U13AEE701

Principles of Combustion
Prerequisite Subjects-
Thermodynamics, Chemical
kinetics, Fluid dynamics, Heat &
mass transfer , Turbulence
 COMBUSTION
So far in your professional academic
span you have gone through
THERMODYNAMICS, PROPULSION and
HEAT TRANSFER courses which dealt
with the flow / transformation of heat
energy but never explained in detail
how this heat energy is being
generated.
This course deals how HEAT is
generated both quantitatively and
qualitatively from a given quantity of
 Introduction to Combustion
Combustion is as old as civilization. Fire is one of the greatest
discovery of man.
Fire was established artificially for the first time around 30,000
years back. It is believed that Indians were first to recognize the
efficacy of the fire even in ancient Vedic era.as it is described
profusely in Vedas.
most of the modern technological development have emanated
from the discovery of fire.
Modern civilization is built upon the combustion of fuels both for
heat and electrical power.
The knowledge of combustion is very relevant today due to the
stringent emission regulation and scarcity of fossil fuels.
Aircraft are entirely powered by on-board fuel burning, and
most trains are diesel-engine powered.
Downside issues of
combustion
 What is combustion?
The process of establishing self sustained fire using fuel
and oxidizer in a controlled manner..
A chemical process in which fuel is burnt in the presence
of oxidizer producing heat and light.
Combustion is a self sustained chemical process in which
heat is liberated due to overall exothermic chemical
reaction.
It is a complex sequence of chemical reactions b/w fuel
and oxidizer accompanied by liberation of heat and light.
(Combustion Devices) Examples :LPG Burner Furnace,
Candle flame, I.C.Engines ,Gas turbine Engines, Rocket
Engines. etc
 Combustion triangle
Essential conditions for combustion to
occur
1.Presence of fuel.
2.Presence of oxidizer(not essentially oxygen)
3.They must be in right proportions.
4.The proportion will be dictated by flammability limit.
5.Ignition energy.
Ignition
Energy

Combustion

Oxidizer
Fuel
 Application of combustion
Power Plants
Chemical Industries
Domestic Burner
Automobiles
IC Engines, Incinerator, Boiler, Furnace,
gas turbine engine, Rocket engine, Power
generation, micro combustor , Pulse
detonation engine ,Fires, Wankel engine,
 Related constituent disciplines for
combustion studies
Thermodynamics
Chemical kinetics
Fluid mechanics heat and mass transfer
Turbulence
Transport phenomena
Statistical mechanics
Quantum physics
Instrumentation and diagnostic techniques
Material structure and behaviour
Mathematical and statistical theories
Numerical methods
Design of combustion test apparatus
Data analysis and correlation methods
Safety and hazard analysis
 General method of approach to
combustion problems
Theoretical methods
Numerical methods
Experimental methods
Any combination of the above
methods
Most of the combustion problems will
be solved by using theoretical and
experimental methods in order to get
better solution.
 General objectives of combustion
modeling
To simulate certain combustion process.
To develop predictive capability for combustion systems
under various operating conditions.
To help in interpreting and understanding observed
combustion phenomena
To substitute for difficult or expensive experiments
To guide the design of combustion experiments.
To determine the effect of individual parameters in
combustion processes by conducting parametric studies .
In general any theoretical model should be validated by
comparison with reliable experimental data before it is used
for prediction and evaluation of the influence of any
parameters.
Classification of combustion
problems
Condition of combustion Classification adjectives
Time dependence Steady or unsteady
Spatial dependence 1D,2D planar,2D
Axisymmetric or 3D
Mixing condition of initial Premixed or nonpremixed
reactants (diffusion)
Flow conditions Laminar or turbulent
Initial phase of reactants Single ,two, multiphase
Sites of reactions Homogeneous or
heterogeneous
Rate of reaction Chemical equilibrium
(infinite rate or finite rate
Type of convection Natural or forced
Degree of compressibility of Incompressible or
flow compressible
Speed of the combustion Deflagration or detonation
wave
 General structure of a theoretical model

