Kerosene
 |
Russian kerosene lamp |
Kerosene or
paraffin oil (
British English, not to be confused with the waxy solid also called paraffin wax or just
paraffin) is a
colorless
flammable hydrocarbon liquid.
Kerosene is obtained from the
fractional distillation of
petroleum at 150°
C and 275°C (carbon chains from the
C12 to
C15 range).
Typically, kerosene directly distilled from crude oil requires some treatment, either in a
Merox unit or a
hydrotreater, to reduce its
sulfur content and its
corrosiveness. Kerosene can also be produced by a
hydrocracker, which is used to upgrade the parts of crude oil that would otherwise only be good for
fuel oil.
Kerosene was first refined from a naturally-occurring
asphaltum called
Albertite by
Abraham Gesner in
1846, founding the modern petroleum industry in the process. Gesner went on to establish his Kerosene Gaslight Company to market kerosene around the world in 1850.
Scottish chemist
James Young built the first truly commercial oil-works in the world at
Bathgate in 1851, using oil extracted from locally mined Torbanite, shale and bituminous coal.
Polish chemist
Ignacy Łukasiewicz discovered the means of refining kerosene from the less expensive
seep oil in
1856.
At one time it was widely used in portable kerosene lanterns and
kerosene lamps. These were superseded in the early 20th century by
flashlights powered by
dry cell batteries. Now it is mainly used in
fuel for
jet engines (more technically
Avtur,
Jet-A,
Jet-A1,
Jet-B,
JP-4,
JP-5,
JP-7 or
JP-8). A form of kerosene known as
RP-1 is burned with
liquid oxygen as rocket fuel. These fuel grade kerosenes meet specifications as to
smoke points and
freeze points.
Its use as a
cooking fuel is mostly restricted to some
portable stoves for
backpackers and to
less developed countries, where it is usually less refined and contains impurities and even debris. It can also be used to remove
lice from hair, but stings and can be dangerous on skin.
As a heating fuel, it is used in often portable stoves and is sold in some
filling stations. It is sometimes used as a backup heat source for emergencies in the U.S. and deaths occur annually from mishandling by inexperienced users. The use of portable kerosene heaters is not recommended for closed indoor areas without a
chimney due to the danger of buildup of
carbon monoxide gas.
Kerosene is widely used in
Japan as a home heating fuel for portable and installed kerosene heaters. In Japan, kerosene can be readily bought at any
filling station or be delivered to homes.
It is also used as an organic
solvent.
Kerosene is often used in the entertainment industry, as a fuel for
fire dancing. Kerosene is not usually used as a fuel for indoor fire-dancing as it produces an unpleasant odour which overwhelmes. In general such use of fire indoors is not common.
Methanol is often used instead , however it can be a more dangerous fuel because of its lower
flash point, and it also produces less "impressive" flames.
More ubiquitous in the late 19th and early 20th centuries,
kerosene space heaters were often built into kitchen ranges and kept many farm and fishing families warm and dry through the winter. At one time citrus growers used
smudge pots fueled by kerosene to create a pall of thick smoke over a grove in an effort to prevent freezing temperatures from damaging crops. "Salamanders" were kerosene space heaters used on construction sites to dry out building materials and warm workers. Before the days of blinking electrically lighted road barriers, highway construction zones were marked at night by kerosene fired pot bellied torches. Most of these uses of kerosene created thick black smoke because of the low temperature of combustion.
A notable exception, discovered in the early 19th century, is the use of a
mantle above the wick on a kerosene lamp. Looking like a delicate woven bag above the woven cotton wick, the mantle was a residue of mineral material which glowed white hot as it burned the volatile gases emanating from the blue flame at the base of the wick. These types of lamps are still in use today in areas of the world without electricity.
In the book
Fahrenheit 451 by
Ray Bradbury, the firemen use kerosene to aid them in burning books.
*
Coal oil*
Range oil *
Kerosene or
kero (
Australia) or
kerosine (
United States) The name is derived from
Greek "keros" (κηρός
wax).
*
Paraffin or
paraffin oil (
United Kingdom and
South Africa)
*
Stove oil (
Canada)
*
Queroseno (
Spanish)
*
Petroleum (
German - The German name for jet engine fuel is
Kerosin and the German word for the
English petroleum is
Mineralöl or
Rohöl and for
petrol/gasoline is
Benzin.)
*
Fotogen (
Swedish)
*
Parafin or
lampeolje (
Norwegian)
*
Керосин (
Russian)
*
灯油 - Touyu (lamp oil) (
Japanese)
*
Nafta (
Polish)
*
Κηροζίνη (
Greek)
*
Querosene (
Portuguese)
*
Petroli or
Valopetroli or
Lamppuöljy (
Finnish)
*
Gazyaģı (
Turkish)
*
Minyak Tanah (
Malay)
*
Webster Online Dictionary Entry on Kerosene*
Article on Gesner*
Kerosene Fuel Primer*
Safety information: deadly if consumed
