Topic 1: Energy

1.4. Fuels

A. Fossil Fuels

B. Fractional Distillation of
Crude Oil

C. Basic Feature of
Fossil-Fueled Electricity
Plant

D. Heat of Combustion
Learning Outcomes
1.4.1 Recognize the major sources of energy
1.4.2 Identify the different petroleum fractional
distillation products and their uses
1.4.3 Illustrate the basic feature of fossil-fueled
electricity Plant
1.4.4 Compute the heat of combustion of a fuel
 A. Fossil Fuels
References:
Brown, et al. 2018. Chemistry: The Central Science. Pearson.
Brown, et al. 2018. Chemistry for Engineering students. Cengage Learning

Coal, petroleum, and natural gas, which are the world’s major
sources of energy, are known as fossil fuels. All have formed over
millions of years from the decomposition of plants and animals and
are being depleted far more rapidly than they are being formed.
Natural gas consists of gaseous hydrocarbons, compounds of
hydrogen and carbon. It contains primarily methane (CH4), with
small amounts of ethane (C2H6), propane (C3H8), and butane
(C4H10).
 A. Fossil Fuels
References:
Brown, et al. 2018. Chemistry: The Central Science. Pearson.
Brown, et al. 2018. Chemistry for Engineering students. Cengage Learning

Petroleum is a liquid composed of hundreds of compounds, most of

which are hydrocarbons, with the remainder being chiefly inorganic
compounds containing sulfur, nitrogen, or oxygen.
Coal, which is solid, contains hydrocarbons of high molecular weight
as well as compounds containing sulfur, oxygen, or nitrogen. Coal is
the most abundant fossil fuel; current reserves are projected to last
for well over 100 years at current consumption rates. However, the
use of coal presents a number of problems.
 A. Fossil Fuels
References:
Brown, et al. 2018. Chemistry: The Central Science. Pearson.
Brown, et al. 2018. Chemistry for Engineering students. Cengage Learning

Coal is a complex mixture of substances, and it contains components

that cause air pollution. When coal is combusted, the sulfur it
contains is converted mainly to sulfur dioxide, SO2, a troublesome
air pollutant.
Because coal is a solid, recovery from its underground deposits is
expensive and often dangerous. Furthermore, coal deposits are not
always close to locations of high-energy use, so there are often
substantial shipping costs.
 A. Fossil Fuels
References:
Brown, et al. 2018. Chemistry: The Central Science. Pearson.
Brown, et al. 2018. Chemistry for Engineering students. Cengage Learning

Fossil fuels release energy in combustion reactions, which ideally

produce only CO2 and H2O. The production of CO2 has become a
major issue that involves science and public policy because of
concerns that increasing concentrations of atmospheric CO2 are
causing global climate changes.
 What is the difference between crude
oil, petroleum products, and
petroleum?
References:
https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=40&t=6

Crude oil is a mixture of hydrocarbons that exists as a liquid in

underground geologic formations and remains a liquid when brought to
the surface. Petroleum products are produced from the processing of
crude oil and other liquids at petroleum refineries, from the extraction of
liquid hydrocarbons at natural gas processing plants, and from the
production of finished petroleum products at blending facilities. Petroleum
is a broad category that includes both crude oil and petroleum products.
The terms oil and petroleum are sometimes used interchangeably.
 B. Fractional Distillation of Crude Oil
References:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zyvc6fr/revision/1

Fractional distillation separates a mixture into a number of different parts,

called fractions.
A tall fractionating column is fitted above the mixture, with several condensers
coming off at different heights. The column is hot at the bottom and cool at the
top. Substances with high boiling points condense at the bottom and
substances with lower boiling points condense on the way to the top.
The crude oil is evaporated and its vapours condense at different temperatures
in the fractionating column. Each fraction contains hydrocarbon molecules with
a similar number of carbon atoms and a similar range of boiling points.
 The Fractionating
Column

The diagram below

summarises the main
fractions from crude oil and
their uses, and the trends in
properties. Note that the
gases leave at the top of the
column, the liquids condense
in the middle and the solids
stay at the bottom.

References:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zyvc6fr/revision/1
 Fractional Distillation of Crude Oil
References:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zyvc6fr/revision/1

As you go up the fractionating column, the hydrocarbons

have:

1. lower boiling points

2. lower viscosity (they flow more easily)
3. higher flammability (they ignite more easily).
The Fractionating
Column
References:
https://sites.google.com/site/kim15096sci/chemistry/c
8---organic-chemistry/fractional-distillation
 The Fractionating Column

References:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zyvc6fr/revision/1
 The Fractionating Column

References:
https://empyriononline.
com/threads/add-indus
trial-craft.78112/
 C. Basic Feature of
Fossil-Fueled Electricity Plant
References:
Brown, et al. 2018. Chemistry: The Central Science. Pearson.
Brown, et al. 2018. Chemistry for Engineering students. Cengage Learning

When the fuel—typically coal or natural

gas—burns, chemical energy is released as
heat. The goal of the power plant is to
convert as much of this energy as possible
into electricity. The critical step in this
process is to trap the heat given off in the
combustion reaction. Water is the material of
choice for this process because it has a large
heat of vaporization.
 D. Heat of Combustion
References:
Brown, et al. 2018. Chemistry: The Central Science. Pearson.
Brown, et al. 2018. Chemistry for Engineering students. Cengage Learning

Most chemical reactions used for the production of heat are combustion
reactions. The energy released when one gram of any substance is
combusted is the fuel value of the substance. The fuel value of any food or
fuel can be measured by calorimetry.
During the complete combustion of fuels, carbon is converted to CO2 and
hydrogen is converted to H2O, both of which have large negative
enthalpies of formation. The greater the percentage of carbon and
hydrogen in a fuel, the higher its fuel value. greater carbon content.
 D. Fuel Value
References:
Brown, et al. 2018. Chemistry: The Central
Science. Pearson.
Brown, et al. 2018. Chemistry for Engineering
students. Cengage Learning
Serway and Jewett. 2019. Physics for Scientists
and Engineers. Cengage
Young and Freedman. 2020. University Physics
with Modern Physics. Person

One key feature of a fuel is its energy

density, also known as fuel value, the
amount of energy that can be released per
unit mass of fuel burned.
Calorific value (or heat of combustion, Lc) of
a fuel is the quantity of heat energy liberated
by complete combustion of a unit mass of a
fuel.
D. Fuel Value
References:
Brown, et al. 2018. Chemistry: The Central Science. Pearson.
Brown, et al. 2018. Chemistry for Engineering students. Cengage Learning
D. Heat of Combustion
References:
Brown, et al. 2018. Chemistry: The Central Science. Pearson.
Brown, et al. 2018. Chemistry for Engineering students. Cengage Learning
 D. Heat of Combustion
References:
Brown, et al. 2018. Chemistry: The Central Science. Pearson.
Brown, et al. 2018. Chemistry for Engineering students. Cengage Learning

When 4.00 g of methylhydrazine (a liquid rocket fuel) is combusted in a

bomb calorimeter, the temperature of the calorimeter increases from 25.00
ºC to 39.50ºC. In a separate experiment the heat capacity of the calorimeter
is measured to be 7.794 kJ/ºC. Calculate the heat of combustion for this
fuel.
Given: ∑q = 0
For the fuel: qcal + qfuel = 0
m = 4.00 g qcal = –qfuel
 D. Heat of Combustion
References:
Brown, et al. 2018. Chemistry: The Central Science. Pearson.
Brown, et al. 2018. Chemistry for Engineering students. Cengage Learning

qcal = C∆T
Given: qcal = (7.794 kJ/ºC)(14.5ºC)
For the calorimeter: qcal = 113.013 kJ
Ti = 25.00ºC
Tf = 39.50 ºC qcal = - qfuel
C = 7.794 kJ/ºC qfuel = - 113.013 kJ

