Table of Contents
What is Liquid fuel?
Liquid fuel is a combustible substance (in liquid form) which is used to obtain thermal energy (It is fumes of liquid fuel which are combustible). This energy can further be transformed into mechanical energy. They are easy to transport and can be handled with relative ease.
Fossil fuels account for majority of liquid fuels. In the examples of liquid fuels (given below) we can easily see that majority is of fossil fuels.
General properties of liquid fuels
- Flash Point: It is the lowest temperature at which flammable vapor of liquid is formed.
- Fire Point: It is the lowest temperature at which sustained burning of vapor occurs.
- Cloud Point: It is the highest temperature at which dissolved waxy compounds in fuel begin to coalesce.
- Pour Point: It is the temperature below which fuel is too thick to pour freely.
Examples of liquid fuel
- Diesel
- Petrol (or Gasoline)
- Kerosene
- Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)
- Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)
- Bio-Diesel
- Ammonia
- Alcohols
- Liquid Hydrogen
Advantages of Liquid fuels over solid fuels
- They can be used for internal combustion engines
- They require less space for storage
- They are easy to handle
- They require less air for combustion
- They do not produce ash
- Their combustion rate is easy to control
- They do not have any loss during storage
- They are easy to transport
- They produce less smoke
- Their calorific value is high
- They can be burned easily
- They have uniform combustion
- They reach maximum temperature in very less time
Disadvantages of Liquid fuels over solid fuels
- They are costly
- Their production cost is higher
- Their storage is costly
- They can pose a risk of fire hazard in case of spillage
- Their odor can be offensive
- They require special types of burners for combustion
- In cold climate liquid fuels need to be heated
Featured Image Source: By Ximonic (Simo Räsänen) – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=107451757