Gaseous fuels
1. Natural Gas:
➢ Natural gas is obtained from wells dug in the oil bearing regions.
➢ When natural gas occurs along with petroleum in oil wells, it is called wet gas.
➢ When the gas is associated with crude oil it is called dry gas.
➢ Natural gas is purified to remove the impurities like water, dust, grit, H2S,
CO2, N2 and heavier liquefiable hydrocarbons.
Composition of Natural gas:
CH4 - 70 -90%
C2H6 - 5-10
H2 - 3%
CO + CO2 – rest
Calorific value ranges from 12,000 – 14,000 kcal / m3
Uses: It is used as
➢ A domestic fuel.
➢ Manufacture of number of chemicals.
➢ A raw material for the manufacture of carbon black & H2
2. Compressed natural gas (CNG) or Marsh gas
➢ CNG is a natural gas compressed to high pressure of 1000 atmosphere.
➢ It is used as a fuel.
➢ It is a less pollution causing fuel.
➢ During combustion, no sulphur and nitrogen gases are evolved. It is a better
fuel than petrol and diesel for automobiles.
Composition
Methane – 88.5%
Ethane – 5.5%
Propane – 3.7%
Butane – 1.8%
Pentane – 0.5%
Properties
i) It is a safer fuel.
ii) Its ignition temperature is 5500C (higher temperature than gasoline and
diesel).
iii) CNG mixes with air easily.
iv) CNG leads to lesser emission than gasoline.
v) CNG vehicles do not have pollutants like smoke, SO2, SO3 etc.
Uses
i) It is an excellent domestic fuel that can be transported through pipes.
ii) It is used as a fuel in thermal power plants for genertating electricity.
iii) It is used as a source of hydrogen gas in fertilizer industries.
iv) It is used as an alternative to petrol and diesel for transport of vehicle.
3. Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)
• It is obtained as one of the top fractions in the fractional distillation of petroleum.
• It can be easily liquefied under pressure & stored in cylinders.
• It is a mixture of propane and butane.
• The composition is,
n-Butane – 38.5%,
Iso – Butane – 37 %,
Propane – 24.5%, Butylene and ethane - rest
• Its calorific value is 27,800 Kcal /m3.
Uses:
• It is used as cooking gas in domestic ovens as well as in furnaces.
• It is used as a motor fuel.
Advantages of LPG over other gaseous fuels:
1. It burns cleanly without leaving any residue.
2. It has higher calorific value than coal gas & natural gas.
3. It has high thermal efficiency.
4. It needs little care for maintenance.
5. It is free from CO & so less hazardous.
POWER ALCOHOL
When ethyl alcohol is used as fuel in internal combustion engine, it is called as
"power alcohol". Generally ethyl alcohol is used as its 5-25% mixture with petrol.
Manufacture of Power Alcohol:
1. Manufacture of Ethyl Alcohol
Ethyl alcohol can be synthesized by fermentation of carbohydrates. This fermentation leaves
only about 20% alcohol.
C6H12O6 Yeast 2C2H5OH + 2CO2
Glucose ethyl alcohol
The concentration of alcohol can be increased up to 97.6% by fractional distillation which is
called rectified sprit.
4. Manufacture of power alcohol from ethyl alcohol
• For the conversion of 97.6% of ethyl alcohol to absolute alcohol (100%) last
traces of water must be removed.
• This can be done by distilling 97.6% of ethyl alcohol with benzene.
• It also can be done by distilling 97.6% of ethyl alcohol in the presence of
dehydrating agent which holds water.
• Finally absolute alcohol is mixed with petrol at a concentration of 5 – 25% to get
power alcohol.
Properties:
i) Power alcohol has a lower calorific value (7000 cal / g).
ii) It has high octane number (90).
iii) Its anti-knocking properties are good.
iv) It generates 10% more power than the gasoline of small quantity.
v) Its compression ratio is also higher.
Use: It is used as a very good fuel in motors.
Advantages:
• Power alcohol is cheaper than petrol.
• Alcohol has property of absorbing any traces of water if present in petrol.
• Ethyl alcohol contains 'O' atoms, which helps for complete combustion of
power alcohol and the polluting emissions of CO, hydrocarbon, particulates
are reduced largely.
Disadvantages:
• Power alcohol has calorific value 7000cal/gm much lower than calorific value
of petrol 11500cal/gm. So use of power alcohol reduces power output upto
35%.
• Ethyl alcohol may undergo oxidation reaction to form acetic acid, which
corrodes engine parts.
• As it contains 'O' atoms, the amount of air required for complete combustion
of power alcohol is lesser and therefore carburetor and engine need to be
modified.
• Due to high surface tension, it causes starting trouble in motors.
BIODIESEL
Definition & Explanation:
➢ Biodiesel is a renewable, clean-burning diesel.
➢ Biodiesel is defined as mono-alkyl esters of long chain fatty acids derived
from vegetable oils or animal fats which conform to ASTM D6751
specifications for use in diesel engines.
➢ Biodiesel is typically made by chemically reacting lipids (e.g., vegetable oil,
animal fat with an alcohol producing fatty acid esters.
➢ Biodiesel can be used alone, or blended with petro diesel in any proportions.
Biodiesel can also be used as a low carbon alternative to heating oil.
Making of biodiesel:
Biodiesel is made through a chemical process called trans - esterification whereby
the glycerin is separated from the fat or vegetable oil. The process leaves behind two products
-- methyl esters (biodiesel) and glycerin (a valuable byproduct usually sold to be used in
soaps and other products).
Advantages:
➢ Biodiesel environment friendly because it is made from renewable resources.
➢ It has lower emissions compared to petroleum diesel.
➢ It is less toxic than table salt and biodegrades as fast as sugar.
➢ It is produced domestically from natural resources. So it is bio degradable.
➢ Its use decreases our dependence on imported fuel and contributes to our own
economy.
Disadvantages:
➢ It gels during cold weather.
➢ It absorbs water from atmosphere.
➢ It decreases the efficiency of the engine.
➢ It emits about 10% higher nitrogen oxides than conventional petroleum.
