Oxy-fuel
Encyclopedia
Oxy-fuel refers to technology that burns
oxygen
with gaseous fuel
. As compared to air, which contains 20.95% oxygen, higher temperatures can be reached using pure oxygen. Approximately the same total energy is produced when burning a fuel with oxygen as compared to with air; the difference is the lack of temperature diluting inert gases. The most common fuel burned in a torch with oxygen is acetylene
; even though it presents special handling problems, it has the greatest heat output.
The process has also been proposed as a method of capturing carbon dioxide from coal-fired electric power plants because the output flue gases from combustion in oxygen as opposed to air have a higher carbon dioxide content fraction. See Oxy-fuel combustion process
.
Combustion
Combustion or burning is the sequence of exothermic chemical reactions between a fuel and an oxidant accompanied by the production of heat and conversion of chemical species. The release of heat can result in the production of light in the form of either glowing or a flame...
oxygen
Oxygen
Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
with gaseous fuel
Fuel
Fuel is any material that stores energy that can later be extracted to perform mechanical work in a controlled manner. Most fuels used by humans undergo combustion, a redox reaction in which a combustible substance releases energy after it ignites and reacts with the oxygen in the air...
. As compared to air, which contains 20.95% oxygen, higher temperatures can be reached using pure oxygen. Approximately the same total energy is produced when burning a fuel with oxygen as compared to with air; the difference is the lack of temperature diluting inert gases. The most common fuel burned in a torch with oxygen is acetylene
Acetylene
Acetylene is the chemical compound with the formula C2H2. It is a hydrocarbon and the simplest alkyne. This colorless gas is widely used as a fuel and a chemical building block. It is unstable in pure form and thus is usually handled as a solution.As an alkyne, acetylene is unsaturated because...
; even though it presents special handling problems, it has the greatest heat output.
The process has also been proposed as a method of capturing carbon dioxide from coal-fired electric power plants because the output flue gases from combustion in oxygen as opposed to air have a higher carbon dioxide content fraction. See Oxy-fuel combustion process
Oxy-fuel combustion process
Oxy-fuel combustion is the process of burning a fuel using pure oxygen instead of air as the primary oxidant. Since the nitrogen component of air is not heated, fuel consumption is reduced, and higher flame temperatures are possible...
.
See also
- Oxy-fuel combustion processOxy-fuel combustion processOxy-fuel combustion is the process of burning a fuel using pure oxygen instead of air as the primary oxidant. Since the nitrogen component of air is not heated, fuel consumption is reduced, and higher flame temperatures are possible...
- Oxy-fuel welding and cuttingOxy-fuel welding and cuttingOxy-fuel welding and oxy-fuel cutting are processes that use fuel gases and oxygen to weld and cut metals, respectively. French engineers Edmond Fouché and Charles Picard became the first to develop oxygen-acetylene welding in 1903...
- High-velocity oxy-fuel coating
- OxyhydrogenOxyhydrogenOxyhydrogen is a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen gases, typically in a 2:1 molar ratio, the same proportion as water. This gaseous mixture is used for torches for the processing of refractory materials and was the first gaseous mixture used for welding...