fossil fuel

n. A hydrocarbon-based fuel, such as petroleum, coal, or natural gas, derived from living matter of a previous geologic time.

fossil fuel

n (Biochemistry) any naturally occurring carbon or hydrocarbon fuel, such as coal, petroleum, peat, and natural gas, formed by the decomposition of prehistoric organisms

fos′sil fu`el

n. any combustible organic material, as oil, coal, or natural gas, derived from the remains of former life. [1835–45]

Thesaurus

Noun

fossil fuel - fuel consisting of the remains of organisms preserved in rocks in the earth's crust with high carbon and hydrogen contentcoal - fossil fuel consisting of carbonized vegetable matter deposited in the Carboniferous periodfuel - a substance that can be consumed to produce energy; "more fuel is needed during the winter months"; "they developed alternative fuels for aircraft"natural gas, gas - a fossil fuel in the gaseous state; used for cooking and heating homescrude, crude oil, fossil oil, petroleum, rock oil, oil - a dark oil consisting mainly of hydrocarbons

Translations

combustible fósil

fossil fuel

fossil fuel:

see energy, sources ofenergy, sources of,
origins of the power used for transportation, for heat and light in dwelling and working areas, and for the manufacture of goods of all kinds, among other applications.
..... Click the link for more information. ; fuelfuel,
material that can be burned or otherwise consumed to produce heat. The common fuels used in industry, transportation, and the home are burned in air. The carbon and hydrogen in fuel rapidly combine with oxygen in the air in an exothermal reaction—one that liberates
..... Click the link for more information. .

fossil fuel

[¦fäs·əl ′fyül] (geology) Any hydrocarbon deposit that may be used for fuel; examples are petroleum, coal, and natural gas.

Fossil fuel

Any naturally occurring carbon-containing material which when burned with air (or oxygen) produces (directly) heat or (indirectly) energy. Fossil fuels can be classified according to their respective forms at ambient conditions. Thus, there are solid fuels (coals); liquid fuels (petroleum, heavy oils, bitumens); and gaseous fuels (natural gas, which is usually a mixture of methane, CH₄, with lesser amounts of ethane, C₂H₆, hydrogen sulfide, H₂S, and numerous other constituents in small proportions).

One important aspect of the fossil fuels is the heating value of the fuel, which is measured as the amount of heat energy produced by the complete combustion of a unit quantity of the fuel. For solid fuels and usually for liquid fuels the heating value is quoted for mass, whereas for gaseous fuels the heating value is quoted for volume. The heating values are commonly expressed as British thermal units per pound (Btu/lb). In SI units the heating values are quoted in megajoules per kilogram (MJ/kg). For gases, the heating values are expressed as Btu per cubic foot (Btu/ft³) or as megajoules per cubic meter (MJ/m³). The table gives heating values of representative fuels. See Energy sources

Heating values of representative fuels
Fossil fuel	Btu/lb	Btu/ft³	MJ/k	MJ/m³
Natural gas		900		33.5
Petroleum	19,000		44.1
Heavy oil	18,000		41.8
Tar-sand bitumen	17,800		41.3
Coal
Lignite	8,000*		18.6
Subbituminous	10,500*		24.4
Bituminous	15,500*		36.0
Anthracite	15,000*		34.8
*Representative values are given because of the spread of subgroups with various heating values.

fossil fuel

any naturally occurring carbon or hydrocarbon fuel, such as coal, petroleum, peat, and natural gas, formed by the decomposition of prehistoric organisms

fossil fuel

fossil fuel

fossil fuel

fos′sil fu`el

fossil fuel

fossil fuel:

fossil fuel

Fossil fuel

fossil fuel

fossil fuel

Words related to fossil fuel

noun fuel consisting of the remains of organisms preserved in rocks in the earth's crust with high carbon and hydrogen content

Related Words