + O2 = 2 H2O
That is, 2
1 volume of H2 + 0.5 volume of O2= 1 volume of H2O.
Lecturer: Ram Chandra Sapkota | Note prepared by Surya Narayan Mandal
If the volume is derived in m3,
1 m3 H2 + 0.5 m3 O2 = 1 m3 of H2O.
0.5/0.21 = 2.38 m3 air.
Amount of N2 = 2.38‐0.5
=1.88 m3 N2.
Stoichiometric or theoretical air :‐
It is minimum amount of air which supplies the required amount of oxygen for complete
combustion.
Molar Mass:‐
The mass of one mole of a substance is called molar mass. It is assumed that the
atmospheric air is the mixture of N2 and O2 in the mole ratio of 79:21. One mole of air
represents 0.79 mole of N2 and 0.21 mole of oxygen.
Now,
Molar mass of N2 = 28 X 10‐3 kg.
Molar mass of O2 = 32 X 10‐3 kg.
Molar mass of air = 0.79X28X10‐3 + 0.21X32X10‐3
= 29X10‐3 kg.
1 Kmol O2 + 3.76 Kmol N2 = 4.76 Kmol air
Air‐ Fuel Ratio:‐
It is the ratio of the mass of air to the mass of fuel for a combustion process. That is
Where
m = N X M = Number of moles X Molar Mass.
3
Lecturer: Ram Chandra Sapkota | Note prepared by Surya Narayan Mandal
Numerical Problems:
1. Calculate the air‐fuel ratio required for burning of propane (C3H8) with 150%
theoretical air.
Solution:
The chemical equation for this chemical process can be written as
C3H8 + 5 O2 = 3CO2 + 4 H2O
with 150% theoretical air, combustion equation becomes
C3H8 +1.5 [5O2 + 5*3.76 N2] = 3CO2 + 4 H2O + 2.5 O2 + 1.5*5*3.76 N2
We have,
/
[1.5*5 + 1.5*5*3.76]Kmol*29 kg/Kmol
= ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
[3*12 + 1*8]kg
= 23.53 kg air/kg fuel
Problem.
2.Calculate stoichiometric air fuel ratio on mass basis and on molar basis for
combustion of butane (C4H10).
Solution:
The chemical equation for this chemical process can be written as
C4H10 + 6.5O2 + 6.5*3.76 N2 = 4 CO2 + 5 H2O + 6.5*3.76 N2
4
Mass Basis
We see here that for complete combustion of butane 6.5 mole of O2 and 24.44 mole of
N2 is to be supplied.
Lecturer: Ram Chandra Sapkota | Note prepared by Surya Narayan Mandal
Molar mass of air = Molar mass of O2 + Molar mass of N2
= 6.5 + 24.44
= 30.94 mole
Thus stoichiometric AF = 30.94 mole air / mole of fuel
Molar Basis
/
= [30.94*29]kg/ (4*12+10)kg
= 15.45
Problem:
3.During combustion process , C3H15 is burnt with 130% theoretical air. Assuming the
complete combustion determine the
a) air fuel ratio
b) equivalence ratio
c) composition of the product of combustion
Solution:
The chemical equation for this chemical process can be written as
C8H15 + 11.75 O2 = 8 CO2 + 7.5 H2O
with 130% theoretical air, combustion equation becomes
C8H15 + 1.3 [11.75 O2 + 11.75*3.76 N2] = 8 CO2 + 7.5 H2O +(1.3*11.75‐11.75)O2 +
1.3*11.75*3.76 N2
We have,
/
[1.3*11.75 + 1.3*11.75*3.76]Kmol*29 kg/Kmol 5
=‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
[8*12 + 1*15]kg
Lecturer: Ram Chandra Sapkota | Note prepared by Surya Narayan Mandal
= 19 kg air/kg fuel
b) Equivalence Ratio: It is ratio when C8H15 react with 100% air.
Then,
C8H15 + 11.75 O2 + 11.75*3.76 N2 = 8 CO2 + 7.5 H2O + 11.75*3.76 N2
/
[11.75 + 11.75*3.76]Kmol*29 kg/Kmol
=‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
[8*12 + 1*15]kg
= 14.61 kg air/kg fuel
c)
Total number of moles = 8+7.5+3.525+57.434 = 76.459
Percentage of CO2 = [8/76.459]*100 = 10.46%
Percentage of H2O = [7.5/76.459]*100 = 9.80%
Percentage of O2 = [3.525/76.459]*100 = 4.61%
Percentage of N2 = [57.434/76.459]*100 = 75.11%
Problem:
4.An unknown hydrocarbon is burnt with dry air. The volumetric analysis of the products
on a dry basis is 12.5% CO2, 0.5% CO, 3% O2 and 84% N2.
Determine
(a) Air‐Fuel ratio
(b) Percentage of the theoretical air used.
Solution:
By considering 100 kmol of dry products the combustion equation can be written as
CxHy + a(O2 + 3.76N2) = 12.5CO2+0.5CO+3O2+84N2+bH2O
For finding unknown values of x,y,a & b
For N2 3.76a=84 or, a=22.34 6
For C x= 12.5+0.5=13
For H y= 2b
For O2 a= 12.5+0.5/2 +3+b/2 or, 22.34=15.75+b/2 or, b=13.18
Lecturer: Ram Chandra Sapkota | Note prepared by Surya Narayan Mandal
Putting value of b , we get
Y = 26.36
The combustion equation became
C13H26.36 +22.34(O2+3.76 N2) = 12.5 CO2+0.5 CO+3O2+84 N2+13.18 H2O
(a) Air Fuel Ratio
/
[22.34 + 22.34*3.76]Kmol*29 kg/Kmol
=‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
[13*12 + 26.36]kg
= 16.91 kg air/kg fuel
(b)Percentage of theoretical air used
C13H26.36 + a (O2+3.76N2) = 13CO2 + 13.18 H2O+a 3.76N2
For O2 a = 13+13.18/2
= 19.59
Now, theoretical air used
mactual/ mtheoritical = (22.34*4.76)/(19.59*4.76)
= 1.14
= 114%
Thus 14% excess air was used.
Lecturer: Ram Chandra Sapkota | Note prepared by Surya Narayan Mandal