De La Salle University – Dasmariñas

College of Engineering, Architecture, and Technology

Mechanical Engineering Program

Mechanical Engineering Lab 1

T-MEET324LA - MEE31

CALORIFIC TEST OF SOLID FUELS

Experiment No. 10

Submitted by:
Barillo, John Paolo D.
Dones, Victor Lorenz E.
Escober, Christian A.
General, Paul Ryan L.

Submitted to
RENE D. RUBIO PhD, PME, OSH Consultant

GROUP No. 5

Date Submitted:
June 22, 2022
TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Objective

II. Theory

III. List of Components

IV. Procedures

V. Safety Precautions

VI. Set up of Experiment

VII. Tabulation of Data

VIII. Test Questions

IX. Conclusion

X. Recommendation
I. OBJECTIVE

To determine the proximate analysis and the heating value of the solid fuel.

II. THEORY

Engines may be operated using solid fuels. Solid fuels for internal combustion

engines are converted first into gaseous forms outside the engine in a separate gas

producer and the engine simply works as a gas engine. Before these fuels are used, they

are thoroughly filtered; however, there is still a problem in using theses fuels since they

affect the engine parts, due to the abrasive notion of its particles.

There are two types of solid fuel analysis the proximate and the ultimate.

Proximate analysis comprises the four constituents: volatile matter, fixed carbon, moisture,

and ash. The ultimate analysis determines the percentage of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen,

and sulfur content of the fuel.

NOTES:

● The calorific value is a measurement of the amount of heat or energy produced,

and it can be expressed in one of two ways. The calorific value is either gross or

net. The latent heat of condensation is the difference. The water vapor is created

by combustion.

● GCV assumes that every vapor created during the combustion process is

completely condensed.

● The water leaves with the combustion products without being entirely condensed,

hence the net calorific value (NCV) is used. The net calorific value of fuels should

be used to compare them.

 ● Coal's calorific value fluctuates greatly depending on ash content, moisture

content, and kind of coal, but the calorific value of fuel oils is much more stable.

The following are the typical Gross Calorific Values of some of the most

regularly used liquid fuels:

FUEL OIL GCV (kCal/kg)

Kerosene 11,100

Diesel Oil 10,800

L.D.O 10,700

Furnace Oil 10,500

LSHS 10,600

III. List of components

Qty Unit Description

1 pc Weighing balance sensitive to

1/1000 of the amount weighed

1 pc Porcelain crucible

1 pc No.5 Meker burner

IV. PROCEDURE

A. Volatile Matter

1. Weigh a gram sample of coal in a crucible with cover.

2. Place this on the No. 5 Meker burner and ignite for 7 minutes (highly volatile coals
should be preheated).

3. Without disturbing the cover, transfer the crucible to a desiccator after it has cooled
below redness, then weigh when cooled. Loss of weight, minus moisture, results in
the degree of volatility of matter.

4. Record all results on the data sheet.

B. Ash

1. Weigh one gram of coal in a crucible without cover. If the moisture sample is used for
the determination, it must be subjected to preliminary heating for about 15 minutes to
expel the volatile matter.

2. Place the crucible in the burner for ignition up to a certain temperature. Stir coal
continuously until all the carbon particles disappear.

3. Cool in a desiccator, and weigh.

4. Continue alternate heating and weighing until the weight is constant.

5. Record all the results on the data sheet.

V. SAFETY PRECAUTIONS

1. The instructor must orient the students in the proper handling of the apparatus before the

actual experiment to avoid accidents.

