Home Physical Sciences Hydrocarbons
Chapter
Licensed
Unlicensed Requires Authentication

Hydrocarbons

Become an author with De Gruyter Brill
Explore this Subject How to publish with us
Encyclopedia of Liquid Fuels
This chapter is in the book Encyclopedia of Liquid Fuels
HydrocarbonsIntroductionTheEncyclopedia of Liquid Fuelscontains eight chapters dealing with hydrocarbon fu-els. The topic of hydrocarbon fuels had to be subdivided into several smaller chaptersthat were easier to arrange in alphabetical order in five subvolumes of equal size. Thetitles of the eight hydrocarbon chapters are: “Alkanes,” “Alkenes and Alkynes,” “Aro-matic Hydrocarbons,” “Cycloaliphatic Hydrocarbons,” “Hydrocarbons,” “Jet Fuels,”“Kerosenes,” and “Ramjet Fuels.” The current chapter, “Hydrocarbons,” is a short in-troduction to the chemistry and applications of hydrocarbons, and is recommendedreading before studying any of the more specialized chapters on hydrocarbons.1 HydrocarbonsHydrocarbons are the main mode of energy storage for all modes of transportation, beit by land, sea, air, or space. The combustion of hydrocarbons in air or oxygen releasesenergy that can propel a vehicle, discharging nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and water oronly carbon dioxide/carbon monoxide and water. Hydrocarbons retrieved from fossilfuel deposits in liquid or gaseous form are processed in oil refineries to obtain hydro-carbons in a purified state that are suitable to be burned in internal combustion en-gines, either reciprocating engines in automobiles or rotary turbines in air-breathingjet engines. We will not discuss the use of hydrocarbons as heating fuels or for gen-eration of steam in stationary or mobile steam power plants here because there is notmuch chemistry involved in such applications and steam-powered rockets are a thingof the past.Evaluation criteria for hydrocarbon fuels for air-breathing jet engines are quitedifferent from those for rockets. Not every good jet engine fuel must also be a goodrocket fuel. For air-breathing engines, the heat of combustion and the density arethe main evaluation criteria. For rocket fuels, low-molecular-mass exhaust productsare the most desirable property because this allows high exhaust velocities and spe-cific impulses. Density is important only for the pressure-fed systems usually found inmissiles and satellites. Pump-fed rocket propulsion systems can handle liquids witha wide range of densities. If density was important for all rocket fuels, liquid hydro-gen, with its very low density, would never have made it onto the list of best rocketfuels.https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110750287-019
© 2022 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

