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Questions tagged [combustion]

63 questions
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What happens when you put the wrong type of fuel in an internal combustion engine?

What happens to the working of petrol engine when it is emptied and filled with diesel or to a diesel engine emptied and filled with petrol? Will the engine be able to operate and, if not, why not?
Debanshu Thakur
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Why do some diesel engines run on diesel fuel and others on fuel oil?

Trucks and smaller vehicles with diesel engines run on diesel fuel which looks more or less like kerosene - less flammable than gasoline, low viscosity liquid. However larger diesel engines like this 120 thousand horsepower marine engine have more…
sharptooth
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Why is "regular" gasoline standard instead of something more knock-resistant?

The standard light petroleum distillate for vehicle engines, "regular gasoline," is (or is equivalent to) some mix of heptane (C7) and octane (C8). Higher proportions of C8 are more knock-resistant, which allow for higher compression ratios and…
feetwet
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Does a diesel-like (ignition by compression) engine running on gaseous fuel exist?

I think, it could lead to, for example, very environment friendly and very efficient urban traffic. But I also think, it required very precise part construction. Do such things exist? At least in plan? Extension: Clarification added, waiting for…
peterh
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How does a diesel internal combustion engine start even though there are no spark plugs?

I was just wondering how a diesel engine starts, given that there are no spark plugs. How does it build up 'momentum' for that first explosion in the cylinder? Does it have something to do with the starter motor?
James Adams
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Why afterburners are needed instead of burning more fuel inside the turbine?

I'm reading this article on afterburners: https://www.airspacemag.com/flight-today/how-things-work-afterburners-18481403/ It says in the article: A typical jet engine uses only about half the oxygen it ingests, leaving a large amount of potential…
S. Rotos
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How to increase the speed of exhaust gas?

I have a tube, at the bottom of the tube is burning wood and an air inlet. How can i increase the speed of the exhaust gas coming out of the tube? I thought about "bottle-necking" the exhaust pipe to make it go faster (Bernoulli's principle) but is…
Mohdak
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Why does hydrogen fuel produce less horsepower than gasoline in internal combustion engines?

I was looking at hydrogen as alternative fuel and came across an article stating that although $\textrm{H}_2$ produces more energy than conventional fuel, it produces less horsepower in internal combustion engines. I thought that more energy ($143\…
Khaled
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How do I choose a blower design for an induced draft brick kiln?

I am responsible for a brick kiln in the Punjab province of Pakistan. My government requires all brick kilns to be upgraded to match recent new standards, which include the addition of a blower near the chimney. We consulted with local engineers who…
asim
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How to calculate the pressure loading of a vented silo explosion?

I would like to independently check a vendor's silo design for proper explosion venting. Worst case, it is essentially cylinder filled with a stoichiometric mixture atomized sugar dust and atmospheric oxygen initially at atmospheric pressure. The…
ericnutsch
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Viscosity of select species at atmospheric pressure for very large temperatures?

I'm dealing with hot combustion products flowing through heat exchangers and I'd like to perform some calculations regarding the flow properties (velocity, temperature, pressure and density) as it passes trough the heat exchanger. I've a 1D model…
André Almeida
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What surface temperature (rise) is required to (dis)qualify a combustion appliance from obtaining a "zero clearance to combustibles" rating?

How far must the surface temperature of a UL-listed combustion appliance rise to prohibit the manufacturer from specifying it for a zero clearance to combustibles installation? (I looked in UL 127 but was unable to find a straightforward answer…
ThreePhaseEel
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What metal material to use for stove exhaust pipe?

If biofuel is burnt, for example wood, and the stove I am building is made of metal, what is the most appropriate metal material I should use to avoid excessive corrosion in the exhaust pipe of the stove?
Mohdak
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What relationship is there between mass of water vapour produced in combustion and the energy lost through producing this water?

I am performing a number of simple heat transfer experiments with the application of a magnetic field around the fuel line to evaluate the effects. To attempt to quantify some of the heat losses in the system I have worked out how many moles of…
James Dawson
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Which component of vehicle tailpipe emissions has the greatest social cost?

Emissions Emissions from vehicles have an associated social cost for everyone. We hear a lot about CO2, but CO2 is not the only thing that comes out of a tailpipe. From Wikipedia, emissions components of petrol and diesel engines…
hazzey
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