Fuels

Content

• Types of fuels
• Fuel characteristics
• Examples of fuels

It is called fuels to all matter susceptible to reactions of oxidation violent that release amounts of heat energy (exothermic), usually releasing carbon dioxide (CO₂) and other chemical compounds as waste. This behavior is known as combustion and responds to the formula:

fuel + oxidizer = products + energy

• The fuels are, then,flammable substances, whose caloric potential is commonlyusable by man to heat your homes, cook your food, and even generate electricity (as in power plants) or motion (as in internal combustion engines).
• Theoxidizers, on the other hand, are the substances or the means capable of promoting this combustion process. They are mostly powerful oxidants.

Types of fuels

There are different forms of fuel and different ways of classifying them, but among all perhaps the most important is taking into account their chemical constitution, namely:

• Mineral fuels. Is about metals and elements obtained from nature and susceptible to combustion under natural conditions or even in specific situations, such as certain metals that produce flame without the presence of oxygen.
• Fossil fuels. It involves long chains of hydrocarbons of organic origin, which, being subjected to environmental pressures and sedimentation they become substances of high caloric power, such as oil or coal.
• Fusion fuels. These are natural or synthetic radioactive elements, the emission of which can be used to generate atomic chain reactions with a gigantic exothermic potential, like those that occur in an atomic bomb.
• Biofuels. These are combustible substances obtained from the processing and anaerobic fermentation of organic waste, to thus form alcohols or ethers of relative caloric capacity but very low production cost.
• Organic fuels. Is about fats, oils and other substances of living origin whose nature allows ignition under certain conditions and that we often use in the kitchen.

Fuel characteristics

Fuels have a series of chemical variables that reflect their specific properties and from which they are studied, such as:

• Heating power. The heat generation capacity of the fuel, that is, its thermal performance during combustion.
• Ignition temperature. The point of heat and pressure necessary for combustion or flame to occur in matter, without the need to add additional heat to perpetuate it.
• Density and viscosity. Characteristics of combustible material that express its fluidity and its density, that is, the total weight of the substance according to the volume it occupies and the degree of bonding between its particles or the suspension of solids in it.
• Moisture content. Defines the degree of water present in the fuel.

Examples of fuels

1. Coal. Coal is one of the forms of carbon in nature, along with graphite and diamonds: agglomerations of atoms of this element, but arranged in a very different way, so that some are more resistant than others and have different physical and chemical properties. In the case of mineral coal, it is a highly flammable black and sedimentary rock, due to its additional content of hydrogen, sulfur and other elements.
2. Wood. Composed of cellulose and lignin, secreted by the tree trunks, the wood grows year after year in a system of concentric rings. It has been the quintessential fuel element for ovens, fireplaces and more since ancient times, as it burns relatively easily and forms embers (for cooking on the grill). This also often causes forest fires capable of consuming large tracts of wood and organic material dry.
3. Kerosene. Also known as canfin or kerex, it is a liquid mixture of hydrocarbons, flammable and obtained by petroleum distillation, initially used in stoves and lamps and today used as jet fuel (Jet Petrol) and in the manufacture of pesticides. as well as solvent.
4. Gasoline. The most refined product of fuel oil derivatives, this mixture of hydrocarbons is obtained by distillation fractional (FCC) and is used to power internal combustion engines throughout the world. It has a high energy efficiency in terms of its mass and is classified according to an octane number present or octane. Its combustion, however, releases numerous gases and toxic elements to the atmosphere.
5. Alcohol. This name is known to organic substances composed of a hydroxyl group (-OH) covalently bonded to a saturated carbon atom. They are very common substances in nature and are produced as a result of the fermentation organic sugars. Their particular chemical properties make them good solvents, fuels and, in the specific case of ethanol, a component of many spirits.
6. Natural gas. Natural gas is a fossil fuel product of a light mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons that can be found in underground reservoirs or accompanying deposits of coal or oil in nature. It is widely used to power combustion engines, urban heating and power plants.
7. Vegetable oil. This organic compound is obtained from the seeds, fruits and stems of plants in whose tissues it is produced, such as sunflower, olive or corn. It is composed, like most fatty acids, of three fatty acids linked to a glycerin molecule, which is why it is used as food -for cooking-, to make soaps and other products, and even as biofuel in hybrid or adapted vehicles .
8. Benzene. This aromatic hydrocarbon of chemical formula C₆H₆, whose carbon atoms occupy the vertices of a regular hexagon, is a colorless and highly flammable liquid, carcinogenic and with a sweet aroma. It is perhaps the most produced chemical in the world, since it is essential to synthesize other hydrocarbons and chemical compounds, in addition to being an essential part of numerous vehicle fuels and solvents.
9. Magnesium. Chemical element with the symbol Mg, the seventh in abundance in the earth's crust and third among those dissolved in sea water. It is an essential ion for all forms of life, although this metal is never pure in nature. It is highly flammable, especially in the form of chips or dust, producing an intense white light that was often used in the early days of photography. However, once turned on it is difficult to turn off, given its reactivity with nitrogen and CO.₂ of the atmosphere.
10. Propane. A colorless, odorless organic gas with the chemical formula C₃H₈, whose enormous combustibility and explosiveness makes it ideal, together with butane gas (C₄H₁₀), to power ovens, cookers and other domestic environments, since at room temperature it is inert and therefore relatively safe. Both are obtained from various stages of oil refining and together they constitute the majority of flammable gases in common commercial use today (liquefied gas) in cylinders and carafes.