If you were to empty a full tank 16 gallon tank of fuel, how

In summary, when using a full tank of gas, all of the gas will be converted into greenhouse gases, mainly CO2 and H2O. To determine the volume of CO2 produced, the ideal gas law can be used, although it may not be completely accurate for molecules like H2O and CO2. Alternatively, densities can be looked up in a table.
  • #1
tyvus
2
0
I am kind of wondering how much for example CO2 you would put out or other greenhouse gases would be emitted everytime i use a full tank of gas. It would help me if you could explain it in volume, like how much it would take to contain the emissions on its own, and how much it would take to contain the emissions if it were to be compressed. I want to be able to imagine a sort of smoke bubble around my car representing how much gases i emitted into the atmosphere.

I think one of the real questions is how would I find out how the liquid would convert to a gas and how that would change the proportional container volume.
 
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  • #2
You get w=19.64lbs CO2 per gallon and it has a density d of 0.12 lbs/cf (at room temp) and there are k=0.133 cf/gal ...
So X gal of gasolene turns into V=Xw/(kd) gallons of CO2.
 
  • #3
tyvus said:
I am kind of wondering how much for example CO2 you would put out or other greenhouse gases would be emitted everytime i use a full tank of gas.
All of your gas will be converted to CO2 and water*. They are both greenhouse gases, so your entire tank will be converted to greenhouse gases.

To compute how much volume an amount of gas occupies, use the ideal gas law: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molar_volume
To compute how much CO2 and H2O you get from burning gasoline, you can use the combustion reaction of octane:
2 C8H18 + 25 O2 → 16 CO2 + 18 H2O
So 1 mole of octane produces 8 moles of CO2

so: convert mass of fuel into moles of fuel, multiply by 8 to get moles of CO2, then multiply by molar volume to find volume of gaseous CO2.

*There will be small amounts of CO, NO and other stuff, but it is negligible compared to CO2 and H2O
 
  • #4
To compute how much volume an amount of gas occupies, use the ideal gas law...
Ideal gas law is only good for monatomic gases. It can be adjusted for di-atomic gasses via equipartition of energy but when you get complicated bendy molecules like H2O and CO2 it gets trickier - best to just look up the densities in a table.
 
  • #5
Simon Bridge said:
Ideal gas law is only good for monatomic gases. It can be adjusted for di-atomic gasses via equipartition of energy but when you get complicated bendy molecules like H2O and CO2 it gets trickier - best to just look up the densities in a table.

For these purposes, at reasonably low density and pressure, ideal gas works fairly well, even for complicated molecules.
 
  • #6
Be that as it may, we need to hear back from OP.
 

Related to If you were to empty a full tank 16 gallon tank of fuel, how

What is the capacity of a 16 gallon fuel tank?

The capacity of a 16 gallon fuel tank is 16 gallons, which is equivalent to approximately 60.6 liters.

What is the average fuel economy for a 16 gallon tank?

The average fuel economy for a 16 gallon tank varies depending on the type of vehicle and driving conditions, but it is typically around 20-25 miles per gallon.

How long would it take to empty a 16 gallon tank of fuel?

The amount of time it takes to empty a 16 gallon fuel tank depends on the flow rate of the fuel pump. Assuming an average flow rate of 10 gallons per minute, it would take approximately 1.6 minutes to empty the tank.

What factors can affect the rate at which a 16 gallon tank of fuel empties?

The rate at which a 16 gallon tank of fuel empties can be affected by several factors, including the type of fuel, the size and efficiency of the engine, the driving conditions, and the age and maintenance of the vehicle.

How much distance can be traveled with a full 16 gallon tank of fuel?

The distance that can be traveled with a full 16 gallon tank of fuel depends on the fuel economy of the vehicle. Assuming an average fuel economy of 20 miles per gallon, a full 16 gallon tank can travel up to 320 miles before needing to be refueled.

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