CHAPTER : 7

COMBUSTI
ON

PRESENTED BY :

Vijit Kumar
D.A.V. PUBLIC SCHOOL, BIHAR
 COMBUSTION
A chemical process in which a substance reacts with oxygen to give off heat
is called combustion.
The substances which undergo combustion are known as combustible
substances. It may also be called a fuel.
Air or oxygen which helps in burning is called supporter of combustion and
the chemical reaction which takes place with the release of heat and light energy is
called combustion.
Sometimes, heat is accompanied by light, either as a flame or as a glow,
during combustion.
Fuel may be solid, liquid or gas. A combustion reaction maybe written as-
(a) Charcoal burns in air to give carbon dioxide and heat.
C + O2 → CO2 + Heat
(b) Methane bums in air forming carbon dioxide, water and heat.
CH4 + 2O2 → CO2 + 2H2O + Heat
Test Yourself
1. Which of the following is combustible?
(a) Iron nail (b) Glass (c) Stone
pieces (d) Paper
2. Combustion is a
(a) physical process (b) chemical (c) Both (a) & (b)
Conditions required for combustion :
There are 3 conditions necessary for producing and sustaining combustion.
(1) Presence of a combustible substance.
(2) Presence of a supporter of combustion i.e. air (oxygen)
(3) Attainment of ignition or kindling temperature.
 Some substances, like magnesium catches fire and burns with a dazzling white flame
when heated in air. Similarly, when a piece of per is brought near a candle flame, it burns,
producing heat and light. The charcoal and coal bums in air producing carbon dioxide, heat
and light.
Air or oxygen which helps in burning is called supporter of combustion

Activity :
Burning of candle.
Ignition temperature: It is the
minimum temperature to which a
combustible substance must be heated,
before it catches fire.
Therefore, a combustible substance
cannot catch fire as long as its temperature is
lower than its ignition temperature e.g.
Ignition temperature of phosphorus is 35 °C.
So, unless phosphorus is heated to 35 °C, it
will not catch fire. However, if temperature of
air is 35°C or more, phosphorus will catch fire
without heating.
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Test Yourself
1. What do you mean by supporter of combustion?
2. Name a gas which is a non-supporter of combustion.

Booster 1
Why is the person caught in fire, is covered with a blanket?
Explanation
If the clothes of a person catch fire, he is immediately wrapped in a thick blanket. The
blanket cuts off the supply of air i.e. the supporter of combustion and hence the fire is put
off.

Booster 2
Why does the fire goes off when water is poured over burning wood?
Explanation
It happens because water absorbs a large amount of heat energy, which results in fall in
the temperature of wood below its ignition temperature and the fire goes off.

Assignment :
1. Explain an activity to show that air (oxygen) is essential for combustion.
2. Is it possible to boil water in a paper cup? Give reason of your answer.
Types of combustion :
Combustion is mainly of four types
(1) Slow combustion (2) Rapid combustion (3) Spontaneous combustion (4) Explosive
combustion
1. Slow combustion: The combustion in which a combustible material burns at a slow or
moderate rate and produces heat and light is called slow combustion.
Slow combustion usually occurs when there is insufficient supply of air.
For example: Burning of cow dung cakes wood etc.
2. Rapid combustion: The combustion in which the gas burns rapidly and produces heat
and light is called rapid combustion.
For example: When a burning matchstick is brought near a gas burner and the gas tap is
opened, the gas immediately starts burning with the production of heat and light. Eg. Petrol,
LPG, spirit, etc.
3. Spontaneous combustion: The combustion in which no external heat is given is known
as spontaneous combustion.
For example: Burning of white phosphorus in air.
4. Explosion: The combustion in which large amount of gases are evolved with the
production of a tremendous amount of neat; light and sound is called explosion.
For example: When a cracker is ignited, a sudden reaction, oxidation process takes
place, and in which at high speed large amount of gas is evolved with the production of
tremendous amount of heat, light and sound.
Difference between rapid and spontaneous combustion
Ho do we control fire?
We know that there are 3 conditions necessary for producing and sustaining
combustion.
(1) Presence of a combustible substance.
(2) Presence of a supporter of combustion.
(3) Attainment of ignition or kindling temperature.
Thus, fire can be controlled by removing one or more of these requirements
of fire control. The combustible substance as such cannot be eliminated in most of
the cases from the place of fire. Generally, water is used to control fire. Water
brings down the temperature of the combustible substance below its ignition
temperature. The water vapour surrounds the combustible material, thus helping in
cutting off the supply of air. So, that the fire is extinguished.
The fire extinguisher also try to cut off the supply of air or bring down the
temperature of the fuel or both, to control the fire.

