Question

Why are the gaseous fuels better than the solid or liquid ones?

Answer 1

Hint: The gaseous fuels are hydrocarbons, hydrogen and carbon monoxide mixtures present in the gaseous state so they produce more heat energy on combustion. This means they have high calorific value.

Complete step by step answer:
Calorific value is the amount of heat energy produced by burning one kilogram of fuel .Its unit is kilo joule per kg. The fuel which has more calorific value is more efficient. The main advantages of gaseous fuels over solid and liquid fuels are-
-It has high calorific value so it is more efficient for engines.
-It produces a great amount of heat energy with combustion of only one kg fuel.
-It does not leave any ash on burning unlike the solid and liquid fuels.
-Gases are easily compressed hence it can be easily stored.
-It carries fewer impurities.
-It is easy to be loaded, unloaded or transported using hoses, pumps and pipes.
-It has lower energy content than liquid fuels such as petrol and diesel.
-It produces very low greenhouse gas upon burning and hence causes less air pollution as compared to liquid and solid fuels.
-It causes less starting problems and freezing problems in engines.
Also less air is required for its combustion.
Hence we can say that the gaseous fuels are better than the solid or liquid ones.

Additional Information:
Gaseous fuel is either obtained naturally or by treatment of solid or liquid fuel. Gaseous fuel is of three types-
Manufactured fuel gases-They are produced by artificial processes at location known as gasworks by gasification. They are-
1.Biogas- It is a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide. It is a source of renewable energy and can be used as fuel.
2.Producer gas-It contains a mixture of nitrogen, carbon monoxide methane and hydrogen. It is also known as air gas.
3.Natural Gas-Its main constituent is methane. It acts as a fuel substitute for gasoline, diesel and propane. It is environmentally clean hence used in cars and automobiles.
Petroleum gas- It is a non-renewable source of energy. It is extracted from crude oil and natural gas. It can be easily condensed, packed, stored and utilized.

Note:
The disadvantages of gaseous fuels are-
-Purification cost of the fuel is high.
-Storage capacity per unit energy is large.
-The engines that use it have reasonably large size and high cost.