Fuel

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Fuel is any material that is burned or altered to obtain energy and to heat or to move an object. Fuel releases its energy either through a chemical reaction means, such as combustion, or nuclear means, such as nuclear fission or nuclear fusion. An important property of a useful fuel is that its energy can be stored to be released only when needed, and that the release is controlled in such a way that the energy can be harnessed to produce work. Examples: Methane, Petrol and Oil.

All carbon-based life forms—from microorganisms to animals and humans—depend on and use fuels as their source of energy. Their cells engage in an enzyme-mediated chemical process called metabolism that converts energy from food or light into a form that can be used to sustain life. Additionally, humans employ a variety of techniques to convert one form of energy into another, producing usable energy for purposes that go far beyond the energy needs of a human body. The application of energy released from fuels ranges from heat to cooking and from powering weapons to combustion and generation of electricity.

For more information about Fuel, read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.


News tagged with fuel

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Munich lab demonstrates diesel truck engine with barely measurable emissions

German researchers demonstrate diesel truck engine with barely measurable emissions

Technology / Engineering

created 5 hours ago | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Just three months after the Euro 5 Norm for exhaust emissions went into force for all new car models, researchers at the Technische Universitaet Muenchen (TUM, Germany) have demonstrated an engine that is ...


INL develops safer, more efficient nuclear fuel for next-gen reactors

INL develops safer, more efficient nuclear fuel for next-gen reactors

Technology / Energy

created Nov 30, 2009 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (15) | comments 6

As the nation ponders its energy choices, Americans keep asking themselves: how can the country make better use of its resources and emit fewer greenhouse gases without hurting U.S. industries? A research ...


NRL's Ion Tiger sets 26-hour flight endurance record

Hydrogen-Powered Ion Tiger Sets 26-hour Flight Endurance Record

Technology / Energy

created Nov 30, 2009 | popularity 4.1 / 5 (7) | comments 2

The Naval Research Laboratory's Ion Tiger, a hydrogen-powered fuel cell unmanned air vehicle (UAV), has flown 26 hours and 1 minute carrying a 5-pound payload, setting another unofficial flight endurance record ...


American drivers fond of their gas guzzlers will have to quickly learn to love greener cars

Green cars to get Copenhagen boost

Technology / Energy

created Dec 03, 2009 | popularity 3 / 5 (2) | comments 0

American drivers fond of their gas guzzlers will have to quickly learn to love greener cars, which are expected to get a big boost from upcoming international climate talks in Copenhagen.


Advanced nuclear fuel sets global performance record

Advanced nuclear fuel sets global performance record

Technology / Energy

created Nov 17, 2009 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (21) | comments 1

(PhysOrg.com) -- Idaho National Laboratory scientists have set a new world record with next-generation particle fuel for use in high temperature gas reactors (HTGRs).


plug-in hybrid electric vehicle

Pulling the plug on hybrid myths

Technology / Energy

created Nov 19, 2009 | popularity 3.8 / 5 (16) | comments 31

(PhysOrg.com) -- Whether you call them myths, urban legends, fables or old wives' tales, there's a lot of misinformation out there about plug-in electric hybrid vehicles. These vehicles, abbreviated PHEVs, ...


Glimpsing a greener future

Glimpsing a greener future: Computer model foresees effects of alternative transportation fuels

Space & Earth / Environment

created Nov 16, 2009 | popularity 2.5 / 5 (4) | comments 1

(PhysOrg.com) -- It's the year 2060, and 75 percent of drivers in the Greater Los Angeles area have hydrogen fuel cell vehicles that emit only water vapor.


Researchers turn algae into high-temperature hydrogen source

Researchers turn algae into high-temperature hydrogen source

Nanotechnology / Nanophysics

created Nov 12, 2009 | popularity 3.6 / 5 (7) | comments 5

In the quest to make hydrogen as a clean alternative fuel source, researchers have been stymied about how to create usable hydrogen that is clean and sustainable without relying on an intensive, high-energy ...


Rocket science leads to new whale discovery

Rocket science leads to new whale discovery

Biology / Other

created Nov 24, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Rocket science is opening new doors to understanding how sounds associated with Navy sonar might affect the hearing of a marine mammal - or if they hear it at all.


Hydrogen milestone moves energy independence one step forward

Hydrogen milestone moves energy independence one step forward

Technology / Energy

created Nov 10, 2009 | popularity 3.7 / 5 (14) | comments 7

(PhysOrg.com) -- Big things often come in small packages. That's certainly the case with the potential created by recent successes in hydrogen research at Idaho National Laboratory.


Consumers choose locally grown and environmentally friendly apples

Other Sciences / Social Sciences

created Nov 23, 2009 | popularity 1 / 5 (2) | comments 0

When asked to compare apples to apples, consumers said they would pay more for locally grown apples than genetically modified (GMO) apples. But in a second questionnaire consumers preferred GMO apples - that is, when they ...


Energy-saving powder

Energy-saving powder: Converting methane to methanol

Chemistry / Other

created Nov 11, 2009 | popularity 3.4 / 5 (7) | comments 2

It is currently estimated that natural gas resources will be exhausted in 130 years; however, those reserves where extraction is cost-effective will only flow for another 60 years or so.


Ionic Liquid's Makeup Measurably Non-Uniform at the Nanoscale

Physics / Condensed Matter

created Nov 10, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 1

(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at Texas Tech University, Queen's University in Belfast, Ireland, the University of Rome and the National Research Council in Italy recently made a discovery about the non-uniform chemical compositions ...


Eco-Friendly SUV Gets a Hydrogen Mileage Boost

Eco-Friendly SUV Gets a Hydrogen Mileage Boost (w/ Video)

Technology / Energy

created Nov 17, 2009 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (4) | comments 2

(PhysOrg.com) -- Driving hydrogen fueled SUVs for 431 miles per fill-up is no longer a California dream. Researchers from NREL and Toyota recently completed a 331 mile round trip drive between Torrance and ...


The Future in Two Words: Ionic Liquids

The Future in Two Words: Ionic Liquids

Chemistry / Materials Science

created Nov 13, 2009 | popularity 4.4 / 5 (8) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Ionic liquids are molecular solutions that have a wide range of potential applications, including next-generation solar cells, hydrogen fuel cells and lithium batteries.