HydrocarbonsIntroductionTheEncyclopedia of Liquid Fuelscontains eight chapters dealing with hydrocarbon fu-els. The topic of hydrocarbon fuels had to be subdivided into several smaller chaptersthat were easier to arrange in alphabetical order in five subvolumes of equal size. Thetitles of the eight hydrocarbon chapters are: “Alkanes,” “Alkenes and Alkynes,” “Aro-matic Hydrocarbons,” “Cycloaliphatic Hydrocarbons,” “Hydrocarbons,” “Jet Fuels,”“Kerosenes,” and “Ramjet Fuels.” The current chapter, “Hydrocarbons,” is a short in-troduction to the chemistry and applications of hydrocarbons, and is recommendedreading before studying any of the more specialized chapters on hydrocarbons.1 HydrocarbonsHydrocarbons are the main mode of energy storage for all modes of transportation, beit by land, sea, air, or space. The combustion of hydrocarbons in air or oxygen releasesenergy that can propel a vehicle, discharging nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and water oronly carbon dioxide/carbon monoxide and water. Hydrocarbons retrieved from fossilfuel deposits in liquid or gaseous form are processed in oil refineries to obtain hydro-carbons in a purified state that are suitable to be burned in internal combustion en-gines, either reciprocating engines in automobiles or rotary turbines in air-breathingjet engines. We will not discuss the use of hydrocarbons as heating fuels or for gen-eration of steam in stationary or mobile steam power plants here because there is notmuch chemistry involved in such applications and steam-powered rockets are a thingof the past.Evaluation criteria for hydrocarbon fuels for air-breathing jet engines are quitedifferent from those for rockets. Not every good jet engine fuel must also be a goodrocket fuel. For air-breathing engines, the heat of combustion and the density arethe main evaluation criteria. For rocket fuels, low-molecular-mass exhaust productsare the most desirable property because this allows high exhaust velocities and spe-cific impulses. Density is important only for the pressure-fed systems usually found inmissiles and satellites. Pump-fed rocket propulsion systems can handle liquids witha wide range of densities. If density was important for all rocket fuels, liquid hydro-gen, with its very low density, would never have made it onto the list of best rocketfuels.https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110750287-019
© 2022 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Foreword V
  3. Preface VII
  4. Contents XI
  5. Volume 1: Alcohols – Amides and Imides
  6. Alcohols 1
  7. Aliphatic Amines 55
  8. Alkanes 221
  9. Alkenes and Alkynes 367
  10. Alkylboranes 397
  11. Alkylhydrazines 433
  12. Amides and Imides 501
  13. Volume 2: Ammonia – Dimethylhydrazines
  14. Ammonia 703
  15. Aromatic Amines 845
  16. Aromatic Hydrocarbons 875
  17. Azides and Azido Compounds 879
  18. Boranes 973
  19. Boron 1131
  20. Cyano Compounds and Nitriles 1143
  21. Cycloaliphatic Hydrocarbons 1165
  22. Dimethylhydrazines Part 1 1333
  23. Dimethylhydrazines Part 2 1499
  24. Volume 3: Ethers – Hydronitrogen Compounds
  25. Ethers 1639
  26. Heterocyclic and Heterocycloaliphatic Amines Part 1 1673
  27. Heterocyclic and Heterocycloaliphatic Amines Part 2 1910
  28. Hydrocarbons 2181
  29. Hydrogen Part 1 2199
  30. Hydrogen Part 2 2416
  31. Hydronitrogen Compounds 2569
  32. Volume 4: Hydrazine – Jet Fuels
  33. Hydrazine Part 1 2587
  34. Hydrazine Part 2 2809
  35. Hydrazine Part 3 3084
  36. Hydrazine Part 4 3216
  37. Ionic Liquids 3397
  38. Jet Fuels 3497
  39. Volume 5: Kerosenes – Ramjet Fuels
  40. Kerosenes 3593
  41. Metals of the 2nd and 3rd Row and their Hydrides 3735
  42. Methylhydrazine Part 1 3879
  43. Methylhydrazine Part 2 4043
  44. Nitramines Part 1 4203
  45. Nitramines Part 2 4415
  46. Ramjet Fuels 4455
  47. List of Acronyms 4475
  48. Acknowledgments 4483
  49. Index 4485
Readers are also interested in:
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110750287-021

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Foreword V
  3. Preface VII
  4. Contents XI
  5. Volume 1: Alcohols – Amides and Imides
  6. Alcohols 1
  7. Aliphatic Amines 55
  8. Alkanes 221
  9. Alkenes and Alkynes 367
  10. Alkylboranes 397
  11. Alkylhydrazines 433
  12. Amides and Imides 501
  13. Volume 2: Ammonia – Dimethylhydrazines
  14. Ammonia 703
  15. Aromatic Amines 845
  16. Aromatic Hydrocarbons 875
  17. Azides and Azido Compounds 879
  18. Boranes 973
  19. Boron 1131
  20. Cyano Compounds and Nitriles 1143
  21. Cycloaliphatic Hydrocarbons 1165
  22. Dimethylhydrazines Part 1 1333
  23. Dimethylhydrazines Part 2 1499
  24. Volume 3: Ethers – Hydronitrogen Compounds
  25. Ethers 1639
  26. Heterocyclic and Heterocycloaliphatic Amines Part 1 1673
  27. Heterocyclic and Heterocycloaliphatic Amines Part 2 1910
  28. Hydrocarbons 2181
  29. Hydrogen Part 1 2199
  30. Hydrogen Part 2 2416
  31. Hydronitrogen Compounds 2569
  32. Volume 4: Hydrazine – Jet Fuels
  33. Hydrazine Part 1 2587
  34. Hydrazine Part 2 2809
  35. Hydrazine Part 3 3084
  36. Hydrazine Part 4 3216
  37. Ionic Liquids 3397
  38. Jet Fuels 3497
  39. Volume 5: Kerosenes – Ramjet Fuels
  40. Kerosenes 3593
  41. Metals of the 2nd and 3rd Row and their Hydrides 3735
  42. Methylhydrazine Part 1 3879
  43. Methylhydrazine Part 2 4043
  44. Nitramines Part 1 4203
  45. Nitramines Part 2 4415
  46. Ramjet Fuels 4455
  47. List of Acronyms 4475
  48. Acknowledgments 4483
  49. Index 4485
Sign up now to receive a 20% welcome discount
Institutional Access
How does access work?
Have an idea on how to improve our website?
Please write us.
© 2025 De Gruyter Brill
Downloaded on 24.9.2025 from https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110750287-021/html?licenseType=restricted&srsltid=AfmBOopXnfTAQv4EGbUKKRYqMZNALQu9A3ueiwTxjdwC5QwlPOT3jB80
Scroll to top button