Answer:
Combustion
and Flame
Question 1:
List conditions under which combustion can
take place.
Answer:
Combustion is a process of reaction of a
substance with oxygen. There are certain
conditions required for combustion to take
place. They are:
(i) Presence of a fuel
(ii) Air (or oxygen)
(iii) Ignition temperature (minimum
temperature at which a substance catches
fire)
Question 2:
Fill in the blanks:
(a) Burning of wood and coal causes
_______ __ of air.
(b) A liquid fuel used in homes is
___________.
(c) Fuel must be heated to its
___________ before it starts burning.
(d) Fire produced by oil cannot be
controlled by ________ _.
Answer:
(a) Burning of wood and coal causes
__pollution__ of air.
(b) A liquid fuel used in homes is
__liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)_.
(c) Fuel must be heated to its __ignition
temperature__ before it starts burning.
(d) Fire produced by oil cannot be
controlled by __water__.
Question 3:
Explain how the use of CNG in automobiles
has reduced pollution in our cities.
Answer:
Combustion of fuels like petroleum causes
formation of un-burnt carbon particles
along with
carbon monoxide gas. These harmful
pollutants enter the air and cause
respiratory
diseases. Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)
produces these harmful products in very
less
quantity. It is a comparatively cleaner fuel.
Therefore, the use of CNG has reduced
pollution
in our cities.
Question 4:
Compare LPG and wood as fuels.
Wood has been a traditional fuel for both
domestic and industrial use. However, it
produces
a lot of smoke that can cause respiratory
problems. Also, wood is obtained from
trees. Thus,
using wood as a fuel causes deforestation.
Therefore, slowly wood is replaced by LPG,
which
is a liquefied form of petroleum gas. It does
not give out smoke and other pollutants
and is
a cleaner fuel. Again, fuel efficiency of LPG
is more than that of wood. The calorific
value of
LPG is 55000 kJ / kg, while that of wood is
between 17000 to 22000 kJ / kg. Hence,
LPG is
favoured over wood.
Question 5:
Give reasons.
(a) Water is not used to control fires
involving electrical equipment.
(b) LPG is a better domestic fuel than
wood.
(c) Paper by itself catches fire easily
whereas a piece of paper wrapped around
an
aluminium pipe does not.
Answer:
(a) Water is a good conductor of electricity.
If it is used for controlling a fire involving
electrical equipments, then the person
dousing the fire might get an electric
shock. Also,
water can damage electrical equipments.
(b) LPG is a better domestic fuel as it does
not produce smoke and un-burnt carbon
particles, which cause respiratory
problems.
(c) A piece of paper wrapped around
aluminium pipe does not catch fire easily.
This is
because aluminium, being a metal, is a
good conductor of heat. Therefore, heat is
transferred from the paper to the metal
and the paper does not attain its ignition
temperature.
Question 6:
Make a labelled diagram of a candle flame.
Answer

Question 7:
Name the unit in which the calorific value
of a fuel is expressed.
Answer:
The calorific value of a fuel is expressed in
kilojoules per kilogram (kJ/kg).
Question 8:
Explain how CO2 is able to control fires.
Answer:
CO2 is a non-combustible gas and
extinguishes fire in two ways:
(i) Since it is heavier than oxygen, it covers
the fire like a blanket and cuts off the
contact
between oxygen and fuel.
(ii) In cylinders, CO2 is kept in the liquid
form. When released, it expands
enormously and
cools down. This brings down the
temperature of the fuel, which helps in
controlling the fire.
Question 9:
It is difficult to burn a heap of green leaves
but dry leaves catch fire easily. Explain.
Answer:
Green leaves have a lot of moisture in
them. This moisture does not allow them to
catch fire
easily. However, dry leaves have no
moisture in them. Therefore, they catch fire
easily.
Question 10:
Which zone of a flame does a goldsmith
use for melting gold and silver and why?
Answer:
Goldsmiths use the outermost part/zone of
the flame to melt gold and silver. This is
because the outermost zone of the flame
undergoes complete combustion and is the
hottest
part of the flame.
Question 11:
In an experiment 4.5 kg of a fuel was
completely burnt. The heat produced was
measured
to be 180,000 kJ. Calculate the calorific
value of the fuel.
Answer:
The calorific value of fuel is the amount of
heat produced by the complete combustion
of 1
kg of fuel.