Initial
Empirical input
conditions
data and/or
correlations Boundary
with a set of conditions
assumptions Governing
equations:
1.Conservation
Reaction equations Thermodynam
mechanism 2.Equation of ic & transport
data state properties
3.Transport
equations

Material Convergence
Output:Flame
properties & criteria
structure, flame
structural &numerical
speed , ignition
characteristics method
delay,etc
 Governing equations for combustion
modeling
Conservation equation consists of
1.Conservation of mass(continuity equation)
2.Conservation of molecular species(or conservation of atomic species)
3.Conservation of momentum(independent spatial direction)
4.Conservation of energy
5.Conservation of angular momentum

Usually conservation equations are used together with the equations of state to
solve for flow property distributions , including temperature ,pressure , velocity ,
and concentration of chemical species.

Transport equations are additional equations that are usually required for
turbulent combustion problems typical examples
Transport of turbulence kinetic energy
Transport of Dissipation rate
Transport of Turbulent Reynolds stresses
Transport of Probability density function
Transport of moments.
 Some common assumptions made
in combustion models
Reacting fluid can be treated as a continuum.
Infinitely fast chemistry(chemical equilibrium)
Simple , one step, forward irreversible reaction.
Ideal gas law.
Lewis, schmidt and prandtl numbers equal to one.
Equal mass diffusivities of all species.
Ficks law of diffusion is valid.
Constant specific heats of gas phase.
Reacting solid surfaces are energetically homogeneous.
Uniform pressure for low speed combustion situations.
Bulk viscosity is negligibly small.
Negligible combustion generated turbulence
 What is Fuel /Oxidizer
As fuel and oxidizer are of utmost importance in
combustion.
Chemically we can define an oxidizer as one which accepts
the electrons.in contrast the fuel can be defined as one which
donates electrons.
This property of elements ability to accept or donate the
electrons is known as electronegativity which indicates
whether an element can be classified as a fuel or an oxidizer.
The amount of pull that one atom exerts on the electron that
it is sharing with other atom.
 Types of Fuels and Oxidizer
Fuels/Oxidizer Types

Gaseous Liquid Solid

Gaseous Fuel and Oxidizer

why gaseous fuels are preferred over liquid and solid fuels?
Easier to control emissions.
Easier to burn for high efficiency.
Gas handling systems is less expense.
Commonly used gaseous fuels :CNG , LPG, Biogas, Producer gas,
Coke oven gas, Acetylene , Methane, Hydrogen and Propane
 Crude oil

LPG Refinery gas Naptha

Motor gasoline Aviation gasolinr Jet fuels
Kerosene Diesel and heating Residual fuel oils
fuel
Petrochemical feeds Lubes,greases Asphalt,road oil
Cole,war,Misc Crude & gas losses
Constituents of solid fuel:
1. Carbon
2. Hydrogen
3. Ash
4. Nitrogen
5. Oxygen
6. Sulphur & water
Types of solid Fuels &
Oxidizers
 Various combustion modes

Combustion

Flame Flameless
mode mode

Mild
Premixed Diffusion Smoulderi
combustio
flame flame ng
n
Scope of combustion
 Thermodynamics of combustion

