Engineering Chemistry Questions and Answers - Characteristics of Fuel

1. A good fuel should possess ______ calorific value.
a) high
b) low
c) very low
d) moderate

Answer: a
Explanation: Calorific value is the total amount of heat liberated on combustion of unit mass or unit volume of fuel in the presence of air or oxygen. A good fuel should possess high calorific value since the amount of heat liberated and the temperature attained thereby depends upon this property of a fuel.

2. How should be the ignition temperature of an ideal fuel?
a) moderate
b) low
c) very low
d) very high

Answer: a
Explanation: The lowest temperature to which the fuel must be preheated so that it starts burning smoothly is called ignition temperature. Low ignition temperature can cause fire hazards during storage and transportation of fuel. In case of high ignition temperature, there might be some difficulty during ignition of fuel. So, an ideal fuel should have moderate ignition temperature

3. Fuel should have low moisture content.
a) True
b) False

Answer: a
Explanation: Moisture if present in the fuel, reduces the heating value of the fuel. This ultimately leads to loss of money as moisture is paid at the same rate as that of fuel. Hence, an ideal fuel should have low moisture content.

4. In which type of fuel given below, risk of fire hazard is greatest?
a) Solid fuel
b) Gaseous fuel
c) Liquid fuel
d) Peat

Answer: b
Explanation: Risk of fire hazards in gaseous fuel is very high because these fuels are highly inflammable. Peat is a type of solid fuel.

5. _____ is easy in terms of storage.
a) Solid fuel
b) Liquid fuel
c) Gaseous fuel
d) Natural gas

Answer: a
Explanation: Solid fuel is easy to store. Liquid fuel should be stored in closed containers only. Gaseous fuel must be stored in leak proof storage tanks. Natural gas is a type of gaseous fuel

6. Rate of combustion should be ______
a) Very rapid
b) Moderate
c) Slow
d) Very slow

Answer: b
Explanation: If the rate of combustion is low, then a part of heat liberated may get radiated instead of raising the temperature. If combustion rate is too high, reaction gets out of control. So, good fuel should have moderate rate of combustion.

7. Handling cost of solid fuel is high compared to liquid and gaseous fuel.
a) True
b) False

Answer: a
Explanation: Handling cost of solid fuel is high because labour is required in their storage, transport, etc. Whereas liquid and gaseous fuel can be easily transported through pipes

8. The lowest temperature to which the fuel must be preheated so that it starts burning smoothly is called ______ temperature.
a) Ignition
b) Combustion
c) Boiling point of fuel
d) Preheating

Answer: a
Explanation: The lowest temperature to which the fuel must be preheated so that it starts burning smoothly is called ignition temperature. An ideal fuel should have moderate ignition temperature

9. Which of the following fuel cannot be used in the internal combustion engine?
a) gasoline
b) diesel
c) fuel oil
d) anthracite coal

Answer: d
Explanation: Anthracite is a type of solid fuel. It is not possible to use solid fuel in internal combustion engine. Only liquid or gaseous fuels are possible to be used in the internal combustion engine.

10. In which of the following, smoke is produced maximum?
a) Solid fuel
b) Liquid fuel
c) Gaseous fuel
d) Coal gas

Answer: a
Explanation: In solid fuel, smoke is invariably produced. In liquid fuel burning is clean however high carbon and aromatic liquid fuels may produce smoke. Smoke is not produced in gaseous fuels