Home
Back
Combustion Reaction:
| From: | To: |
Combustion is a chemical reaction between a fuel and an oxidizing agent (usually oxygen) that produces heat and light in the form of flame. The general formula represents the transformation of fuel and oxygen into carbon dioxide, water, and energy.
The calculator uses stoichiometric principles to determine the products of combustion:
Where:
Explanation: The calculator applies balanced chemical equations for different fuel types to determine exact product quantities and energy release.
Details: Accurate combustion calculations are essential for energy production, environmental impact assessment, engine design, and understanding chemical reaction thermodynamics.
Tips: Enter fuel quantity in moles, oxygen quantity in moles, and select the appropriate fuel type. All values must be positive numbers greater than zero.
Q1: What is stoichiometric combustion?
A: Stoichiometric combustion occurs when fuel and oxygen react in exact proportions according to the balanced chemical equation, with no excess reactants.
Q2: Why do different fuels produce different amounts of CO2?
A: The carbon content varies between fuels - methane (CH4) has one carbon atom while octane (C8H18) has eight, resulting in different CO2 production per mole.
Q3: What is the energy content based on?
A: Energy values are based on standard enthalpy of combustion for each fuel type at 25°C and 1 atm pressure.
Q4: Can this calculator handle incomplete combustion?
A: No, this calculator assumes complete combustion where all carbon converts to CO2 and all hydrogen converts to H2O.
Q5: What are practical applications of these calculations?
A: Used in designing combustion engines, calculating greenhouse gas emissions, energy efficiency analysis, and chemical process engineering.