TABLE OF CONTENTS In light of the continued rise in fuel costs, a good understanding of basic combustion theory is increasingly important. In addition, increasingly stringent environmental regulations and concerns make selection, design and maintenance of combustion control systems of paramount importance.
The following pages contain a brief overview of the combustion process, a discussion of factors that determine the efficiency of a boiler or furnace, and some of the traditional strategies used to accomplish combustion control.
Combustion, in its most basic sense, is the process where primarily the hydrogen and carbon in fuels combines with oxygen from the air to release heat. By products include carbon dioxide, water vapor, left over nitrogen from the air, other products of combustion, and possibly unreacted oxygen and/or fuel components.
Combustion control, in its most basic sense, is the maintenance of the proper fuel and air flows into this process to produce the amount of heat energy required by a system as it consumes the least possible fuel, ensuring complete combustion, and generates the fewest possible undesirable by products such as particulate matter and compounds that are detrimental to the environment and health.
Basics.- In general, common fuels may be classified as hydrocarbons. This means that they are predominantly composed of carbon and hydrogen. Table 12-1 lists some common fuels and gives typical values for the hydrogen and carbon contents as percentages by weight. All fuels contain other components besides hydrogen and carbon, albeit some in trace quantities. Some, such as...