Note: Fire produced by the burning of oil or petrol cannot be controlled by throwing
water on it because water being heavier than oil, settles down the oil and oil
continues to bum.
In the case of fires caused by burning liquid fuels, such as kerosene oil can be
controlled by throwing sand or soil over it which helps to cut the supply of air.
FIRE EXTINGUISHER :
Soda - acid fire extinguisher : Carbon dioxide liberated
by the reaction of sulphuric acid with sodium bicarbonate
solution comes out with a stream of liquid water at high
pressure. Water puts off the fire by lowering the temperature
of the combustible material below its ignition temperature
and carbon dioxide cut off the supply of air to the
combustible substance. The following reaction occurs :

To operate extinguisher :

Fig. Common fire extinguisher.

Booster 3
Forest fires are a result of which type of combustion and why ?
Explanation
Forest fires are the result of spontaneous combustion because of the following factors
(i) presence of a combustible substance
(ii) presence of right ignition temperature
(iii) presence of supporter of combustion in air

Test Yourself
1. What are forest fires?
2. Why CO2 is considered as the best fire extinguisher?

Assignment :
1. Explain the types of combustion with one example of each.
2. Why does white phosphorus catches fire spontaneously during summer?
3. Why does the flame of a burning candle goes off when we blow over it strongly?
4. It is advised not to pour water when fire is caused by burning of oil like petrol, kerosene.
Why?
5. Differentiate between spontaneous and explosive combustion.
Flame: A region of burning gases is called flame.
A substance will burn with a flame, only if some gaseous substance is there to burn.
Structure of a flame
In order to understand the structure of a flame, light a wax candle and watch its flame.
Carefully note the different coloured zones in the flame. Starting from the base of the flame, a
flame has four zones.
(1) Blue zone: It is near the base of the flame. Vaporised wax
gets oxidised to carbon monoxide and carbon monoxide bums
completely with a blue flame in this zone.
(2) Dark inner zone: Surrounding the wick is the dark zone.
There is no burning in this zone. If we pass a wooden splinter
through the dark zone of the flame, it comes out unscratched
(unburnt) showing that there is no ‘burning’ in this zone.
However, some burnt wax vapours are present in this zone.
(3) Luminous zone: In this region of the flame hydrogen
burns with a brilliant yellow luminous flame. Burning hydrogen
combines with oxygen to form water vapour. Carbon also burns
in this zone giving some luminosity to the flame and producing
carbon dioxide. Some unburnt carbon particles are left which
give rise to soot.
(4) Outermost non-luminous zone: This zone is poorly
visible and is slightly blue. It is the hottest part of the flame
where complete oxidation (burning) of the fuel is taking place.
Booster 4
Why does a matchstick produce a flame on burning?
Explanation
When the matchstick catches fire or is burnt, the heat released due to the burning of
chemicals on the match head, partly decomposes the wood to form wood gas. The wood gas
then catches fire and produces a flame.
Booster 5
Why do goldsmiths use the outermost zone of the flame for melting gold and silver?
Explanation
Goldsmiths, use the outermost zone or non-luminous part of the flame for melting or shaping
gold and silver ornaments. They direct the non-luminous part of the flame of candle on the
gold with the help of a blow pipe. fps the temperature of this part of the flame is around
1300°C, it is sufficient to melt gold at specific point and thus helps goldsmiths to give proper
shape to the gold ornaments.

