Choosing a good fuel.

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  1. Choosing a good fuel

Fuel substance that reacts chemically with another substance to produce heat, or that produces heat by nuclear processes. The term “fuel”, however, is generally used to describe those substances that burn readily in air or oxygen, emitting large quantities of heat. This reaction is known as combustion. Fuels are used for heating, power purposes, powering internal-combustion engines, and for a direct source of power in jet and rocket propulsion. A substance has to meet these criteria in order for it to be considered a fuel: (complete)

There are a number of fuels that one can choose from, starting from petrol, diesel to methane gas and synthetic fuels. The choice of the fuel will depend on its cost, easy availability and its efficiency. Some of the chemical factors to be considered are: the calorific value of the fuel. A fuel that gives more calories per unit of weight would be a more ideal choice. The fuels that have oxygen in them usually have a less calorific value.

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The combustion of the fuel should be at a moderate rate. The burning of the fuel should release heat in a controlled manner so that the fire neither dies nor explodes. The fuel should burn smoothly and sputter. Thus the rate of oxidation reaction of the fuel should also be moderate.

The fuel should also have a suitable ignition temperature. The fuel, of course, will only catch fire if its ignition temperature is reached. This means that if ignition temperature of the fuel is too low, then the fuel is not suitable as it will catch fire easily. If the ...

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