Thermodynamics is the study of

transformations of energy
System and surroundings
the system is the part of the world in which we
have a special interest. A system has definite
boundaries
the surroundings is everything outside the
boundaries
Classification of systems:
An open system can exchange matter as well as
energy with its surroundings
a closed system can exchange energy with its
surroundings. No transfer of matter across the
boundaries is possible
an isolated system can exchange neither energy
nor matter with its surroundings
 Quiz
Is ideal gas law valid for combustion
problems?
Ans :yes
Reason : Combustion involves high
temperature, resulting in low density
 Chemical thermodynamics
Chemical thermodynamics is concerned with the
description of the equilibrium states of reacting
multicomponent systems.
Compared to single-component systems in which only
thermal equilibrium is required, we are now also
interested in chemical equilibrium among all of the
components.
Since practical combustors are designed to ensure that
fuel and air have sufficient residence time to mix, react,
and attain thermodynamic equilibrium.
global performance parameters such as the heat and
power output can frequently be estimated by assuming
thermodynamic equilibrium of the combustion products.
 PRACTICAL REACTANTS AND
STOICHIOMETRY
For most of the practical combustion devices generating
heat and power, the oxidizer is simply the oxygen in air.
For practical calculations air can be considered to consist
of 21 percent oxygen and 79 percent nitrogen in molar
concentrations, implying that for every mole of oxygen
there are 3.76 moles of nitrogen. Therefore, we can write
Air= 0.21O2+0.79N2 or 4.76 Air=O2+3.76N2.
Since most of air is nitrogen, which is basically inert as far
as the bulk chemical heat release is concerned, the
combustion temperature and intensity are reduced
because of the expenditure of thermal energy used to
heat it up during the course of burning.
Therefore, for applications requiring intense burning,
either oxygen-enriched air or even pure oxygen is used.
 Fuels can be classified according to
their physical states under normal
conditions.
Representative components of
gaseous fuels are hydrogen (H2),
carbon monoxide(CO), and the light
hydrocarbons (HC).
Liquid fuels are usually the heavier
hydrocarbons and alcohols, while
solid fuels include carbon, coal,
wood, metals, etc.
 Stoichiometry
Combustion intensity between a fuel and an oxidizer depends on their relative
concentrations. When their concentration ratio is chemically correct in that all the
reactants can be totally consumed in the reaction, then the combustion intensity is
close to the highest and we call this mode of burning stoichiometric combustion.
An example is methane reacting with oxygen , producing only water and carbon
dioxide,
CH4+2O22H2O+CO2.
The above reaction is said to be stoichiometrically balanced.
To measure the relative concentrations of fuel and oxidizer in a mixture, we define a
fueloxidizer ratio, F/O, as the ratio of the mass of fuel to the mass of oxidizer in the
mixture.
Similarly, a fuelair ratio, F/A, can also be defined. To indicate the deviation of a
mixtures concentration from stoichiometry, an equivalence ratio is defined as

=(F/O)/(F/O)st

where the subscript st designates the stoichiometric state. Thus < 1,=1, and
>1respectively correspond to fuel-lean (or simply lean), stoichiometric, and fuel rich
combustion. Note that the oxidizer-to-fuel equivalence ratio is sometimes used,
which is simply the reciprocal of the present .
 CHEMICAL EQULIBRIUM
In real combustion, the combustion
products never forms from single
step. There are numerous
intermediate steps involved in
formation of final combustion
products.
Also these intermediate reactions is
not one way. In practical, conditions
may prevail enabling the reaction in
reverse direction and hence there
WHEN COMBUSTION IS COMPLETE?

Combustion is said to be complete

i.e. chemical equilibrium is achieved
when the rate of change of
concentration of all species involved
in reaction is zero at constant
temperature and pressure.

[ Ai] = 0
 DETERMINATION OF COMBUSTION
PARAMETERS IN CHEMICAL EQULIBRIUM.

When the reaction is in chemical

equilibrium it becomes difficult to
determine the composition of
combustion products at constant
pressure and temperature from
which thermodynamic parameters
such as internal energy, enthalpy
etc. can be determined.
GIBBS method of free energy is used
to determine the thermodynamic
 GIBBS METHOD
For system of chemical equilibrium
involving n no. of species at
constant pressure and temperature
GIBBS FREE ENERGY for system is
given as
G=HTS
It is assumed that Gibbs free energy
doesnt change for given
temperature and pressure.
(dG)T,P = 0
 (dG)T,P = 0 1
G= Njj 2
j=1 to j

where, j = -Tj
j = j- ln(pj /p0) from basic
thermodynamics
j = j - T j+T ln(pj /p0)
j = j + T ln(pj /p0)
Substituting eqn. 2 in 1
(dG)T,P = 0 = (d ( Njj ))T,P = 0 , j=1 to j

( j dNj)T,P = 0 , j=1 to j
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