Test Yourself
1. Which one of the following is fuel of our body?
(a) Petrol
(b) Diesel
(c) Food
(d) Water
2. Name the currency of energy in our body.
What is Fuel?
Any substance which is easily available and burns in air at a moderate rate, producing a large amount of heat
energy, without leaving behind any undesirable residue is called fuel.
Example: wood, charcoal, petrol, kerosene, etc.
Ideal Fuel
There is probably no fuel that could be considered as an ideal fuel. We should look for a fuel which fulfils most
of the requirements for a particular use.
Characteristics of a good fuel
(1) It should be cheap and readily available.
(2) It should be easy to store.
(3) It should bum at a slow rate and its combustion should be controllable
(4) It should have low ignition temperature but not lower than room temperature.
(5) It should produce very small amount of residues such as ash.
(6) It should have large calorific value.
(7) It should not produce gases which pollute the air.
(8) It should not produce any hazards during transportation.
Classification of fuels
On the basis of physical state, fuels are classified into three parts.
1. Solid fuels: The fuels which occur In a solid state at room temperature are called solid fuels.
Example: Wood, agricultural residues, charcoal, coal, coke, etc.
2. Liquids fuels: The fuels which occur in a liquid state at room temperature are called liquid fuels.
Example: Liquefied hydrogen, petrol, oil, kerosene, diesel, etc.
3. Gaseous fueils: The fuels which occur in a gaseous state at room temperature are called gaseous fuels.
Example: Water gas, producer gas, coal gas, compressed natural gas (CNG) and gobar gas, etc.
Fuel efficiency :
The amount of heat energy produced on completely burning of one kilogram of fuel in pue oxygen
is called the calorific value of a fuel. The more is the calorific value of a fuel, more is the efficiency of the
fuel. The calorific value of the fuels is expressed in Kilojoules per kilogram (kJ/kg) or kilojoules per gram
(kJ/g).
Calorific value of solid fuels
Calorific value of liquid fuels

Calorific value of gaseous

fuels
Booster 6
What happens when incomplete combustion takes place?
Explanation
Incomplete combustion occurs when the supply of air or oxygen is poor. Water is
still produced, but carbon monoxide and unburnt carbon particles are produced
instead of carbon dioxide.
1. The unburnt carbon is released into atmosphere as soot.
2. Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas, which causes respiratory problems; if
inhaled it may also prove to be fatal.
That’s why complete combustion is preferred to incomplete combustion.

Booster 7
Why are gaseous fuel considered better than liquid or solid fuel?
Explanation
3. The calorific value of gaseous fuels is more than solid and liquid fuels.
4. When a gaseous fuel burns, it gives off a great deal of energy (High Calorific
Value).
5. Unlike other solid and liquid fuels it does not leaves any ash.
6. Gaseous fuels produce very little air pollution.
7. Gaseous fuels can be easily ignited even with a small spark.
Expressions related to Calorific Value of a fuel:

Example :
1. Calculate the calorific value of coal when 9 kg of it is burnt to produce 270,000 kJ of heat
energy.
Solution :

= 30,000 kJ/kg
2. Calorific value of wood is 18,000 kJ/kg. How much wood is required to produce 360,000 kJ
of heat energy?
Solution :

= = 20 kg
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Y
Harmful effects of burning fuels :
The increasing fuel consumption has harmful effects on the environment. The main products
formed during the fuel combustion which produce harmful effect are:
1. Carbon fuels like wood, coal, petroleum release unburnt carbon particles. These fine particles
are dangerous pollutants causing respiratory disease, such as asthma.
2. Incomplete combustion forms carbon monoxide gas. It is very poisonous gas. It is dangerous to
burn coal in a closed room. The carbon monoxide gas produced can kill persons sleeping in that
room.
3. Combustion of most fuels releases carbon dioxide in the environment. Increased percentage of
carbon dioxide in the air causes global warming. Global warning is the rise in temperature of the
earth. This result in melting of polar glaciers. This leads to rise in sea level and floods in the sea
coast.
4. Burning of coal and diesel release sulphur dioxide gas. It is an extremely suffocating and
corrosive gas. Sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide dissolve in rain water to form acid. Such rain is
called acid rain. It is very harmful for crops, buildings and soil.
5. Wood is also used as a fuel. Burning of wood gives a lot of smoke which causes air pollution
and is also very harmful for humans. It may lead to many respiratory problems. Cutting of trees for
obtaining wood Leads to deforestation which is quite harmful to environment.
6. Carbon particles of smoke or the ash get suspended in the air. Excessive amount of them in
the air causes breathing problems.
Discussion of Exercise Questions :

THANKS

HAVE A NICE DAY