Classification of Fossil Fuels

Definition of fuel
Any substance which on combustion produces a usable amount of energy is called fuel.

 A fuel is any substance that can be made to react with other substances so that it releases energy as heat energy
and to be used for work.
 The heat energy produced by reaction of fuels is converted into mechanical energy.
 The heat produced is used for warmth cooking or industrial processes.

History of fuels
 First known use of fuel was combustion of wood or stick nearly two million years ago.
 Charcoal a wood derivative has been used since at least 6000 BCE for melting metals.
 Coal was first used as fuel around 1000 BCE in china.
 1769 coal was used in UK as a power source in steam engine.
 19 century gas extraction from coal has been used for street lightening in London.
 In 20th and 21st century coal was primarily used to generate electricity.
 Provide 40% of worlds electricity supply in 2005.

Classification of Fossil Fuels

On the basis of occurrence On the basis of Physical state

 Primary or Natural fuel  Solid fuel
 Secondary or Artificial fuel  Liquid fuel
 Gas fuel
 Solid fuels
 Solid fuel refers to various types of solid material that are used as fuel.
 To produce energy and provide heating, usually released through combustion.
 Solid fuels include wood, charcoal, peat, coal, hexamine fuel tablets, and pellets made from wood, corn, wheat, rye
and other grains.

Types of solid fuels

Solis fuels can be classified as:

 Wood
 Biomass
 Peat
 Coal
 Coke
 Municipal waste

Wood
 Wood fuel can refer to several fuels such as firewood, charcoal, wood chips sheets, pellets.
 In many areas, wood is the most easily available form of fuel, requiring no tools in the case of picking up dead
wood, or few tools.
 Wood fuel can be used for cooking, heating and occasionally
for fueling steam engines and steam turbines that generate
electricity.

Biomass
 Although wood is a form of biomass, the term usually refers
to other natural plant material that can be burnt for fuel.
 Common biomass fuels include waste wheat, straw, nut shells
and other fibrous material.

Peat
 Peat fuel is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or
organic matter that can be burnt once sufficiently dried.
 It is used for domestic heating purposes as an alternative to
firewood and forms a fuel suitable for boiler firing.
 Peat is also used for household cooking in some places and has been used to produce small amounts of electricity.

Coal
 Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock .
  Usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams.
 Coal is composed of mostly carbon and hydrocarbons.
 Coal is the largest source of energy for the generation of electricity worldwide
 It is one of the largest worldwide anthropogenic sources of carbon dioxide releases.

Coal classification
Coal is classified into three major types namely

 Anthracite
 Bituminous
 Lignite.

However there is no clear demarcation between them and coal is also further classified as semi-anthracite, semi-
bituminous, and sub-bituminous.

Anthracite
 Anthracite is the oldest coal from geological perspective.
 It is often referred to as hard coal, is a hard, compact variety of coal that has a submetallic luster.
 It has the highest carbon content 80 to 95 %.
 Due to the fewest impurities, and the highest energy density of all types of coal and is the highest ranking of coal.
 A domestic fuel in either hand-fired stoves or automatic stoker furnaces.

Bituminous coal
 Bituminous coal or black coal is a relatively soft coal containing a tarlike substance called bitumen or asphalt.
 40 to 80 % carbon content.
 It is of higher quality than lignite coal but of poorer quality than anthracite.

Lignite
 Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, is soft, brown, combustible, sedimentary rock formed from naturally
compressed peat.
 40 to 55 % carbon content.
 It is considered the lowest rank of coal due to its relatively low heat content.
 It is mined all around the world.
 Used almost exclusively as a fuel for steam-electric power generation, but is also mined for its germanium content
in China. Used in the production of coke and gas.

Properties of coal
  Calorific value; of a fuel is "the total quantity of heat liberated, when a unit mass (or volume) of the fuel is burnt
completely.
 Color ; coal can range in color from black to brown to greyish.
 Density ; coal has lower density than many rocks and minerals making them light weight.
 Hardness ; coal can range from very hard like anthracite to very soft graphite.

Coke
 Coke is a fuel with few impurities and high carbon content, usually made from coal.
 It is the solid carbonaceous material derived from destructive distillation of low-ash, low-sulfur bituminous coal.
 Cokes made from coal are grey, hard, and porous. While coke can be formed naturally, the commonly used form is
man-made
 The form known as petroleum coke, or pet coke, is derived from oil refinery Coker units or other cracking
processes.

Advantages of solid fuels

 They are easy to transport.
 They are convenient to store without any risk of spontaneous explosion.
 Their cost of production is low.
 They possess moderate ignition temperature.

Disadvantages of solid fuels

 Their ash content is high.
 Their large proportion of heat is wasted.
 They burn with clinker formation.
 Their combustion operation cannot be controlled easily.
 Their cost of handling is high.

