ICPE15- Instrumentation and Control in Power Plants

Lecture-7: Introduction to
Combustion Process
08-02-2024
Dr. Sri Ram Shankar R.
Assistant Professor, Dept. of ICE,
Chamber No. 204-A, First Floor, Dept. Main Building
NIT-Tiruchirappalli.
E-mail: srir@nitt.edu
Combustion Process
Combustion is the rapid oxidation of a fuel whereby large quantities of heat are
produced.
Main combustible elements of the fuel are carbon, hydrogen, and sulphur,
combine chemically with oxygen from the air.

Conditions for Combustion

1. Enough Air: Supply of adequate oxygen to the furnace
2. Turbulence: Thorough mixing of air and fuel together so that each particle of fuel
can come in contact with the necessary oxygen.
3. Temperature: Adequately high temperature in the furnace to ignite the fuel as it
enters.
4. Time: Adequately large furnace: sufficient time for the combustion to be completed
before the gases strike the cooler areas of the heating surfaces.
Complete Combustion
C + O2 → CO2
2H2 + O2 → 2H2O
S + O2 → SO2

The non-combustible elements of fuel will not combine with oxygen but will form
ash or will pass through the furnace unchanged.

Incomplete Combustion
2C + O2 → 2CO CO: Represents a loss of heating value and a waste of
2CO + O2 → 2CO2 fuel, contributes to pollution.
3H2 + O2 → 2H2O + H2 S: tends to produce corrosive acids in the presence of
2S + O2 → SO2 + S water
 Combustion Air and Excess Air
• Air: 79% N2 ; 21% O2
• The amount of air required to supply just enough oxygen for complete combustion is
called the theoretical air.
• In actual practice, however, it is necessary to supply more than this theoretical amount of
air in order to make sure that all particles of fuel come in contact with oxygen.
• The amount of air in excess of the theoretical air is called excess air and is usually
expressed as a percentage of the theoretical air.

Usually % excess air required for proper combustion of a fuel : 10% - 60% or even higher.
The amount required will depend upon:
1. The time available for fuel to mix with air before it is cooled below ignition temperature.
2. How well the fuel and air can be mixed together.
3. The temperature existing within the furnace.
 Excess Air
• It is desirable to reduce the amount of
excess air supplied to the furnace as much
as possible since the air is heated to a high
temperature in the furnace and, carries a
large amount of heat out through the
stack.
• In addition, the power required for a
forced draft fan will decrease if less air is
supplied.
• Excess air is reduced too much, then there
will be the possibility of incomplete
combustion occurring, resulting in the
formation of CO and free H2.
https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/boiler-combustion-efficiency-d_271.html
Excess Air
Amount of excess air should be kept down to a minimum, as determined by:
1. Composition and condition of the fuel fired.
2. Method used for burning the fuel.
Coal - Stoker firing : 30-35%
Pulverized Coal : 15-20%
Fuel Oil : 15%
Gaseous Fuel : 10%

• Incomplete combustion is indicated by CO and soot (carbon) appearing in the

flue gases. This represents a serious waste of fuel.
• Also, the possibility of a furnace explosion exists due to pockets of CO being
formed in parts of the furnace.
Flue gas composition
• A typical composition of burnt gases, denoted from now on as flue gases, may
consist of CO2, H2O, SO2, O2, N2 and probably ash in a finely divided state.
• The presence of oxygen is due to supplying more air than theoretically is required
to assure complete combustion.

