COMBUSTION AND FLAME

COMBUSTION:
Burning of any substance is called combustion. It may be described as a chemical process in
which a substance reacts with oxygen to give off heat. Sometimes, light is also given off during
combustion, either as a flame or as a glow. As, during combustion the substance reacts with oxygen,
and so air (or oxygen) is necessary for combustion.
Magnesium burns to form magnesium oxide and produces heat and light. This is an example
of combustion. Likewise, burning of coal in air producing carbon dioxide, heat and light is also an
example of combustion.
The substance that undergoes combustion is said to be combustible substance. Such substance
may also be called fuel.
Combustion can be of different types. When a substance burn rapidly, producing heat and
light, then it is called rapid combustion. Burning of gas is an example of rapid combustion. And when
a substance suddenly starts burning without any apparent cause then it is called spontaneous
combustion. For example, sulfur and Phosphorus (white) burn spontaneously in air.
During combustion, apart from heat and light when sound is also produced, then it is called
explosion. For example, when a cracker is ignited, it explodes because there is a sudden reaction
taking place with the evolution of heat, light as well as sound.
Different substances start burning (or catch fire) at different temperature. The lowest
temperature at which a substance starts burning is called its ignition temperature.
Any combustible substance will not catch fire (or burn) as long as its temperature is lower
than its ignition temperature. For example, kerosene oil and wood do not catch fire on their own at
room temperature. But, when kerosene oil is heated a little, it catches fire. But when the wood is
heated a little it does not catch fire. For wood to catch fire, it has to be heated a little more so that its
temperature rises above the ignition temperature.
The substance which have very low ignition temperature and can easily catch fire is called
inflammable substance. For example LPG is an inflammable substance.

FLAME:
A flame is a zone where burning of gases or vapour occurs with the production of heat and
light. It has three parts innermost zone (which is dark and cooler than other zones), middle zone
(the largest zone which gives off soot and smoke) and outermost zone (which is the hottest zone)
The substance which vapourise during burning, gives flame. For example, kerosene oil and
molten wax rise through the wick and are vapourised during burning and so they form flames. Coal,
on the other hand, does not vapourise during burning, and so does not produce a flame.
The fame can be of different colours the LPG burns with blue flame whereas candle gives
off yellow flame. The colour of the flame is decided by how efficiently the fuel is burning, and the
amount of heat evolved. In gases the combustion is complete and heat evolved is very high. Thus the
colour of the flame is blue. But, in candle etc. not all the carbon burns completely and so the colour
is yellow. We can here find a co-relation that red/yellow light possess less energy than blue light
higher the wavelength of the light, lesser is its energy.

CONTROLLING FIRES:
There are three essential requirements for producing fire: - fuel, air (to supply oxygen) and
heat (to raise the temperature of the fuel beyond the ignition temperature).
Fire can be controlled by removing one or more of these requirements. The fuel in most cases
cannot be eliminated. If, for instance, a building catches fire, the whole building is the fuel. The job
of a fire extinguisher therefore is to cut off the supply of air, or to bring down the temperature of the
fuel (below its ignition point), or both.
The most common fire extinguisher is water. But water works only when things like wood
and paper are on fire. If electrical equipment is on fire, water may conduct electricity and harm those
trying to douse the fire. Water is also not suitable for fires involving oil and petrol. This is because
water is heavier than oil, so it sinks below the oil and oil keeps burning on top.
For fires involving electrical equipment and inflammable materials like petrol, carbon dioxide
(CO2) is the best extinguisher. CO2, being heavier than oxygen, covers the fire like a blanket. Since
the contact between the fuel and oxygen is cut off, the fire is controlled. The added advantage of CO2
is that in most cases it does not harm the electrical equipment.
The fire extinguisher are of three types:(i) Dry Fire Extinguisher: It is a mixture of sand and sodium hydrogen carbonate(NaHCO3)
(ii) Soda-Acid Fire Extinguisher: CO2 is produced due to action of H2SO4 on NaHCO3
(iii) Foam Fire Extinguisher: NaHCO3 solution contains saponin/turkey-red-oil which produce foam

