Combustion

Combustion or burning is the sequence of exothermic chemical reactions between a fuel and an oxidant accompanied by the production of heat and conversion of chemical species. The release of heat can produce light in the form of either glowing or a flame. Fuels of interest often include organic compounds (especially hydrocarbons) in the gas, liquid or solid phase. In a complete combustion reaction, a compound reacts with an oxidi ing element, such as oxygen or fluorine, and the products are compounds of each element in the fuel with the oxidi ing element. For example! "#$ % & '& ( "'& % & #&' % energy ) simple example can be seen in the combustion of hydrogen and oxygen, which is a commonly used reaction in roc*et engines! & #& % '& ( & #&'(g) % heat The result is water vapor. "omplete combustion is almost impossible to achieve. In reality, as actual combustion reactions come to equilibrium, a wide variety of ma+or and minor species will be present such as carbon monoxide and pure carbon (soot or ash). )dditionally, any combustion in atmospheric air, which is ,- percent nitrogen, will also create several forms of nitrogen oxides. Types
Complete vs. incomplete

In complete combustion, the reactant burns in oxygen, producing a limited number of products. .hen a hydrocarbon burns in oxygen, the reaction will only yield carbon dioxide and water. .hen elements are burned, the products are primarily the most common oxides. "arbon will yield carbon dioxide, nitrogen will yield nitrogen dioxide, sulfur will yield sulfur dioxide, and iron will yield iron(III) oxide. "ombustion is not necessarily favorable to the maximum degree of oxidation and it can be temperature/ dependent. For example, sulfur trioxide is not produced quantitatively in combustion of sulfur. 0itrogen oxides start to form above &,-11 2F (3,4$1 2") and more nitrogen oxides are produced at higher temperatures. 5elow this temperature, molecular nitrogen (0&) is favored. It is also a function of oxygen excess.637 In most industrial applications and in fires, air is the source of oxygen ('&). In air, each mole of oxygen is mixed with approximately 8.,9 mole of nitrogen. 0itrogen does not ta*e part in combustion, but at high temperatures, some nitrogen will be converted to 0'x, usually between 3: and 1.11&: (& ppm).6&7 Furthermore, when there is any incomplete combustion, some of carbon is converted to carbon monoxide. ) more complete set of equations for combustion of methane in air is therefore! "#$ % & '& ( "'& % & #&' & "#$ % 8 '& ( & "' % $ #&' 0& % '& ( & 0' 0& % & '& ( & 0'&

Incomplete Incomplete combustion will only occur when there is not enough oxygen to allow the fuel to react completely to produce carbon dioxide and water. It also happens when the combustion is quenched by a heat sin* such as a solid surface or flame trap. For most fuels, such as diesel oil, coal or wood, pyrolysis occurs before combustion. In incomplete combustion, products of pyrolysis remain unburnt and contaminate the smo*e with noxious particulate matter and gases. ;artially oxidi ed compounds are also a concern< partial oxidation of ethanol can produce harmful acetaldehyde, and carbon can produce toxic carbon monoxide. The quality of combustion can be improved by design of combustion devices, such as burners and internal combustion engines. Further improvements are achievable by catalytic after/burning devices (such as catalytic converters) or by the simple partial return of the exhaust gases into the combustion process. =uch devices are required by environmental legislation for cars in most countries, and may be necessary in large combustion devices, such as thermal power stations, to reach legal emission standards. The degree of combustion can be measured and analy ed, with test equipment. #>)" contractors, firemen and engineers use combustion analy ers to test the efficiency of a burner during the combustion process. In addition, the efficiency of an internal combustion engine can be measured in this way, and some states and local municipalities are using combustion analysis to define and rate the efficiency of vehicles on the road today. Smoldering =moldering is the slow, low/temperature, flameless form of combustion, sustained by the heat evolved when oxygen directly attac*s the surface of a condensed/phase fuel. It is a typically incomplete combustion reaction. =olid materials that can sustain a smoldering reaction include coal, cellulose, wood, cotton, tobacco, peat, duff, humus, synthetic foams, charring polymers including polyurethane foam, and dust. "ommon examples of smoldering phenomena are the initiation of residential fires on upholstered furniture by wea* heat sources (e.g., a cigarette, a short/circuited wire), and the persistent combustion of biomass behind the flaming front of wildfires Rapid

"ontainer of ethanol vapour mixed with air, undergoing rapid combustion ?apid combustion is a form of combustion, otherwise *nown as a fire, in which large amounts of heat and light energy are released, which often results in a flame. This is used in a form of machinery such as internal combustion engines and in thermobaric weapons. =ometimes, a large volume of gas is liberated in combustion besides the production of heat and light. The sudden evolution of large quantities of gas creates excessive pressure that produces a loud noise. =uch a combustion is *nown as an explosion. "ombustion need not involve oxygen< e.g., hydrogen burns in chlorine to form hydrogen chloride with the liberation of heat and light characteristic of combustion. Turbulent "ombustion resulting in a turbulent flame is the most used for industrial application (e.g. gas turbines, gasoline engines, etc.) because the turbulence helps the mixing process between the fuel and oxidi er. Microgravity "olouri ed gray/scale composite image of the individual frames from a video of a bac*lit fuel droplet burning in microgravity. "ombustion processes behave differently in a microgravity environment than in @arth/gravity conditions due to the lac* of buoyancy. For example, a candleAs flame ta*es the shape of a sphere.687 Bicrogravity combustion research contributes to understanding of spacecraft fire safety and diverse aspects of combustion physics. Micro-combustion "ombustion processes which happen in very small volumes are considered micro/combustion. The high surface/to/volume ratio increases specific heat loss. Cuenching distance plays a vital role in stabili ing the flame in such combustion chambers.