ABSTRACT
Combustion is the controlled release of heat from the chemical reaction between a fuel and an oxidizer. The fuels in the refining, petrochemical, and power generation industries are almost exclusively hydrocarbons. Hydrocarbons comprise only hydrogen (H) and carbon (C) in their molecular structure. Natural gas and fuel oil are examples of hydrocarbon fuels. Other fuels are described later in this chapter and in Chapter 5.
