In engineering thermodynamics it is sometimes necessary to balance chemical reac
ID: 1854893 • Letter: I
Question
In engineering thermodynamics it is sometimes necessary to balance chemical reaction equations, specifically for the combustion of hydrocarbon (hydrogen and carbon) fuels. The complete combustion of a hydrocarbon fuel can be represented as: CxHy + a(O2 + 3.76 N2) ? b CO2 + c H2O + d N2 Where x and y define the specific fuel and the coefficients a, b, c, and d can be determined by balancing the amounts (moles) of each individual element (i.e. Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, and Nitrogen). Create a program that asks the user for the values of x and y then computes the remaining unknowns. You should formulate the problem as an Ax=b matrix problem for solution. Each unknownExplanation / Answer
The combustion is complete, meaning all of the hydrocarbon is transformed. The combustion reaction can be written as : CxHy + zO2 = mCO2 +pH2O The H in the produced H2O and the C in the CO2 comes from your CxHy. You can easily determine the ratio between the coefficients : x = m (one CO2 takes one C) y = 2.p (one H2O takes two H) 2.z = 2.m + p = 2.x + y The equation can be rewritten only in x and y : CxHy + (x + y/2)O2 = xCO2 + (y/2)H2O