Chapter 3 - Fuels and Combustion
Chapter 3 - Fuels and Combustion
Chapter 3 - Fuels and Combustion
2. There are 20 kg of flue gases formed per kg of fuel oil burned in the combustion of fuel oil
C12H26. What is the excess air in percent?
3. A diesel electric plant supplies energy for an electric concessionaire. During a 24-hour period,
the plant consumed 200 gallons of fuel at 28°C and produced 3930 kW-hr. Industrial fuel used is
28°API and was purchased at $0.10 per liter at 15.6°C. What should be the cost of fuel to
produce one kW-hr?
If burned in a boiler, the coal produces the following Orsat analysis in percent:
CO2 = 12% CO = 0.1% O2 = 6.5%
The refuse contains 0.008 kg of carbon per kg of coal burned. Determine the percentage excess
air used.
6. A steam generator burns fuel oil that has the following chemical analysis by mass in percent:
C = 85.3% H2 = 14.1% S = 0.5% N2 = 0.1%
Combustion takes place in a 125% in theoretical air or 25% excess air. The flue gases leave the
air pre-heater at 170 kPa. What is the partial pressure of the stack gases to avoid condensation in
kPa? Take molecular weight of the flue gas as 28.8.
7. A fuel oil is burned 50% excess air. What is the volume rate of flow in m 3/min of the wet
products at a pressure of 102 kPa and a temperature of 350°C when the fuel is burned at the rate
of 45 kg/min? Assume that the combustion requirements of the fuel oil are similar to those of
C12H26.
8. A test run using this coal showed a dry products of combustion analysis by volume of nitrogen
equals 82.5%, molecular weight of 30 kg flue gas, and the weight of flue gas is 15.03 kg per kg
of coal. The actual ash-pit sample was 0.5 kg of coal, of which 20% was carbon. What is the
percentage excess air supplied to the fuel combustion in percent?
Fuel: % by volume:
CO2 = 12.4% H2 = 2.2%
CO = 27% N2 = 58.4 %
10. Find the air-fuel ratio for a combustion process to which the fuel is C8H18.
11. If methane is completely burned, find the percent nitrogen in the products.
12. Methane is burned completely with 25% excess air. Compute the number of moles of nitrogen in
the products of combustion per mole of fuel.
13. A gaseous mixture of methane (CH 4), ethane (C2H6) and propane (C3H8) has partial pressures
respectively of 95 kPa, 105 kPa and 50 kPa. What is the mass percentage of methane in the
mixture?
14. Calculate the heating value of coal having the following composition by weight using Dulong’s
formula: C = 75%, H2 = 5%, O2 = 6%, N2 = 1.5%, S = 3%, Water = 1.5%, Ash = 8%.
15. The analysis is of products of combustion-on a dry basis when C8H18 was burned with
atmospheric air, is as follows:
CO2 = 12%, CO=0.75% O2=3.01%, N2 = 84.24%.
16. At 25°API specific gravity, what is the heating value of oil in Btu/lb?
17. What is the specific gravity of oil which has a Baume reading of 28 degrees?
18. One Kmol of C8H18 is burned with 100% air containing 25 Kmol of O 2. Determine the air-fuel
ratio for this combustion process.
19. One hundred twenty percent of theoretical air was supplied for combustion. What is the
equivalent excess air equal to?
20. The fuel has a chemical formula of CH 4, with 15% excess air. Find the actual mass of air in kg
per mass of kg fuel.
21. If C2H6 fuel for air combustion and using 20% excess air. Determine the air-fuel ratio.
22. Find the air fuel ratio, in kg air per kg fuel, for a combustion process to which the fuel is C 8H20
with 20% excess air.
23. A mixture of 14.7 psia and 68°F that is 30% by weight CO. and 70% by weight N 2 has a partial
pressure of CO2 in psia that is nearest to what?
24. Given gaseous fuel C8H18 and the volumetric products of combustion:
CO2= 10.01% CO = 0.85% N2 = 85% O2 = 14%.
Determine the air-fuel ratio.
25. Calculate the heating value of coal in Btu/lb as received having the following composition by
weight using the Dulong formula:
C = 77% H2 = 4% O2 = 7% N2 = 2%
S = 2% Water 1% Ash = 7%
26. Two kg-mol of octane (C8H18) is burned with a stoichiometric amount of air. How much. water is
formed in the products if the combustion is complete?