2. Always follow the instruction manual and the limits of operation in the lab.

3. Move away and keep a safe distance from the burner while heating is ongoing.

4. Never touch any part of the machine or the test piece during the testing operation.

VI. SET-UP OF EXPERIMENT

VII. TABULATION OF DATA

Preliminary Data Sheet

Fuel Sample Typical Percent Higher

Moisture Fixed Carbon Volatile Matter Ash Heating Value

Lignite 30 24 54 22 17.0766
White Pine 38 15.1 84.5 0.4 18.52
Peat 35.8 29.4 68.6 2 21.12

Computations:

𝐵𝑒𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑒 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑤𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 − 𝐴𝑓𝑡𝑒𝑟 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑤𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 = 𝑽𝒐𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒆 𝑴𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓

1 gram of lignite − 0.46 grams of heat − treated lignite = 54%

1 gram of White Pine – 0.155 grams of heat − treated white pine = 84.5%

1 gram of peat – 0.314 grams of heat − treated peat = 68.6%

Weight before drying – weight after drying = 𝐦𝐨𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞

1 gram of lignite – 0.7 dry lignite = 30%

1 gram of White Pine – 0.62 dry white pine = 38%

1 gram of peat – 0.642 dry peat = 35.8%

Dry sample weight after combustion = 𝐀𝐬𝐡

0.22 grams of lignite’s Ash = 22%

0.004 grams of white pine’s Ash = 0.4%

0.02 grams of Peat’s Ash = 2%

Total Weight of sample − Weight of Ash – Weight of Volatile Matter = 𝐅𝐢𝐱𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭

1 gram of Lignite – 0.22 grams of lignite’s Ash – 0.54 Lignite’s Volatile matter = 24%

1 gram of White Pine – 0.004 grams of Pine’s Ash – 0.845 White Pine’s Volatile matter = 15.1%

1 gram of Peat – 0.02 grams of Peat’s Ash – 0.686 Peat’s Volatile matter = 29.4%

0.3536FC + 0.1559VM + 0.0078A ≈ 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞

MJ
0.3536 ∗ 24 + 0.1559 ∗ 54 + 0.0078 ∗ 22 = 17.0766 for lignite
kg

MJ
0.3536 ∗ 15.1 + 0.1559 ∗ 84.5 + 0.0078 ∗ 0.4 = 18.52 for White Pine
kg

0.3536 ∗ 29.4 + 0.1559 ∗ 68.6 + 0.0078 ∗ 2 = 21.12MJ/kg for Peat

FUEL SAMPLES

1. Lignite
2. White Pine
3. Peat
Final Data Sheet

Fuel Sample Typical Percent Higher

Moisture Fixed Carbon Volatile Matter Ash Heating Value

Lignite 30 24 54 22 17.0766
White Pine 38 15.1 84.5 0.4 18.52
Peat 35.8 29.4 68.6 2 21.12

VIII. TEST QUESTIONS

1. What does a bituminous coal refer to?

- It's also known as bitumen or asphalt. This term refers to a higher-quality coal.
- Anthracite coal has a lower quality than lignite coal, usually around 60-80%.

2. What are the constituent elements of coal?

- Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen, Sulfur, and minuscule amounts of other elements
are present.

3. What are the important by-products derived from distillation or carbonization of

bituminous coal?

- When bituminous coal is subjected to destructive distillation or carbonization (coke

production), the principal product, generally coke, and the byproduct of coal tar, amino
acid, are produced booze and coal gas.

4. What are the different types of coal?

- Peat, Lignite, Sub-Bituminous (Black Lignite), Bituminous, Anthracite

IX. CONCLUSION

The amount of heat units produced by full combustion of unit mass or unit normal
volume of a solid, liquid, or gaseous fuel is known as its calorific value or heat value. It
may be expressed as kJ/kg or kJ/normal m3. A material's calorific value is determined by
its composition. The gross or 'greater' calorific value, as estimated by a bomb calorimeter,
includes the latent heat of water vapor generated by the hydrogen combustion. After
deducting this latent heat, the net or 'lower' calorific value is obtained. Depending on the
hydrogen content, the gap between the gross and net values is usually around 600–700
kcal/kg.

X. RECOMMENDATION

A fuel calorimeter is an apparatus that is used to determine the calorific value of a

fuel. The transmission of heat from the burning of a specific mass of fuel to water and the
vessel is the basic principle of all calorimeters. The calorific value of the fuel can be
calculated by equating the heat given off by the fuel to the heat taken in by the water and
the container based on the observed rise in temperature of the water and the container.
The container's water equivalent must be understood in order to determine how much
heat it absorbs.