Nitrogen, does not contribute to combustion, and it is heated in the furnace and leaves
the chimney at a relatively high temperature.
The heat contained in nitrogen represents a heat loss as it will be lost into the
atmosphere.
 CO2 in Flue gas
→ Gaseous fuel, such as natural gas, that can easily
be mixed with the combustion air will require less
excess air than a solid fuel such as coal.
Typical excess air to achieve the highest possible
efficiency for some common fuels:

5 - 10% for natural gas

5 - 20% for fuel oil
15 - 60% for coal Content of CO2 in a flue gas is an important
indication of the combustion efficiency.
Optimal content of carbon dioxide CO2 after combustion is
approximately 10% for natural gas and
approximately 13% for lighter oils.
 Flue gas losses
The efficiency loss in the flue gas related to
•temperature difference in flue gas and supply air
•CO2 concentration in the flue gas
Fuels
Fuels can be classified into three groups:
1. Solid fuel such as coal and wood.
2. Liquid fuel such as fuel oils and gasoline.
3. Gaseous fuel such as natural gas, propane, and butane.
Coal
• Coal is composed of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, sulphur, nitrogen, moisture and ash.
Of these components only carbon, hydrogen and sulphur are combustible.
• Carbon combined with hydrogen to form hydrocarbons. These hydrocarbons are
known as volatile material since they pass off as gas when the coal is heated.
• The rest of the carbon, which is not combined with hydrogen, is referred to as fixed
carbon.

Wood
Hogfuel: the byproducts of wood processing, such as bark, chips, and sawdust
Biomass: residual organic materials, like sugar cane stalks, and shells from nuts,
as fuels, is also common to the food industries and community waste processing
plants.
Fuel Oil
Crude oil/ Petroleum: mixture of a large variety of hydrocarbon compounds varying
from very light hydrocarbons (gaseous state), heavier hydrocarbons (liquid state) to
very heavy hydrocarbons (semi-solid state).

• gases such as methane and ethane,

• gasoline, jet fuel, kerosene, diesel fuel, light fuel oils,
• lubricating oils, heavy oils and residue.
Fuel Oil
Fuel oils are classified into grade numbers according to their characteristics such as:
1. Relative Density (specific gravity) - the ratio of the mass of a certain volume of oil
to the mass of an equal volume of water.
2. Viscosity - a measure of the internal resistance to flow of the oil.
3. Flash Point - the lowest temperature at which the fuel oil gives off enough
vapour to ignite when exposed to an open flame.

The flash point is a good indication of the fire hazard involved in the storage and
pumping of the oil. Since the flash point of fuel oils is well above ambient
temperatures, they are relatively safe fuels to store.
 Fuel Oil
Grades 1 and 2: furnace oils, have
a relatively low viscosity and
relative density. They do not
require heating before being fired
in the boiler furnace.

Grade 2 oil is popular fuel oil for

domestic and small commercial or
industrial furnaces and boilers.

Grades 4, 5 and 6 are heavier oils with higher viscosities. They require heating during storage
and pumping, and additional heating, usually to about 95°C before they can be satisfactorily
burned in a furnace.
Fuel Oil
1. Less storage space is required.
2. The amount fed to the furnace is more easily controlled.
3. Less handling equipment and labour is required.
4. It burns more cleanly (less residuals) and is efficient to use.

Oil is more expensive and less abundant than coal.

Natural Gas
• Natural gas is obtained from gas wells drilled in gas-bearing rock formations or as a
by-product from oil wells.
• Hydrocarbons methane (80-90%) and ethane (10-20%).
• It also may contain traces of propane, butane, nitrogen, oxygen, CO2 and hydrogen
sulphide.

1. No ash is produced when gas is burned.

2. Little handling equipment is required.
3. The amount fed to the furnace is easily controlled.
4. It is easily mixed with air.
5. It is very clean - no spills, no mess, no residue.
6. No storage space is required.
Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG)
Light hydrocarbons (butane, propane or a mixture of the two) which are in the
gaseous state at atmospheric pressure but can be condensed to form a liquid by
the application of moderate pressure.
→ They are petroleum gases that can be easily liquefied.
→ Can be easily transported and stored.

The liquid is converted to gas by reduction of the pressure and absorption of the
latent heat required for evaporation from the surrounding area.
Heating Value
When a unit amount of fuel is burned completely, the heat produced by this
combustion is called the heating value of the fuel.
Coal Handling
Steps in Coal Handling
Coal Delivery:
Ships or boats
Rail or Trucks

Unloading: