ABSTRACT
Heat-and/or work-producing chemical energy conversion processes have been described previously using overall chemical reaction mechanisms and time-independent energy arguments alone. Actually, combustion is a result of dynamic, or time-dependent, events that occur on a molecular level among atoms, molecules, and radicals species. Many important fuel-engine interface characteristics, therefore, cannot be understood without also introducing additional time-dependent principles of physical chemistry. The dynamic study of molecular chemistry, or chemical kinetics, covers subjects including kinetic theory of gases, statistical thermodynamics, quantum chemistry, and elementary reactions and reaction rate theory. In this chapter, a general but simplified overview of this area of the science of combustion will be presented in order to help the combustion engineer better understand kinetic factors that play a major role in efficiently burning any fuel for the purpose of producing heat and/or power while minimizing the formation of incomplete combustion products.