Now,
Heat produced by 4.5 kg of fuel = 180000
kJ
= 40,000 kJ/kg
Hence, the calorific value of the fuel is
40,000 kJ/kg.
Question 12:
Can the process of rusting be called
combustion? Discuss.
Answer:
Combustion is a chemical process in which
a substance reacts with oxygen and gives
out
energy during the process in the form of
either heat or light or both. Rusting of iron
is an
exothermic process as heat is released
during rusting. Hence, it is a kind of slow
combustion.
Question 13:
Abida and Ramesh were doing an
experiment in which water was to be
heated in a beaker.
Abida kept the beaker near the wick in the
yellow part of the candle flame. Ramesh
kept the
beaker in the outermost part of the flame.
Whose water will get heated in a shorter
time?
Answer:
The water in the Ramesh’s beaker will heat
up in a shorter time. This is because the
outermost zone of a flame is the hottest
zone, while the yellow zone (in which Abida
had
kept the beaker) is less hot.
Notes for Combustion and
Flame
Introduction
People generally use wood, cowdung cakes, crop
residues, kerosene oil, coke or LPG gas to cook
food. For ruining vehicles, we use petrol or diesel
oil. In
factories, we use coal or fuel oil or natural gas.
The materials, such as wood, coke, LPG (liquid
petroleum gas), petrol, diesel, natural gas have
one property [n common, i.e., they produce heat
on burning
which is then put into different uses. Furthermore,
some materials on burning produce 􀃘ame and
some do not. For example, a candle or coal gas
on burning
produces a 􀃘ame, but not the coal or charcoal.
So, let us study the chemical process of burning
and the types of 􀃘ame produced during this
process.
Combustion
Some substances, like magnesium catches 􀃘re
and burns with a dazzling white 􀃘ame when
heated in air. Similarly, when a piece of per is
brought near a
candle 􀃘ame, it burns, producing heat and light.
The charcoal and coal bums in air producing
carbon dioxide, heat and light.
Air or oxygen which helps in burning is called
supporter of combustion and the chemical
reaction which takes place with the release of
heat and light energy
is called combustion.
A chemical process in which a substance reacts
with oxygen to give off heat is called combustion.
The substances which undergo combustion are
known as combustible substances. It may also be
called a fuel.
Sometimes, heat is accompanied by light, either
as a 􀃘ame or as a glow, during combustion.
Fuel may be solid, liquid or gas. A combustion
reaction maybe written as-
(a) Charcoal burns in air to give carbon
dioxide and heat.
(b) Methane bums in air forming carbon
dioxide, water and heat.
Why is the person caught in 􀃘re, is covered with
a blanket?
Explanation
If the clothes of a person catch 􀃘re, he is
immediately wrapped in a thick blanket. The
blanket cuts off the supply of air i.e. the supporter
of combustion and
hence the 􀃘re is put off.
Ignition temperature: It is the minimum
temperature to which a combustible substance
must be heated, before it catches 􀃘re.
Therefore, we see that a combustible substance
cannot catch 􀃘re as long as its temperature is
lower than its ignition temperature e.g. Ignition
temperature
of phosphorus is 35 °C. So, unless
phosphorus is heated to 35 °C, it will not catch
􀃘re.
Types of combustion
Combustion is mainly of three types
(1) Rapid combustion (2) Spontaneous
combustion (3) Explosion
1. Rapid combustion: The combustion in which
the gas burns rapidly and produces heat and light
is called rapid combustion.
For example: When a burning matchstick is
brought near a gas burner and the gas tap is
opened, the gas immediately starts burning with
the production
of heat and light. Eg. Petrol, LPG, spirit, etc.,
2. Spontaneous combustion: The combustion in
which no external heat is given is known as
spontaneous combustion.
For example: Burning of white phosphorus in air.
3. Explosion: The combustion in which large
amount of gases are evolved with the production
of a tremendous amount of neat; light and sound
is called explosion,
Forest 􀃘res are a result of which type of
combustion and why ?
Explanation
Forest 􀃘res are the result of spontaneous
combustion because of the following factors
(i) presence of a combustible substance
(ii) presence of right ignition temperature
(iii) presence of supporter of combustion in air
Flame
Look at the combustible substances around you
and try to 􀃘nd whether on burning some of these
materials (given below) forms a 􀃘ame or not.
Flame: A region of burning gases is called
􀃘ame..
 A substance will burn with a 􀃘ame, only if
some gaseous substance is there to burn.