Liquid fuels
 Liquid fuels are combustible or energy-generating molecules that can be harnessed to create mechanical energy,
usually producing kinetic energy
 They also take the shape of their container.
 It is the fumes of liquid fuels that are flammable instead of the fluid. Most liquid fuels in widespread use are derived
from fossil fuels.
 However, there are several types, such as hydrogen fuel (for automotive uses), ethanol, and biodiesel, which are
also categorized as a liquid fuel.

Petroleum
 Petroleum comes from Latin word meaning “rock oil”.
 Most liquid fuels used currently are produced from petroleum.
  The most notable of these is gasoline.
 Scientists generally accept that petroleum formed from the fossilized remains of dead plants and animals by
exposure to heat and pressure in the Earth's crust.
 Petroleum products include diesel, kerosene, fuel oil, petrol etc.

Gasoline
 Gasoline is the most widely used secondary liquid fuel.
 Gasoline, as it is known in United States and Canada, or petrol virtually everywhere else, is made of hydrocarbon
molecules (compounds that contain hydrogen and carbon only)
 forming aliphatic compounds, or chains of carbons with hydrogen atoms attached
 Production of gasoline is achieved by distillation of crude oil.
 The desirable liquid is separated from the crude oil in refineries.
 Crude oil is extracted from the ground in several processes.

Fractional distillation
Separation of a liquid mixture into fractions differing in boiling point (and hence chemical composition) by means of
distillation, typically using a fractionating column.

 Crude oil is distilled in distillation towers.

 The heavier fractions are distilled again at sub-atmospheric pressures.

Cracking
The decomposition of bigger hydrocarbon molecules into simpler, low boiling hydrocarbons of lower molecular weight is
called cracking.

 Thermal cracking
 Catalytic cracking
 Hydrocracking

Thermal cracking

Heating (- 500 ° C and 25 bar) of heavy oil above its decomposition temperature, yielding 50 to 70% of low-quality gasoline.

Catalytic cracking

Heating in the presence of a catalyst of aluminum and silica, yielding good quality gasoline.

Hydrocracking

Heating in the presence of catalysts and hydrogen, yielding large amounts of kerosene and diesel fuel.

Diesel
 Conventional diesel is similar to gasoline in that it is a mixture of aliphatic hydrocarbons extracted from petroleum.
 Diesel may cost more or less than gasoline.
 Generally costs less to produce because the extraction processes used are simpler.
 Diesel is commonly used as fuel in trucks, buses, trains and diesel power plants.
Kerosene
 Kerosene is produced by fractional distillation of crude oil in an oil refinery.
 It condenses at a temperature intermediate between diesel fuel, which is less volatile, and naphtha and gasoline,
which are more volatile.
 Kerosene is used in kerosene lamps and as a fuel for cooking, heating, and small engines.
 It displaced whale oil for lighting use.
 Jet fuel for jet engines is made in several grades that are kerosene-type mixtures.
 Kerosene is sometimes used as an additive in diesel fuel to prevent gelling or waxing in cold temperatures.

Compressed natural gas

 Natural gas, composed chiefly of methane, can be compressed to a liquid
 Used as a substitute for other traditional liquid fuels.
 Its combustion is very clean compared to other hydrocarbon fuels.
 But the fuel's low boiling point requires the fuel to be kept at high pressures.
 It is stored and distributed in hard containers at a pressure of 20–25 mega Pascals, usually in cylindrical or spherical
shapes to keep it in the liquid state.

Liquefied natural gas

 LP gas is a mixture of propane and butane, both of which are easily compressible gases under standard atmospheric
conditions.
 It offers many of the advantages of compressed natural gas (CNG), but does not burn as cleanly, is denser than air
and is much more easily compressed.
 Commonly used for cooking and space heating.
 LP gas and compressed propane are seeing increased use in motorized vehicles.

Biodiesel
 A fuel derived from organic oils, such as vegetable oil, rather than petroleum.
 Biodiesel's use and production are increasing.
 It’s typically used for aircraft, vehicles and as heating oil.

Alcohols
 Generally, the term alcohol refers to ethanol, the first organic chemical produced by humans, but any alcohol can
be burned as a fuel.
 Ethanol and methanol are the most common, being sufficiently inexpensive to be useful.
 Alcohol based fuels have been used in automotive applications for long time.
 Particularly used as high octane fuels for racing car.

Methanol
 Methanol is the lightest and simplest alcohol, produced from the natural gas component methane.
  Its application is limited primarily due to its toxicity (similar to gasoline), but also due to its high corrosivity and
miscibility with water.
 Small amounts are used in some types of gasoline to increase the octane rating.
 Methanol-based fuels are used in some race cars and model airplanes.
 Methanol is also called methyl alcohol or wood alcohol, the latter because it was formerly produced from the
distillation of wood.

