Fuels, Furnaces and Refractories

Book excerpt: Fuels, Furnaces and Refractories focuses on the sources and efficient use of energy available to modern industry. This book begins with the classification, properties, tests, and different kinds of fuels, as well as trends in fuel utilization. This text also tackles the generation and distribution of electricity from both chemical and nuclear energy sources. Subsequent chapters focus on the thermodynamics, physics, chemistry, and kinetics of combustion of fuels; the burner design; the heat transfer and flow of gases through furnaces and flues; and ways of controlling energy supply rates and temperatures. The refractory materials, which are heat-resisting substances, are also described.