ME 322 – COMBUSTION ENGINEERING

TOPIC 1 – INTRODUCTION TO COMBUSTION ENGINEERING

COMBUSTION ENGINEERING

- an application of engineering disciplines (principally mechanical and chemical engineering) to the conversion of
fuels into useful forms of energy through the use of combustion processes.
- It involves the design, construction, and operation of utility and industrial power plants, process industry kilns and
furnaces, and a host of similar facilities designed to supply and use fuels.
- Combustion engineering for solid fuels involves a diverse collection of disciplines and activities, and it requires
understanding of a variety of issues. Those issues include a historical perspective concerning combustion of solid
fuels, a basic understanding of the chemistry and physics involved in combustion, and a consideration of the
elements of the combustion system from fuel receiving and management from fuel preparation through burning
fuel in the boiler system to post-combustion pollution controls.

Combustion (burning)

- is a rapid chemical reaction between sources that are compounds of hydrogen and oxygen.
- It is the conversion of a substance called fuel into chemical compounds known as products of combustion by
combination with an oxidizer.
- The fuel may be any solid, liquid or gas and the oxidizer may be free oxygen or atmospheric air.
- The combustion process is an exothermic chemical reaction (a reaction that releases energy as it occurs). It is
represented in symbols as:
Fuel + Oxidizer (Air) Products of Combustion + Energy (Heat liberated)

Note: In Combustion Engineering, the heat liberated is commonly referred to as the heat of reaction, heat of
combustion, calorific value, heating value or the heat value of the fuel.

- Combustion is essential to processes where heat is needed.

o In steam power generation, heat must be supplied to the working fluid (liquid water is heated into
superheated steam).
o In manufacturing, heat produced by combustion is used to convert raw materials into products.
o In engines, combustion is needed to produce mechanical work.
- Combustion is the dominant means for converting the potential energy, typically measured in Btu or kilocalories,
contained in solid, liquid, and gaseous fuels into useful energy forms.

ELEMENTS OF COMBUSTION

For combustion to occur, the following must be present.

1. There must be Fuel to burn.

2. There must be Air to supply oxygen.
3. There must be Heat (ignition temperature) to start and continue the combustion process.

Note: Absence of one element of will not result to combustion.

To ensure complete combustion, remember the 3 T’s of Combustion:

1. Turbulence or intimate mixing of the fuel and oxygen

- The air and fuel should be thoroughly mixed so that each combustible particle comes in intimate contact
with the oxygen contained in the air.
- The amount of air should be such that it is sufficient to burn the fuel completely. Complete combustion
of fuel means complete oxidation of all the combustible materials in the fuel. A deficiency of air causes
incomplete combustion of fuel which results in considerable unburned fuel being discharged from the
furnace, whereas too much supply of air simply dilutes the gases and cools the furnace.

2. The temperature in the furnace should be high enough to ignite the incoming air fuel mixture.

3. Time must be sufficient for complete combustion

- The fuel should remain in the furnace for sufficient time until it gets burned completely.

Classification of Combustion

Two Main Categories

1. Flaming Combustion
- The most prevalent type of combustion is flaming combustion. It's an open-flame fire, like
the one found in a gas stove. It's a gas-to-gas reaction, which means the fuel must be in
the gaseous state to react with the oxidizer, which is already in the gaseous form. This is
an important idea since only the vapors of liquids and solids burn in an open flame.
- If the fuel starts off as a solid or a liquid, it must go through a phase change or a chemical
transformation to become a gas before it can participate in the exothermic combustion
reaction.

2. Non-flaming Combustion
a. Smoldering Combustion
- Smoldering, or glowing, combustion happens when there are no flames present. It's the
glow that remains after the flames have died out on the charcoal briquettes on a backyard
grill. It's a solid-to-gas reaction in which the solid combustible's surface combines directly
with the gaseous oxidizer.
- Smoldering combustion is frequently caused by a lack of oxidizer. Glowing combustion
can occur at significantly lower oxygen concentrations than flame combustion, which
requires 10%.

b. HCCI (Homogenous Charge Compression Ignition)

- Internal combustion in which well-mixed fuel and oxidizer (usually air) are compressed to
the point of auto-ignition is known as homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI).
This exothermic reaction, like other forms of combustion, releases energy that can be
converted into work and heat in an engine.
 Further Classified into:

1. Premixed Flame
- The flame is considered to be premixed when the fuel and oxidant are well mixed
(premixed) before reaching the responding flame front. For premixed flames, the rate of
combustion is unaffected by the fuel-oxidant mixing process. A stationary premixed flame
in a Bunsen burner, whereas the premixed flame in a spark ignition (SI) engine
propagates.

2. Non-premixed Flame
- When the fuel and oxidizer are not mixed before reacting, the result is a non-premixed
flame. A diffusing flame from a lighter is an example of this. Compressed butane, which
is liquid inside the lighter canister but quickly expands to gas once discharged from the
lighter nozzle, is commonly used as lighter fuel. Because the concentration of butane at
the nozzle is too high for combustion, the flame will not form until the butane is mixed
with the surrounding air. Because the mixing stage limits the entire combustion, diffusion
flames are often significantly colder than premixed flames.

Combustible Substance/Material – is something that can combust (burn) in air.

Table 1. Atomic and Molecular Weights of elements usually encountered in combustion problems

ELEMENT SYMBOL ATOMIC WEIGHT MOLECULAR

WEIGHT
Carbon C 12 12
Hydrogen H2 1 2
Sulfur S 32 32
Oxygen O2 16 32
Nitrogen N2 14 28

Table 2. Molecular Weights (MW) of Combustible Substances

FUEL CHEMICAL FORMULA MOLECULAR WEIGHT

(MW)
Liquid Hydrocarbon
Benzene C6H6 78.108
Butane C4H10 58.124
Dodecane C12H26 170.328
Octane C8H18 114.23
Propane C3H8 44.097
Gaseous Hydrocarbon
Benzene C6H6 78.108
Butane C4H10 58.124
Dodecane C12H26 170.328
Ethane C2H6 30.07
Ethanol C2H5OH 46.069
Ethylene (Ethene) C2H4 28.03
Hydrogen H2 2.02
Methane CH4 16.043
Methanol CH3OH 32.042
Octane C8H18 114.23
Propane C3H8 44.097