27. Methyl alcohol (CH3OH) is burned with 20% excess air. How much the unburned oxygen in kg-
mol-O2/kg-molfuel will there be in the products if the combustion is. complete?
28. Dodecane (C12H26) is burned at constant pressure with 120% excess air. What is the air-fuel ratio
for this process?
29. Find the partial pressures in kPa of oxygen in atmospheric air of 100 kPa which, contains by
weight 23.1% oxygen and 76.9% nitrogen?
30. Calculate the amount of air in kg necessary for combustion of 1 kg of octane (C 8H18) with 30%
excess air. Also calculate for the ideal air-fuel ratio.
31. Calculate the mass in kg of the combustion products of 20 kg diesel fuel oil (C 16H30) with 30%
excess oil.
32. The pressure and temperature of a mixture of equal masses of hydrogen are 120 kPa and 27°C.
The gas constants of hydrogen and oxygen are 4.125 and 0.2598 kJ/kg - K respectively.
Calculate the partial pressure of oxygen in kPa.
33. A gaseous mixture of methane (CH 4), ethane (C2H6) and propane (C3H8) has partial pressures
respectively of 85 kPa, 100 kPa and 60 kPa. What is the mass percentage of methane in the
mixture?
34. Calculate the molecular weight of a gaseous mixture that has the following volumetric analysis:
O2 = 40% CO2 = 40% N2 = 20%
35. A mixture composed of 60% carbon dioxide and 40% helium by volume analysis is contained at
0.500 MPa. What is the partial pressure in kPa of the helium in this mixture?
36. The composition of a mixture of gases is 60% carbon dioxide, 20% oxygen and 20% helium by
volume. What is the apparent molecular weight of this mixture?
37. A mixture contains 4 moles of oxygen, 6 moles of Nitrogen, and 5 moles of carbon dioxide. at
100°C and 225 kPa. Determine the partial pressure of the oxygen.
38. Calculate the higher heating value of liquid dodecane (C12H26) fuel.
39. Bituminous coal has the following compositions:
C = 71.5% O = 7.0% S = 3.6% Water = 3.4 %
H = 5% N = 1.3% Ash = 8.2%
Calculate for complete combustion the theoretical weight of air required in kgair/kgf.
40. Calculate the minimum volume of day tank of 28°API fuel having a fuel consumption of 1 kg/s.
41. It is required to find the theoretical volume of air at 20°C and 100 kPa absolute pressure to burn
one kilogram of Franklin County coal. The ultimate analysis of coal-as-fired is as follows:
C = 65.65% O = 18.61% Moisture = 3%
H = 5.87% S = 1.51% Ash = 5.36%
42. A 650 BHP diesel engine uses fuel oil of 28°API gravity, fuel consumption is 0.65 lb/BHP-hr.
Cost of fuel is $0.16 per liter. For continuous operation, determine the minimum volume of
cubical day tank in cm3, ambient temperature is 45°C.
43. A logging firm operates a Diesel Electric plant to supply its electric energy requirements. During
a 24-hour period, the plant consumed 250 gallons of fuel at 80°F and produced 2700 kw-hrs.
Industrial fuel used is 30°API and was purchased at $0.06 per liter at 60°F. Determine the over-
all efficiency of the plant.
44. A circular fuel tank 45 ft long and 5.5 ft diameter is used for oil storage. Calculate the number of
days the supply tank can hold for continuous operation at the following conditions.
Steam flow = 200 lb/hr
Steam dry and saturated at 200 psia
Feedwater temperature = 230°F
Boiler efficiency = 75%
Fuel Oil = 34°API
45. A typical industrial fuel oil, C16H32 with 20% excess air by weight. Assuming complete
oxidation of the fuel, calculate the actual air-fuel ratio by weight.
47. Fuel oil in a day tank for use of an industrial boiler is tested with hydrometer. The hydrometer
reading indicates an SG = 0.924 when the temperature of the oil in the tank is 35°C. Calculate
the higher heating value of the fuel.
48. A steam generator burns fuel oil with 20% excess air. The fuel oil may be represented by C 14H30.
The flue gas leaves the preheater at 0.31 Mpa. Find the minimum stack temperature to avoid
condensation.
49. In a boiler design, it is desirable to have the flue gas exit temperature above the dewpoint.
Estimate the dew point temperature of the flue gas produced by combustion, having the
gravimetric analysis of:
N2 = 71.84% O2 = 3.61%
CO2 = 20.35% H2O = 4.20%
Assume that air infiltration and leakage are negligible.