FUEL:
Fuel as a substance which are burnt to produce heat energy. The fuel may be solid, liquid
or gas. For example, wood, coal, coke, charcoal are solid fuels. Kerosene, petrol, diesel etc. are liquid
fuels. Natural gas, coal gas, bio gas (obtained from bacterial decomposition of organic matters, which
contains mostly Methane) etc. are gaseous fuels.
Gaseous fuels are generally considered better than solid or liquid fuels because gaseous fuel
leave no residue after burning. Besides, they also have high calorific value because their combustion
is complete. The calorific value of a substance/fuel is the amount of heat given out by one kilogram
(unit mass) of substance/fuel on complete combustion.
Ideal Fuel:
An ideal fuel is
a) the one which is easily available,
b) the one which is cheap,
c) the one which burns easily in air at a moderate rate,
d) the one which produces large amount of heat, and
e) the one which does not leave behind any undesirable/harmful substances
Harmful Effects of Burning Fossil Fuels:
Fuels are evidently very important for our everyday life. But, the burning of the fuels also
produce certain harmful products such as unburnt carbon particles, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide
etc. These effects the life and the environment adversely. The harmful effects of burning fossil fuel
may be summarized as below:
(i) During the combustion of coal, wood etc. unburnt carbon particles are released in the
atmosphere. These are dangerous pollutants. During breathing these particulate matters may
enter into our lungs and cause respiratory diseases such as asthma.

(ii) Incomplete burning of fossil fuels, or burning of these fuels in deficiency of oxygen, produces
carbon monoxide (CO) gas. It is a poisonous gas. It reduces the oxygen carrying capacity of
the blood. This is because its affinity to combine with haemoglobin (present in our blood) is
about 100 times more than that of oxygen. As a result the blood fails to transport oxygen to
the various parts of the body. And this can be fatal. The carbon monoxide released during the
burning of coal in a closed room can therefore kill the persons sleeping in that room.
(iii) Burning of fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide gas in the atmosphere. Increased concentration
of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere causes global warming, which can affect our planet, and
the lives thereon, adversely.
(iv) Burning of fossil fuel also releases the oxides of Sulfur and Nitrogen in the atmosphere. These
oxides gets dissolved in atmospheric water and form acid. This makes the rain water acidic,
and such rain is called acid rain. Evidently, such acid rain can cause tremendous harm to our
crops, to the soil and to all the lives on the planet as well.

GREEN-HOUSE EFFECT AND GLOBAL WARMING:

The greenhouse effect is a naturally occurring phenomenon that is responsible for heating of
Earths surface and atmosphere.
The term Greenhouse effect has been derived from a phenomenon that occurs in a
greenhouse. A greenhouse looks like a small glass house and is used for growing plants especially
during winter. In a greenhouse the glass panel lets the light in, but does not allow heat to escape.
Therefore, the greenhouse warms up. This is very much like inside a car that has been parked in the
sun for a few hours.
Likewise the heating of our planet takes place from the incoming solar radiation. Without
greenhouse effect the average temperature at surface of Earth would have been a chilly 18C, rather
than the present average of 15C. This way the greenhouse effect is actually conducive to the lives
on the earth. But, it is the increased level of heating caused due to certain human activities which is
a cause of concern for all.
Greenhouse effect on the earth takes place in following way. Clouds and gases reflect about
one-fourth of the incoming solar radiation, and absorb some of it but almost half of incoming solar
radiation falls on Earths surface heating it, while a small proportion is reflected back. Earths surface
re-emits heat in the form of infrared radiation but part of this does not escape into space as
atmospheric gases (e.g., carbon dioxide, methane, etc.) absorb a major fraction of it. The molecules
of these gases radiate heat energy, and a major part of which again comes to Earths surface, thus
heating it up once again. And this cycle is repeated many a times.
The above-mentioned gases carbon dioxide and methane are commonly known as
greenhouse gases because they are responsible for the greenhouse effect.
Increase in the level of greenhouse gases has led to considerable heating of the Earth leading
to global warming. During the past century, the temperature of the Earth has increased by 0.6 C,
most of it has happened during the last three decades. The scientists believe that this rise in
temperature is causing deleterious changes in the environment which manifest as unpredictable
climatic changes, increased melting of polar ice caps as well as of other places like the Himalayan
snow caps etc. And over the years, this will result in a rise in sea level that can submerge many coastal
areas and islands. All these would affect the lives on the planet adversely.
To control the global warming, we can take following steps: a) cutting down use of fossil fuel,
b) improving efficiency of energy usage, c) reducing deforestation, d) planting trees, and e) slowing
down the growth of human population.