The key difference between propellant and fuel is that propellants are any materials that can propel, whereas fuels are substances that get consumed to provide energy through combustion, chemical or nuclear reactions.
A propellant is a chemical substance we can use in the production of energy or pressurized gas that is used subsequently used to create the movement of a fluid or to generate propulsion of a vehicle or projectile or another object. Fuel is any material that can react with other substances to release energy as heat energy or to do some work.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is a Propellant
3. What is a Fuel
4. Propellant vs Fuel in Tabular Form
5. Summary – Propellant vs Fuel
What is a Propellant?
A propellant is a chemical substance we can use in the production of energy or pressurized gas. Sometimes, these are useful in generating the propulsion of a vehicle, projectile, or another object. The most common propellants include energetic materials that consist of fuels such as gasoline, jet fuel, rocket fuel, and oxidizers. We can either burn or decompose propellants to produce the propellant gas. Note that this term is also used as propellent, with an “e” after the “l”.
Types of Propellants
Propellants are useful in the field of rockets and aircraft for the production of a gas that we can direct through a nozzle in order to produce a thrust. Rockets use rocket propellants to produce exhausts; the exhausted material is typically expelled through the nozzle under pressure. Exhaust materials that can form in rockets include gases, liquids, plasma or sometimes it can be a solid, liquid or a gel when concerning before the chemical reaction. Aircrafts usually use fuel as the propellant, and it is combusted with air.
Figure 01: Propellants are Commonly Used in Aerosol Spray Cans
The common use of the term propellant is regarding aerosol spray cans where the propellant comes in the form of a pressurized gas which occurs in equilibrium with its liquid. Also, propellant is the general term for chemicals that are useful in creating a thrust. When considering vehicles, the term propellant refers only to chemicals that are stored inside the vehicle prior to use, excluding the atmospheric gas or other materials that get collected in operation.
What is Fuel?
Fuel is any material that can react with other substances to release energy as heat energy or to do some work. Earlier, this term was used to refer to materials that are capable of releasing chemical energy, but now it is also useful in referring to materials that are able to release heat energy, such as nuclear energy.
When a fuel reacts to form heat energy, that fuel tends to convert into mechanical energy through a heat engine. Fuels are useful in producing warmth, cooking, and industrial processes that involve combustion. Moreover, fuels have applications in cells or organisms where cellular respiration occurs to convert organic molecules through oxidation, releasing usable energy.
Figure 02: Coal is a Solid Fuel
Types of Fuels
Usually, the term chemical fuels refer to substances that can release energy through reactions with other substances via combustion. Typically, the chemical energy released from combustion is not stored in the chemical bonds of the fuel. But energy can be stored in the double bond of molecular oxygen. There are few types of chemical fuels, such as solid fuels, liquid fuels and gaseous fuels. Solid fuels include wood, coal, peat, etc. Liquid fuels mainly include petroleum oils. Gaseous fuels include natural gas such as propane, methane, etc.
What is the Difference Between Propellant and Fuel?
Propellants and fuels are useful in making energy. The key difference between propellant and fuel is that propellants are any materials that can propel, whereas fuels are substances that get consumed to provide energy through combustion, chemical or nuclear reactions. Propellants are used in producing aerosol spray cans, propelling solid objects, rocket propellants, gun propellants, etc. while fuels are used in cellular respiration, nuclear power plants, cooking, producing warmth, etc.
The following infographic explores the difference between propellant and fuel in tabular form
Summary – Propellant vs Fuel
A propellant is a chemical substance that we can use in the production of energy or pressurized gas. Fuel is any material that can react with other substances to release energy as heat energy or to do some work. The key difference between propellant and fuel is that propellants are any materials that can propel, whereas fuels are substances that get consumed to provide energy through combustion, chemical or nuclear reactions.
Reference:
1. “Fuel.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 13 May 2021.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Aerosol can” By PiccoloNamek – Own work, uploaded to the English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
1. “Coal anthracite” (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia