Assuming perfect combustion, how many pounds of oxygen are required to burn 1 pound of fuel oil?

To determine how many pounds of oxygen are required to burn 1 pound of fuel oil, combustion chemistry needs to be considered. The complete combustion of fuel oil generally involves a reaction between the hydrocarbons in the fuel and oxygen, producing carbon dioxide and water as byproducts.

Fuel oil is primarily composed of hydrocarbons. For simplicity, if we consider the combustion of a typical hydrocarbon like octane (C8H18), we can use stoichiometric calculations based on the combustion reaction. In a balanced reaction, it is generally found that for every pound of hydrocarbon fuel, multiple pounds of oxygen are needed to achieve complete combustion.

In the case of burning fuel oil, it is commonly accepted that around 3 pounds of oxygen are typically required to completely combust 1 pound of fuel oil. This figure stems from the average energy content and composition of fuel oils, which typically leads to 3 pounds of oxygen being sufficient for the combustion of each pound of fuel oil when ideal conditions are assumed.

Hence, the requirement of 3.00 pounds of oxygen for 1 pound of fuel oil represents a standard estimation in industry practices under the assumption of perfect combustion, making it the correct choice in this context.