What is combustion?

Combustión significa acción y efecto de quemar o arder por completo una determinada materia, desde el punto de vista científico, la combustión se describe como un proceso de oxidación veloz del que se libera energía en forma de calor; este proceso puede generar luz (llamas) o no.

Combustion is present in everyday life, for example, in the kitchen and fireplaces that use fire, in the mobilization of machinery and the automotive fleet (internal combustion engines), etc. For combustion to be possible, the presence of specific factors is necessary: ​​a fuel, an oxidizer or oxidant, and heat in high proportions.

The fuel is made up of matter that contains carbon and hydrogen, however, eventually the fuel may contain sulfur, some known combustible materials are coal, natural gas, wood and petroleum derivatives such as gasoline, plastic, among others. The oxidizing substance is usually oxygen, although not in a pure state, but in a proportion of 21% oxygen and 79% nitrogen, which is the basic composition of air; also other substances can function as flammables, for example, fluorine.

As for the heat that unleashes combustion, the temperature must reach a minimum degree of heating so that the fuel can react. This degree is called the ignition point or flash point. The amount of energy or heat that is released from the combustion will depend on the qualities and characteristics of the materials in combustion, so that the results are variable.

There are various types of combustion depending on the conditions of the oxidation process

• Complete or perfect combustion, occurs when the components are completely oxidized, resulting in the formation of carbon dioxide, liquid water or sulfur dioxide.

• Incomplete combustion, occurs when the combustion is not absolute, but the oxidation of substances is partial and leaves unconsumed matter, which is called unburned. For example, carbon monoxide.

• Stoichiometric combustion, also called neutral combustion, can only be produced artificially in scientific laboratories. In this type of combustion, an exact amount of air is used, in order to avoid the presence of oxygen in the resulting gases; it is said to be theoretical or ideal because some particles always persist.

Let’s see how combustion occurs with the following experiment.