Industrial Energy

Ignition Impact

Hydrocarbons & The Power of Combustion

Controlled Explosion

How does a rocket leave Earth? How does a car move a ton of steel?

"We are literally exploding dead plants and animals to move ourselves."

C+H

The simplest hydrocarbon. Natural gas used for cooking.

Commonly used for backyard grills and heating.

The primary ingredient in the gasoline for cars.

The Secret: Carbon-Hydrogen Bonds

These bonds are extremely high-energy. Breaking them releases massive amounts of power.

CH₄ Fuel

+

2O₂ Oxygen

CO₂ Carbon Dioxide

+

2H₂O Water

+

HEAT Exothermic

A chemical process where a fuel reacts rapidly with oxygen and gives off heat.

Fuel (usually a hydrocarbon) and Oxygen. Without oxygen, no burn!

Combustion is incredibly powerful and relatively cheap. It built the modern world.

Look at the equation again. Every molecule of methane burned produces a molecule of CO₂.

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Where does all that CO₂ go? And what does it do to our atmosphere's energy balance?