Hydrogen
 Liquefied hydrogen is the liquid state of the element hydrogen.
 It is a common liquid rocket fuel for rocket applications and can be used as a fuel in an internal combustion engine
or fuel cell , in cars , for portable power and many other applications.
 Hydrogen fuel refers to hydrogen which is burned as fuel with oxygen.
 Hydrogen was liquefied for the first time by James Dewar in 1898.

Knocking and antiknock characteristic

The sharp metallic sound produced when low quality fuel burns in internal combustion engine is called knocking. Knocking
property of the fuel reduces the efficiency of engine. So a good quality gasoline should be used to resist knocking.

The octane number of fuel can be improved by

I. Blending petrol of high octane number with petrol of low octane number, so that the octane number of the latter
can be improved.
II. The addition of anti-knock agents like Tetra-Ethyl Lead (TEL).

Properties of liquid fuels

 Density
 Specific gravity
 Viscosity
 Flash point
 Fire point
 Pour point

Advantages of liquid fuels

1. They possess higher calorific value per unit mass than solid fuels.
2. They burn without dust, ash, clinkers, etc.
3. Their firing is easier and also fire can be extinguished easily by stopping liquid fuel supply.
4. They are easy to transport through pipes.
5. They can be stored indefinitely without any loss.
6. They are clean in use and economic to handle.
7. Loss of heat in chimney is very low due to greater cleanliness.
8. They require less excess air for complete combustion.
9. They require less furnace space for combustion.

Disadvantages of liquid fuels

 1. The cost of liquid fuel is relatively much higher as compared to solid fuel.
2. Costly special storage tanks are required for storing liquid fuels.
3. There is a greater risk of five hazards, particularly, in case of highly inflammable and volatile liquid fuels.
4. They give bad odor.
5. For efficient burning of liquid fuels, specially constructed burners and spraying apparatus are required.

Gaseous fuels
 Fuel gas is any one of a number of fuels that under ordinary conditions are gaseous.
 Many fuel gases are composed of hydrocarbons (such as methane or propane), hydrogen, carbon monoxide, or
mixtures.
 Such gases are sources of potential heat energy or light energy that can be readily transmitted and distributed
through pipes from the point of origin directly to the place of consumption.

Natural gas
 Natural gas is a fossil fuel energy source.
 Natural gas contains many different compounds.
 The largest component of natural gas is methane, a compound with one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms
(CH4).
 Natural gas is formed when layers of organic matter (primarily marine microorganisms decompose under anaerobic
conditions and are subjected to intense heat and pressure underground over millions of years.
 Natural gas can be burned for heating, cooking and electricity generation.
 It is also used as a chemical feedstock in the manufacture of plastics and other commercially important organic
chemicals and less commonly used as a fuel for vehicles.

Manufactured fuel gases

Manufactured fuel gases are those produced through an artificial process, usually gasification, at a location known as a
gasworks.

Manufactured fuel gases include

I. Coal gas
II. Water gas
III. Producer gas
IV. Wood gas
V. Biogas
VI. Blast furnace gas
VII. Acetylene

Coal gas
 Coal gas is a flammable gaseous fuel made from coal and supplied to the user via a piped distribution system.
 The gas obtained when coal is heated strongly in the absence of air is called coal gas.
 Coal gas contains a variety of calorific gases including hydrogen, carbon monoxide, methane and volatile
hydrocarbons together with small quantities of non-calorific gases such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen
Water gas
 Water gas is a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen combustible gases.
 It contains little amount of carbon dioxide and nitrogen.
 It can be prepared by passing alternatively steam and air through a bed of red hot coke or coal maintained at about
900 to 1000 degree.
 Used for industrial hydrogenation , manufacture of alcohol , as a fuel in industrial preparation.

Biogas
 Biogas refers to a mixture of different gases produced by the breakdown of organic matter in the absence of
oxygen.
 Biogas can be produced by anaerobic digestion with methanogen or anaerobic organisms, which digest material
inside a closed system, or fermentation of biodegradable materials.
 Biogas is primarily methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO) and may have small amounts of hydrogen sulfide (H2S),
moisture and siloxanes.

Blast furnace gas

 Blast furnace gas (BFG) is a byproduct of blast furnaces that is generated when the iron ore is reduced with coke to
metallic iron.
 Blast furnace gas is generated at higher pressure and at about 100-150 *C (212-302 F) in a modern blast furnace.
 Commonly used as fuel within the steel works but it can be used in boilers and power plants.

Advantages of fuel gas

1. They can be conveyed easily through pipelines to the actual place of need, thereby eliminating manual labor in
transportation.
2. They can be lighted at ease.
3. They have high heat contents and hence help us in having higher temperatures.
4. They are clean in use.
5. They do not require any special burner.
6. They burn without any shoot, or smoke and ashes.
7. They are free from impurities found in solid and liquid fuels.

Disadvantages of fuel gases

1. Very large storage tanks are needed.
2. They are highly inflammable, so chances of fire hazards in their use are high.