50. If the theoretical air-fuel ratio is 15, what is the approximate, higher heating value in kJ/kgfuel?
51. There are 20 kg of flue gases formed per kg of fuel oil burned in the combustion of a fuel oil
C12H26. What is the excess air in percent?
52. The dry exhaust gas from oil.engine has the following gravimetric analysis:
CO2 = 21.6% N2= 74.2% O2 = 4.2%
Specific heats at: constant pressure for each corhponent of the exhaust gas in kCal/kg°C are:
CO2 = 0.203 N2 = 0248 O2 = 0.219
53. A coal-fired steam boiler uses 3000 kg of coal per hour. The air required for combustion is 15 kg
per coal at a barometric pressure of 98.2 kPa. The flue gas has a temperature of 285°C and an
average molecular weight of 30. Assuming an ash loss of 11% and an allowable gas velocity of
7.5 m/s, find -the diameter of the chimney.
54. Methane gas burn completely when supplied with 30 percent excess dry air. The gaseous
products are cooled at 32°C and 1 atm pressure. Determine the mass of moisture condensed per
kg fuel.
A stoker fired boiler of 175,000 kg/hr steaming capacity uses this coal a fuel. Calculate the
volume of air in m3/hr with air at 60°F (15.6°F) and 14.7 psia (101.325 kPa) the coal is burned
with 30% excess air. Boiler efficiency of 70% and factor of evaporation.
56. A diesel power plant consumed 1 m3 of fuel with 30°API at 27°C in 24 hrs. Calculate the fuel
rate in kg/hr.
58. The ultimate analysis of a petroleum fuel is 87.1% carbon and 12.9% hydrogen. A certain test of
dry products of combustion gives the following analysis by volume:
CO2 = 12% CO = 0.30% O2 = 4.6% N2 = 83.1%.
Calculate the number of atoms of carbon and hydrogen of the hydrocarbon fuel.
59. The analysis of natural gas fuel used in a gas turbine power plant has the ‘following percentages
by volume:
CH4 = 80% C2H4=5% H2 = 10% CO = 2%
and the remaining non-combustible gases. Find the volume of air supplied per hour if the gas
consumption is. 20,000 m3/hr assuming 40% excess air.
60. A diesel power plant uses fuel with a heating value of 43,000 kJ/kg. What is the density of the
fuel at 25°C?
61. Calculate the calorific value of coal which has the following analysis: Carbon 81%, Hydrogen
5%, Oxygen 5.6%, Sulfur 1%, and the remainder is ash content.
62. Petrol has the following analysis 85.5 % carbon, 14.4% hydrogen, and 0.10% sulfur. Calculate
the volume of air at 1.0 bar and 15°C required for perfect combustion of 1 kg of the fuel.
Note: Rair = 0.287 kJ/kg-K.
63. A fuel used in-a boiler contains 86.1% carbon, 12.5% hydrogen, and 0.4% oxygen and 1% sulfur.
There are 40% excess air supplied to the furnace and the fuel rate is 400 kg/hr. Calculate the
mass of air and the heat energy transferred to the air per hour. if it enters the air heater at 18°C
and leaves at 130°C. Note cp = 1.0048 kJ/kg – K.
64. A fuel has, the following constituents: Carbon 85%, Hydrogen 13%, Oxygen 2%. When burning
this fuel in a boiler furnace the air supply is 50% in excess of the theoretical minimum required
for complete combustion, the inlet temperature of the air being. 31°C and funnel temperature is
280°C. Compute ifs calorific value, air-fuel ratio and percentage of heat energy supplied.
65. Experiment revealed that the calorific value of an oil fuel by means of a bomb calorimeter, the
mass of a sample fuel was 0.75 gram the mass of water surrounding the bomb was 1.8 kg with
some water in the fitting 0.47 kg, and the temperature rises by 3.3°C. Considering that the
specific heat of water is 4.2 kJ/kg - K; compute the calorific value of this oil in MJ/kg.
66. A fuel consists of 84% carbon, 13% hydrogen; .2% oxygen, and the remainder incombustible
solid matter. Calculate the calorific value of the theoretical mass air required per kg of fuel and
the mass analysis of the flue gas if 22 kg of air are supplied per kg of fuel burned.
67. A fuel oil has the following contents: 85.5 % Carbon, 11.9% Hydrogen, 1.6% Oxygen, and 1%
impurities. Calculate the percentage CO2, in the flue gas for complete combustion.