1.1 Overview

What is combustion engineering? An operational definition would be the 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 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. The heat released from combustion can be used directly in thermal applications. More commonly, it is used to raise steam which, when driving turbines or steam engines, can be converted into shaft power or electricity. Combustion engineering applied to solid fuels has a long and illustrious history with practitioners including Thomas Newcomen, Sadi Carnot, James Watt, Lord Kelvin, George Stephenson, Allen Stirling, and many more. These individuals developed the origins of the theory and applications associated with combustion engineering.

Combustion engineering for solid fuels involves a diverse collection of disciplines and activities, and it requires understanding of a variety of issues. These issues include an historical perspective concerning combustion of solid fuels, a basic understanding of the chemistry and physicsinvolved in combustion, and a consideration of the elements of the combustion system from fuel receiving and management from fuel preparation through burning fuel in...