For each cubic foot of natural gas, how many cubic feet of air are required for complete combustion?

The requirement for complete combustion of natural gas depends on its chemical composition and the stoichiometry of the combustion reaction. For natural gas, which is primarily composed of methane (CH₄), the combustion reaction with oxygen produces carbon dioxide (CO₂) and water (H₂O).

The balanced chemical equation for the complete combustion of methane is:

[ CH₄ + 2 O₂ \rightarrow CO₂ + 2 H₂O ]

In this reaction, it is determined that for every molecule of methane, two molecules of oxygen are needed. Considering that air is composed of approximately 21% oxygen, it follows that a larger volume of air is needed to supply the required oxygen for combustion.

To achieve complete combustion of one cubic foot of natural gas, around 10 cubic feet of air are necessary. This accounts for the oxygen content in the air, providing sufficient oxygen for the reaction. Therefore, needing 10 cubic feet of air for one cubic foot of natural gas aligns with practical combustion principles and the ratios of air to fuel in natural gas applications.