Why does a matchstick produce a 􀃘ame on
burning?
Explanation
When the matchstick catches 􀃘re or is burnt, the
heat released due to the burning of chemicals on
the match head, partly decomposes the wood to
form
wood gas. The wood gas then catches 􀃘re and
produces a 􀃘ame.
Structure of a 􀃘ame
In order to understand the structure of a 􀃘ame,
light a wax candle and watch its 􀃘ame. Carefully
note the
different coloured zones in the 􀃘ame. Starting
from the base of the 􀃘ame, a 􀃘ame has four
zones.
(1) Blue zone: It is near the base of the 􀃘ame.
Vaporised wax gets oxidised to carbon monoxide
and carbon monoxide bums completely with a
blue 􀃘ame in
this zone.
(2) Dark inner zone: Surrounding the wick is the
dark zone. There is no burning in this zone. If we
pass a wooden splinter through the dark zone of
the
􀃘ame, it comes out unscrotched (unbumt)
showing that there is no ‘burning’ in this zone.
However, some =burnt wax vapours are present
in this zone.
(3) Luminous zone: In this region of the 􀃘ame
hydrogen burns with a brilliant yellow luminous
􀃘ame. Burning hydrogen combines with oxygen
to form
water vapour. Carbon also burns in this zone
giving some luminosity to the 􀃘ame and
producing carbon dioxide. Some unbumt carbon
particles are left
which give rise to soot.
(4) Outermost non-luminous zone: This zone is
poorly visible and is slightly blue. It is the hottest
part of the 􀃘ame where complete oxidation
(burning) of
the fuel is taking place.
Goldsmiths, use the outermost zone or non-
luminous part of the 􀃘ame for melting or shaping
gold and silver ornaments. They direct the non-
luminous part
of the 􀃘ame of candle on the gold with the help of
a blow pipe. fps the temperature of this part of the
􀃘ame is around 1300°C, it is suf􀃘cient to melt
gold at
speci􀃘c point and thus helps goldsmiths to give
proper shape to the gold ornaments.
What is Fuel?
Any substance which is easily available and
burns in air at a moderate rate, producing a large
amount of heat energy, without leaving behind
any undesirable
residue is called fuel.
Example: wood, charcoal, petrol, kerosene,
etc.
Why is sulphur not used as a fuel even though it
can bum in air to produce heat?
Explanation
Sulphur is easily available in nature and can bum
in air to produce heat. However, it is not a fuel
because on burning, it forms a poisonous gas,
SO , which
can cause serious respiratory problems and can
even be fatal.
2
Ideal Fuel
There is probably no fuel that could be
considered as an ideal fuel. We should look for a
fuel which ful􀃘ls most of the requirements for a
particular use.
Characteristics of a good fuel
(1) It should be cheap and readily available.
(2) It should be easy to store.
(3) It should bum at a slow rate and its
combustion should be controllable
(4) It should have low ignition temperature.
(5) It should produce very small amount of
residues such as ash.
(6) It should have large calori􀃘c value.
(7) It should not produce gases which pollute the
air.
(8) It should not produce any hazards during
transportation.
Classi􀃘cation of fuels
On the basis of physical state, fuels are classi􀃘ed
into three parts.
1. Solid fuels: The fuels which occur In a solid
state at room temperature are called solid fuels.
Example: Wood, agricultural residues, charcoal,
coal, coke,
etc.
2. Liquids fuels: The fuels which occur in a liquid
state at room temperature are called liquid fuels.
Example: Lique􀃘ed hydrogen, petrol, oil,
kerosene, diesel,
etc.
3. Gaseous fueils: The fuels which occur in a
gaseous state at room temperature are called
gaseous fuels.
Example: Water gas, producer gas, coal gas,
compressed natural gas (CNG) and gobar gas,
etc.
Fuel ef􀃘ciency
The amount of heat energy produced on
completely burning one Kilogram of fuel (in 02) is
called the calori􀃘c value of a fuel. The more is
the calori􀃘c value
of a fuel, more is the ef􀃘ciency of the fuel. The
calori􀃘c value of the fuels is expressed in
Kilojoules per kilogram (kJ/kg) or kilojoules per
gram (kJ/g). The
calori􀃘c value of common solids, liquids and
gaseous fuels is given below.
Calori􀃘c value of solid fuels

Calori􀃘c value of liquid fuels

Calori􀃘c value of gaseous fuels