Combined Heat and Power Focus

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Fossil Fuels Combustion

Burning any fuel involves a reaction between oxygen and the constituents of the fuel. The main purpose of the process is to produce heat, and a packaged CHP unit converts some of this heat into power. However, burning any fuel gives off pollutant gases into the atmosphere, and these have damaging effects on the environment.

All fossil fuels contain carbon, which is the main combustible constituent. Hydrogen is the other significant energy source. The combustion of carbon and hydrogen produces large amounts of carbon dioxide and water vapour in the exhaust products. Combustion processes also produce other gaseous pollutants, depending on the composition of the fuel and the type of combustion process.

In the linked sections the enviromental impacts of commonly occurring combustion gases are considered:  

 

Other Topics

 

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