Fuel is that material that when burned can produce heat, energy or light. Generally, fuel releases energy from its potential state to a usable state, regardless of whether it is done directly or mechanically, resulting in heat as waste. This means that fuels are substances capable of being burned or that are prone to burning.
There are various classes of fuels: there are solid fuels such as coal, wood, and peat; These types of fuels are characterized by being composed of solid form; in the case of wood and peat, they are used for domestic and industrial heating; For its part, coal is used to move machinery (ships, trains, etc.) and, like wood, it is also used for heating purposes.
The solid fuels for use in the machinery should be as fine powder, this being sprayed with air during feeding of a cylinder. However, this type of fuel can present difficulties due to the erosion caused in the pistons, cylinders and valves of the machines that use them.
Liquid fuels such as gasoline, kerosene, diesel or naphtha come from crude oil and are mostly used at the behest of combustion engines. They are characterized by their calorific value, volatility, viscosity, specific density, sulfur content, flash point, and cloud and freezing point.
Gaseous fuels are natural hydrocarbons and those that are manufactured exclusively to be used as fuel. These can be classified into natural gaseous fuels (natural gas) and manufactured gaseous fuels (propane gas, butane gas, gas generator, and by-product gas). Among its advantages is its easy handling and transport through pipes, higher calorific value and combustion control is much simpler since it allows maintaining the temperature even with variable demands.
It is important to highlight that both coal and oil and gas are found within the so-called fossil fuels, which represent those that have been formed millions of years ago on the planet, from the organic remains of dead animals and plants..
