Combustion- 22 F Batch- THS (Final)

Combustion
By:
Dr. Tahir Hussain Seehar
Combustion
• Combustion of a fuel may be defined as;
Chemical combination of Oxygen, in the
atmospheric air and hydrocarbons.
• It is usually expressed both quantitatively and
qualitatively by the equations known as
chemical equations.
• Generally contains:
Input materials= Process energy+ Output energy-losses
Principle of Combustion
• Combustion refers to the rapid oxidation of
fuel accompanied by the production of heat,
or heat and light.
• Complete combustion of a fuel is possible only
in the presence of an adequate supply of
oxygen.
• Oxygen (O2) is one of the most common
elements on earth making up 20.9% of our air.
• What is air….??
• Most of the 79% of air (that is not oxygen) is
nitrogen, with traces of other elements.
• Nitrogen is considered to be a temperature
reducing dilutant that must be present to
obtain the oxygen required for combustion.
• Nitrogen reduces combustion efficiency by
absorbing heat from the combustion of fuels
and diluting the flue gases.
• This reduces the heat available for transfer
through the heat exchange surfaces.
• It also increases the volume of combustion by-
products, which then have to travel through the
heat exchanger and up the stack faster to allow
the introduction of additional fuel air mixture.
• This nitrogen also can combine with oxygen
(particularly at high flame temperatures) to
produce oxides of nitrogen (NOx), which are toxic
pollutants.
Combustion and Pollutant emission
• In the 1970s, applied combustion research has
taken a turn from high output, high intensity
combustion towards combustion process
modifications for reduced pollutant emissions.
• The combustion generated pollutants of
concern were oxides of sulfur, nitrogen and
carbon, and fine organic and inorganic
particulates.
3 T’s of Combustion
• The objective of good combustion is to release
all of the heat in the fuel.
• This is accomplished by controlling the “three
T’s” of combustion which are:
TEMPERATURE
• During the combustion process, if the
purification temperature is not sufficiently
high, hydrocarbons will have a longer ignition
time, thus increasing the retention time for
maximum efficiency.
• It is very important to maintain a uniform and
optimal temperature for complete combustion
of the hydrocarbons.
TIME
• When a hydrocarbon or organic vapor is being
burned, it must be held at a specific
temperature for a sufficient time to ensure
that the organic compounds burn completely.
• 100% combustion means that the
hydrocarbons are fully oxidized (i.e. complete
oxidation of the carbon, hydrogen, and other
combustible elements has taken place).
• If the retention time of the hydrocarbons in the
purification combustion zone is insufficient for
full combustion, carbon monoxide may be
generated and unburnt hydrocarbons will be
present in the exhaust stream.
• On the other hand, excessive retention time and

the use of a larger than necessary purification
combustion chamber will result in the
consumption of wasted auxiliary fuel, adding
both capital and operating costs to the process.
TURBULENCE
• Oxygen is an essential part of the process of
combustion. The higher the oxygen content, the
greater the combustion of the hydrocarbons.
• In addition to being in sufficient supply, oxygen
must also be thoroughly mixed with the
hydrocarbons in the system for optimal
combustion.
• Adequate turbulence ensures a thorough
blending of the two and improves temperature
uniformity.
• If turbulence is not maintained, certain parts of
the fuel will have excess oxygen available for
combustion and the remainder will have too
little.
• This will result in the incomplete combustion of
carbon, forming carbon monoxide instead of
carbon dioxide.
• If proper turbulence is not maintained,
unoxidized hydrocarbons will be exhausted.
• (1) Temperature high enough to ignite and
maintain ignition of the fuel.
• (2) Turbulence or intimate mixing of the fuel
and oxygen.
• (3) Time sufficient for complete combustion.
• In the combustion process, you need to make
sure that:
• There is a proper amount of oxygen mixed
into the combustion chamber,
• The pollutant and the oxygen stay in the
chamber for the right amount of time
• The pollutant and oxygen are held in the
chamber at the right temperature
• Without the proper mix of these three
elements, combustion is not completed.
✓If temperatures are too low, the bonds aren’t
able to break apart.
✓ If the temperature is too high, the result of the
combustion is Carbon Monoxide (CO) as
opposed to CO2, which poses its own hazards to
people and the environment.
• The goal is to burn as much of a VOC as

possible, with special focus on destruction
efficiency, thermal efficiency, and cost efficiency
as possible.
Types of Combustion
• Rapid Combustion
• Slow Combustion
• Complete Combustion
• Turbulent
• Microgravity
• Incomplete Combustion
1. Rapid Combustion
• Form of combustion in which, large amounts
of heat and light energy are released, which
often results in a fire.
• This is used in a form of machinery such as;
IC engines and Thermo-baric weapons.
• Rapid combustion is an effective way to
improve engine thermal efficiency and also
can increase resistance to knock because of
the insufficient time for end-gas auto-ignition.
• Sometimes, a large volume of gas is liberated
in combustion besides the production of heat
and light…. The sudden evolution of large
quantity of gas creates excessive pressure that
results a loud noise.
Such combustion is known as an “Explosion”.
2. Slow Combustion
• It is a form of combustion, which takes place at
low temperature.
• Exp: Cellular respiration
• Cellular respiration is the process through which
cells convert sugars into energy.
• Cellular respiration is the process by which cells
in plants and animals break down sugar and turn
it into energy, which is then used to perform
work at the cellular level. The purpose of cellular
respiration is simple: it provides cells with the
energy they need to function
3. Complete Combustion
• When the hydrocarbons burns in oxygen, the
reaction will only yield carbon dioxide and
water.
• When a hydrocarbon or any fuel burns in air,
the combustion products will also include
nitrogen.
• When elements such as carbon, nitrogen,
sulfur and iron are burned, they will yield
most common oxides.
• It should be noted that complete combustion
is almost impossible to achieve.
• For example; the combustion of methane gas
in air will yield, in addition to carbon dioxide
and water, the minor product carbon
monoxide and nitrogen oxide (oxidation of
nitrogen).
• Releasing of gases contain heat energy.
Turbulent
• Turbulent combustion is a combustion
characterized by turbulent flows.
• It is the most used for industrial applications
• Like, gas turbine, gasoline engines etc…

because the turbulence helps the mixing
process between the fuel and oxidizer.
Microgravity
• Microgravity combustion research contributes
to understanding of spacecraft fire safety and
diverse aspects of combustion physics.
• Nearly every flame behaves differently in a

microgravity environment.
• For example; a candle’s flame takes the shape

of sphere.
Incomplete Combustion
• Incomplete combustion occurs when there isn’t
enough oxygen to allow the fuel (usually a
hydrocarbon) to react completely with the
oxygen to produce carbon dioxide and water.
• The incomplete combustion results energy and
economic losses as well as impact on the life of
equipment.
• The quality of combustion can be improved by
design of combustion devices…. Like catalytic
converters or by the simple partial return of the
exhaust gasses into the combustion process.
Thank you!
☺

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Combustion

• On the other hand, excessive retention time and

• The goal is to burn as much of a VOC as

• It is the most used for industrial applications

• Like, gas turbine, gasoline engines etc…

• Nearly every flame behaves differently in a

• For example; a candle’s flame takes the shape

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