Calorific Value(Heat of combustion)

Main Idea

The Calorific Value of a sample, also known as its Heat of Combustion, is defined as the amount of heat released during the complete combustion of the sample. For combustion to occur, a hydrocarbon is typically put into contact with oxygen and supplied the necessary activation energy. Once the reaction occurs, carbon dioxide, water, and heat are the products. This newfound heat is usually enough to continue the reaction, allowing a flammable substance to burn until there is none left.

The Heat of Combustion is typically measured through experiments using a bomb calorimeter, where the sample is supplied with excess oxygen. This device measures the temperature change. From this, the Heat of Combustion can be computed using the Thermal Energy Equation.

Mathematical Model

A typical combustion reaction looks like this:

[math]\displaystyle{ \text{C}_x\text{H}_y\text{N}_z\text{O}_n + \text{O}_2 \longrightarrow x\text{CO}_2 + \frac{y}{2}\text{H}_2\text{O} + \frac{z}{2}\text{N}_2 + \Delta Q }[/math], where

[math]\displaystyle{ \text{C}_x = }[/math] [math]\displaystyle{ x }[/math] atoms of Carbon

[math]\displaystyle{ \text{H}_y = }[/math] [math]\displaystyle{ y }[/math] atoms of Hydrogen

[math]\displaystyle{ \text{N}_z = }[/math] [math]\displaystyle{ z }[/math] atoms of Nitrogen

[math]\displaystyle{ \text{O}_n = }[/math] [math]\displaystyle{ n }[/math] atoms of Oxygen gas

[math]\displaystyle{ x\text{CO}_2 = }[/math] [math]\displaystyle{ x }[/math] moles of Carbon Dioxide

[math]\displaystyle{ \frac{y}{2}\text{H}_2\text{O} = }[/math] [math]\displaystyle{ \frac{y}{2} }[/math] moles of Water

[math]\displaystyle{ \frac{z}{2}\text{N}_2 = }[/math] [math]\displaystyle{ \frac{z}{2} }[/math] moles of Nitrogen gas

[math]\displaystyle{ \Delta Q = }[/math] the Heat of Combustion

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_of_combustion
https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Introductory_Chemistry/Book%3A_Introductory_Chemistry_(CK-12)/17%3A_Thermochemistry/17.14%3A_Heat_of_Combustion
https://www.ck12.org/chemistry/heat-of-combustion/lesson/Heat-of-Combustion-CHEM/