Solution: Lc = -q/m
∆T = Tf – Ti = 39.50 ºC – 25.00ºC Lc = -(- 113.013 kJ)/4.00 g
∆T = 14.5ºC Lc = 28.25 kJ/g
 D. Heat of Combustion
References:
Brown, et al. 2018. Chemistry: The Central Science. Pearson.
Brown, et al. 2018. Chemistry for Engineering students. Cengage Learning

The combustion of naphthalene (C10H8), which releases 5150.1 kJ/mol, is

often used to calibrate calorimeters. A 1.05-g sample of naphthalene is
burned in a calorimeter, producing a temperature rise of 3.86°C. Burning a
1.83-g sample of coal in the same calorimeter causes a temperature
change of 4.90°C. What is the energy density of the coal?
 D. Heat of Combustion
References:
Brown, et al. 2018. Chemistry: The Central Science. Pearson.
Brown, et al. 2018. Chemistry for Engineering students. Cengage Learning

Given: Solution:
C10H8 C10H8
Cp = 5150.1 kJ/mol MW = (10)(12.01 g/mol)
m = 1.05 g +8(1.008 g/mol)
∆T = 3.86°C. MW = 128.164 g/mol
n = m/MW = 1.05 g/128.164 g/mol
n = 0.00819 mol
 D. Heat of Combustion
References:
Brown, et al. 2018. Chemistry: The Central Science. Pearson.
Brown, et al. 2018. Chemistry for Engineering students. Cengage Learning

qcal = C∆T
Solution: C = qcal /∆T
C10H8 C = 42.19 kJ/3.86°C
n = 0.00819 mol C = 10.93 kJ/ºC

q = Cpn = (5150.1 kJ/mol)(0.00819

mol)
q = 42.19 kJ

qcal = 42.19 kJ
 D. Heat of Combustion
References:
Brown, et al. 2018. Chemistry: The Central Science. Pearson.
Brown, et al. 2018. Chemistry for Engineering students. Cengage Learning

qcal = C∆T
C = 10.93 kJ/ºC qcal = (10.93 kJ/ºC)(4.90°C)
qcal = 53.56 kJ
mfuel = 1.83-g
∆T = 4.90°C qcal = - qfuel
Required: energy density of qfuel = - 53.56 kJ
the coal
Lc = -qfuel /m
Lc = -(- 53.56 kJ)/1.83 g
Lc = 29.27 kJ/g
 D. Heat of Combustion
References:
Brown, et al. 2018. Chemistry: The Central Science. Pearson.
Brown, et al. 2018. Chemistry for Engineering students. Cengage Learning

A calorimeter is to be used to compare the energy content of some fuels. In

the calibration of the calorimeter, an electrical resistance heater supplies
100.0 J of heat and a temperature increase of 0.850°C is observed. Then
0.245 g of a particular fuel is burned in this same calorimeter, and the
temperature increases by 5.23°C. Calculate the energy density of this fuel,
which is the amount of energy liberated per gram of fuel burned. *
 D. Heat of Combustion
References:
Brown, et al. 2018. Chemistry: The Central Science. Pearson.
Brown, et al. 2018. Chemistry for Engineering students. Cengage Learning

qcal = C∆T
Given: qcal = (117.65 J/ºC)(5.23°C)
q = 100.0 J qcal = 615.29 J
∆T = 0.850°C
qcal = - qfuel
C = q/∆T = 100.0 J/0.850ºC qfuel = - 615.29 J
C = 117.65 J/ºC
Lc = -qfuel /m
m = 0.245 g Lc = -(- 615.29 J)/0.245 g
∆T = 5.23°C Lc = 2 511.4 J/g = 2.51 kJ/g