Approximately how much air is required to completely burn 1 lb of fuel oil?

To determine the air required for the complete combustion of fuel oil, it’s essential to understand the general stoichiometric relationships involved in fuel combustion. For the complete combustion of hydrocarbons, which are found in fuel oil, a specific ratio of air to fuel is needed to ensure that all the fuel is consumed and that there are no harmful emissions such as unburned hydrocarbons or carbon monoxide.

Typically, about 15 pounds of air are required to completely burn 1 pound of fuel oil. This ratio is derived from the molecular composition of both fuel oil and air, where air is mainly composed of oxygen and nitrogen. In standard conditions, about 1 part of fuel oil requires approximately 14.7 parts of air for full combustion, which simplifies to around 15 pounds when considering practical applications.

Understanding this air-to-fuel ratio is crucial for those involved in steam engineering and combustion processes, as maintaining the right balance influences efficiency, safety, and environmental impact during operation.