Calorimetry is used to determine the amount of heat transfer during a physical or chemical process.

The heat gained or lost by a system will be measured using a device called calorimeter. There are two
types of calorimeter, the first one is the constant volume calorimeter also known as bomb calorimeter and
the other one is the constant pressure calorimeter for the non-combustion type of reactions. Most of the
calorimeters are made up of metals, but a Styrofoam coffee-cup can be an alternative calorimeter.
 Combustion which is also known as burning is a process of a rapid chemical reaction wherein the
fuel reacts with oxygen which produces heat and light. It is an exothermic process because it releases heat.
The amount of produced heat will be called heat of combustion, it is measured in kilojoules per mole. To
determine the heat of combustion of a particular substance, the equipment needed is the bomb calorimeter.
The bomb calorimeter is quite expensive, a simple water bath can be used as an alternative equipment to
use to determine the heat of combustion of various fuels.