APPLIED CHEMISTRY
Tutorial sheet I: Fuels
1. What are fuels? How are they classified?
2. What are the characteristics of a good fuel? Why are the gaseous fuels better than solid
fuels?
3. What is meant by calorific value of a fuel? Distinguish between gross (GCV) and net
calorific value (NCV) of a fuel.
4. How would you determine the calorific value of a coal sample using bomb calorimeter.
Explain with the help of a neat diagram.
5. What is the Dulong formula for calculating calorific value of a fuel?
6. How and why the corrections are made in determination of calorific value by Bomb’s
calorimeter?
7. Define Higher and Lower Calorific value of a fuel. How they are related to each other?
8. What is ignition temperature? Why should the ignition temperature of an ideal fuel be
moderate?
9. State the chemical principles involved in the combustion of fuels.
10. How the proximate analysis of a coal conducted and what is its significance in
determining the utility of coal for a particular purpose?
11. What is meant by knocking in a petrol engine and what is it due to? What is octane
number of petrol? How the knocking is related to chemical structure of the constituents of
petrol and how can it be reduced?
12. How do you explain knocking in a diesel engine? How it can be controlled? What is
cetane number?
13. Name the parameters to be determined under the proximate and ultimate analysis of
coal. Why are the above two analysis required? Out of many coal samples, which coal
sample can be considered the best and why?
14. Explain the Kjeldahl’s method, used for determination of nitrogen content present in
a coal sample. Give its complete procedure along with a neat diagram.
15. How the carbon and hydrogen content of a coal sample can be estimated? Explain
with the help of a diagram.
16. Explain ‘Cetane rating’ of a fuel.
20. Select the compound which possesses highest octane number and highest cetane
number out of n-heptane, n-hexadecane, n-octane and isooctane. Give reasons.
Fuels
Tutorial sheet II
(Numerical problems)
1. A solid fuel on analysis was found to have the following percentage composition:
C=48%, H=12% and O=4%. Calculate the weight of air required for the complete
burning of 4.5 Kg of this fuel.
2. A gaseous fuel has the following composition by volume H 2=20%, CH4=25%,
C2H6=16%, C2H4=9.5%, C4H8=2.5%, CO=4.0%, CO2=8%, O2=4% and N2=12%. Find the
air required for perfect combustion of 1m3 of this gas if 50% excess air is used.
3. The following data is obtained in a bomb calorimeter experiment: Mass of the fuel
pallet= 0.85 g; Mass of water taken in the calorimeter= 2 Kg; Water equivalent of the
calorimeter= 540 g; Rise in temperature= 1.9ºC; Cooling correction= 0.041 ºC; fuse wire
correction= 3.8 calories; Acids correction= 48.8 calories. Calculate the net calorific value
of the fuel if it contains 3.6% hydrogen and 1.2% oxygen.
4. Determine the water equivalent of the Bomb calorimeter apparatus which gave the
following data in an experiment: weight of Benzoic acid taken =1.346 g, weight of
calorimeter=1025 g, weight of calorimeter + water=3055g, initial temperature= 11.872
ºC, final temperature = 14.625 ºC, cooling correction= 0.015 ºC, heat from fuses = 42cal.
The washings of the Bomb on analysis indicated the presence of 3.5 ml of N/10 HNO 3
and there was no H2SO4 formed. (The standard calorific value of Benzoic acid is
6324cal/g).
5. A sample of coal was found to have the following percentage composition: C=75%;
H=5.2%; O=12.1%; N=3.2% and ash=4.5%. (i) Calculate the minimum amount of air
necessary for complete combustion of 7.5 Kg of coal. (ii) Also calculate the HCV and
LCV of the coal sample.
6. A liquid fuel weighing 0.98 g and containing 90% of carbon and 8% of hydrogen gave
the following results in a bomb calorimeter experiment: Amount of water taken in the
calorimeter= 1450 g; water equivalent of the calorimeter= 450 g; Initial temperature =
22.7ºC; Final temperature = 24.5ºC. If the latent heat of steam is 587cal/g, calculate the
gross and net calorific value of the fuel.
7. A sample of coal was analyzed: 1.0g of an air dried coal sample was weighed in a
silica crucible. After heating for 1 hour at 105- 110ºC, the dry coal residue weighed
0.985g. The crucible was covered with a vented lid and then heated strongly for exactly 7
min. at 950ºC. The residue weighed 0.800g. The crucible was then heated strongly in air
until a constant wt was obtained. The last residue was found to weigh 0.100g. Calculate
the % results of the above analysis.
8. 0.1 g of a sample of coal was used in a bomb calorimeter for the determination of
calorific value. The ash formed was then extracted and heated with barium chloride
solution. The precipitate of barium sulfate was filtered, dried and weighed. The weight of
precipitate was found to be 0.01 g. Calculate the percentage of sulfur in the coal sample.
9. A 1.0g of coal sample was used for nitrogen estimation by Kjeldahl method. The
evolved ammonia was collected in 25ml of 0.1 N Sulfuric acid. To neutralize excess acid
15 ml of 0.1 N NaOH was required. Determine percentage of nitrogen in the given
sample of coal.
10. The coal sample 3.12 g was kjedhalized and ammonia gas was absorbed in 50 ml of
0.1N H2SO4. After absorption, the excess (residual) acid required 12.5 ml of 0.1N NaOH
for exact neutralization. Determine the percentage of nitrogen in the sample of coal.
11. Do the ultimate analysis for the following coal sample:
A. One gram of accurately weighed coal sample was burnt in a current of oxygen
in a combustion apparatus. The increase in weight of KOH tube was 3.08 g
and the increase in weight of CaCl2 tube was 0.1167 g.
B. 1.56 g coal was Kjeldahlized and NH3 gas thus evolved was absorbed in 50 ml
of 0.1N H2SO4. After absorption, the excess acid required 6.25 ml of 0.1N
NaOH or exact neutralization.
C. 0.5 g of coal sample on quantitative analysis gave 0.05 g of BaSO4.
D. 2.5 g of an air-dried coal sample was heated strongly in oven, until a constant
weight was obtained. The last residue was found to weigh 0.245 g.
Find the GCV and NCV of this sample.
12. A gas has H2=30%; CH4=5%; CO=20%; CO2=6%; O2=5% and N2=34%. If 50%
excess air is used find the weight of air actually supplied per m 3 of this gas. Given
molecular weight of air=28.97.
13. Calculate the mass of air needed for complete combustion of 5.0 Kg of coal
containing 80% carbon, 15% Hydrogen and the rest oxygen.
14. The temperature of 950 g of water is increased from 25.5 ºC to 28.8 ºC on burning
0.75 g of solid fuel. Water equivalent of calorimeter and latent heat of steam are 400 g
and 587cal/g. Calculate NCV if fuel contains 0.65% H.
15. What amount of air would be required for the complete combustion of 10 Kg of fuel
containing 85% ethanol and 15% methanol?
