nightowl
30-04-2011, 07:32 PM
...this is a short little summary of how fire works in relation to energy. I thought it would be interesting to share. I found this on the web, it is brief and to the point. It is neat to read it from a spiritual frame of mind, gives it a neat little twist looking at it from this perspective. :smile: Think about what fire does to an object when it burns it, not the destruction of it but what process is occurring during the burn, what is really happening?
Fire is a chemical process. Three things are needed for this process: oxygen, heat and fuel. Without one of these elements a fire cannot start or continue.
In a chemical process, the molecules rearrange themselves. Energy is either released or absorbed. The process in a fire is called oxidation, where oxygen atoms combine with hydrogen and carbon to form water and carbon dioxide. Oxidation is the same chemical process that turns iron into rust. But with iron, the reaction is VERY slow. So, the heat energy that is released is VERY low.
With certain things, like paper or wood, the oxidation rate of the molecules can be very fast. If the heat cannot be released faster than it is created, then combustion happens.
Besides heat, there must also be flames or smoldering present during the chemical process for it to be called fire. Exhaust gases also are produced. If the burning process is very clean, you don't see the exhaust gases. If some of the particles of the fuel are not completely burned, you see smoke. Smoke is made up of evaporated water, carbon dioxide and unburnt particles of the fuel.
nightowl
Fire is a chemical process. Three things are needed for this process: oxygen, heat and fuel. Without one of these elements a fire cannot start or continue.
In a chemical process, the molecules rearrange themselves. Energy is either released or absorbed. The process in a fire is called oxidation, where oxygen atoms combine with hydrogen and carbon to form water and carbon dioxide. Oxidation is the same chemical process that turns iron into rust. But with iron, the reaction is VERY slow. So, the heat energy that is released is VERY low.
With certain things, like paper or wood, the oxidation rate of the molecules can be very fast. If the heat cannot be released faster than it is created, then combustion happens.
Besides heat, there must also be flames or smoldering present during the chemical process for it to be called fire. Exhaust gases also are produced. If the burning process is very clean, you don't see the exhaust gases. If some of the particles of the fuel are not completely burned, you see smoke. Smoke is made up of evaporated water, carbon dioxide and unburnt particles of the fuel.
nightowl