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Combustion is defined as the rapid oxidation accompanied by heat and usually light. In a combustion reaction some "fuel" will react with air and release chemical energy and produce CO2 and H2O as by-products. During the process of combustion air typically oxidizes with fuel, but in essence pure oxygen or any oxidizing agent may also contribute. When examining combustion reactions it is essential to know what is oxidizing with the fuel so it is important to recognize the constituents that air is composed of. For the most part air is composed of 21% oxygen, 78% nitrogen, and 1% of other constituents by volume. For calculations we can say 21% oxygen and 79% nitrogen. Since we have a ratio of 79 moles nitrogen to 21 moles oxygen we use (O2+3.76N2) for air. The internal combustion engine became popular during the industrial revolution (1860's) and has been the main contributor of atmospheric CO2. Anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions has brought atmospheric concentrations of CO2 to about 390ppm. Because carbon dioxide is one of the leading green house gases there has been an emergent need of more sustainable energy sources. It may be necessary to weigh our different options of fuel use while we transition into clean sustainable energy because it is not currently economically viable to retrofit our current energy infrastructure while we are so dependent on fossil fuels. This said, we can measure amounts carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere for the combustion of different fuels and the amount of energy it would create to help us reduce our emissions of CO2 during this transition.
Commonly used combustible fuels
Fuel | Chemical formula |
---|---|
Gasoline(Octane) | C8H18 |
Diesel(average formula) | C12H23 |
Ethanol | C2H6O |
Propane | C3H8 |
Butane | C4H10 |
Wood | C6H12O6 |
Coal(simple) | C5H4O |
Natural Gas(average formula) | C1.2H4 |
Air Fuel Ratio (AF)
The Air Fuel Ratio or AF is the ratio of mass of air to mass of fuel
Notes and references
See also
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Interwiki links
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External links
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