Kerosene, sometimes spelled kerosine in scientific and industrial usage,^[1] is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid. For an Authority Having Jurisdiction, combustibility is defined by the local code In Organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an Organic compound consisting entirely of Hydrogen and Carbon. Liquid is one of the principal States of matter. A liquid is a Fluid that has the particles loose and can freely form a distinct surface at the boundaries of The name is derived from Greek "keros" (κηρός wax). Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly Wax has traditionally referred to a substance that is secreted by Bees ( Beeswax) and used by them in constructing their

It is commonly called paraffin (sometimes paraffin oil) in the UK and South Africa (not to be confused with the waxy solid also called paraffin wax or just paraffin, or the much more viscous paraffin oil used as a laxative); the term kerosene is usual in much of Canada, the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa In chemistry paraffin is the common name for the Alkane Hydrocarbons with the general formula C n H2 n +2 Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page The United States of America —commonly referred to as the For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island ^[2]

Kerosene is widely used to power jet-engined aircraft, but is also commonly used as a heating fuel. specific --->A jet engine is a Reaction engine that discharges a fast moving jet of Fluid to The heat of combustion of Kerosene is similar to that of diesel: Its Lower Heating Value is around 18,500 Btu/lb, or 43. The heat of combustion (ΔHc0 is the Energy released as Heat when a compound undergoes complete Combustion with Oxygen Diesel or Diesel fuel (ˈdiːzəl in general is any Fuel used in Diesel engines The most common is a specific fractional distillate of petroleum The lower heating value (also known as net calorific value, net CV, or LHV) of a Fuel is defined as the amount of Heat released The pound or pound-mass (abbreviation lb, lbm, or sometimes in the United States #) is a unit of Mass 1 MJ/kg, and its Higher Heating Value is 46. The joule (written in lower case ˈdʒuːl or /ˈdʒaʊl/ (symbol J) is the SI unit of Energy measuring heat, Electricity The higher Heating value (HHValso known as the gross calorific value or gross energy of a Fuel is defined as the amount of Heat released by a specified 2MJ/kg. ^[3]

Distillation

Kerosene is a thin, clear liquid formed from hydrocarbons, with density of 0. The density of a material is defined as its Mass per unit Volume: \rho = \frac{m}{V} Different materials usually have different 78-0. 81g/cm³. Kerosene is obtained from the fractional distillation of petroleum between 150 °C and 275 °C, resulting in a mixture of carbon chains containing 12 to 15 carbon atoms. Fractional distillation is the separation of a mixture into its component parts or fractions such as in separating Chemical compounds by their Boiling point by heating Petroleum ( L petroleum, from Greek πετρέλαιον, lit The Celsius Temperature scale was previously known as the centigrade scale.

Kerosene was first described by al-Razi (Rhazes) as a distillation of petroleum in 9th-century Baghdad. Distillation is a method of separating Mixtures based on differences in their volatilities in a boiling liquid mixture Baghdad (بغداد) is the Capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate, with which it is also coterminous In his Kitab al-Asrar (Book of Secrets), he described two methods for the production of kerosene. One method involved using clay as an absorbent, whereas the other method involved using ammonium chloride (sal ammoniac). Clay is a naturally occurring material composed primarily of fine-grained Minerals which show plasticity through a variable range of Water content, and Ammonium chloride ( N[[Hydrogen H]]4 Cl) (also Sal Ammoniac, salmiac, nushadir salt, zalmiak, sal armagnac ^[4] In 1846, Kerosene was refined from a naturally-occurring asphaltum called Albertite by Canadian geologist Abraham Gesner, founding the modern petroleum industry in the process. For the game see 1846 (board game. Year 1846 ( MDCCCXLVI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display Asphalt ( is a sticky black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude Petroleums and in some natural deposits sometimes termed asphaltum Albertite is a type of Asphalt found in Albert County New Brunswick. Abraham Pineo Gesner, born May 2, 1797 in Cornwallis Township, Nova Scotia, Canada ( – died April 29, 1864 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. Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. James Young ( 13 July, 1811 &ndash May 13, 1883) was a Scottish chemist best known for his method of distilling Paraffin Bathgate is a rapidly growing town in West Lothian, Scotland, on the M8 motorway five miles (8 km west of Livingston. Torbanite is a variety of fine-grained Coal, sometimes known as boghead coal named after Torbane Hill in Scotland. Polish chemist Ignacy Łukasiewicz discovered the means of refining kerosene from the less expensive seep oil in 1856. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland Jan Józef Ignacy Łukasiewicz (1822 - 1882 was a Polish Pharmacist of Armenian descent who devised the first method of distilling Kerosene Petroleum ( L petroleum, from Greek πετρέλαιον, lit Year 1856 ( MDCCCLVI) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year The widespread availability of cheaper kerosene was the principal factor in the precipitous decline in the whaling industry in the mid- to late-19th century, as the leading product of whaling was oil for lamps. Whaling is the hunting of Whales and dates back to at least 6000 BC

Uses

Kerosene, which is typically stored in a blue (or blue labeled) container

As a fuel

Heating and Lighting

At one time the fuel was widely used in kerosene lamps and lanterns. The kerosene lamp (widely known in Britain as a paraffin lamp) is any type of lighting device which uses Kerosene (paraffin as a fuel While replacing whale oil, it was considered as 'explosive as gunpowder' in 1880, 39% of NYC fires were caused by defective kerosene lamps. Whale oil is the oil obtained from the Blubber of various species of Whales particularly the three species of Right Whale ( Eubalaena japonica Gunpowder is a an explosive mixture of Sulfur, Charcoal and Potassium nitrate (also known as saltpetre/saltpeter that burns rapidly producing volumes ^[5] These were superseded by the electric light bulb and flashlights powered by dry cell batteries. A flashlight (also called an electric torch or torch) is a portable electric spotlight which emits light from a small incandescent Lightbulb A dry cell is a galvanic Electrochemical cell with a pasty low-moisture Electrolyte.

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. Cooking is the process of preparing Food by applying Heat, selecting measuring and combining of ingredients in an ordered procedure for producing safe and edible A Portable stove is a stove specially designed to be portable and lightweight as for camping. Backpacking (in US tramping, trekking, or bushwalking in other countries combines Hiking and camping in a single Developing countries are countries that haven't reached Western-style standards of democratic government free market economy industrialization social programs and human rights guaranties

As a heating fuel, it is often used in portable stoves, and is sold in some filling stations. A filling station, fueling station, gas station, service station, petrol station, or gasbar, Retail Outlet It is sometimes used as a heat source during power failures. The use of portable kerosene heaters is not recommended for closed indoor areas without a chimney due to the danger of build-up of carbon monoxide gas. A chimney is a system for venting hot Flue gases or Smoke from a Boiler, Stove, Furnace or Fireplace to the outside Carbon monoxide, with the chemical formula CO is a colorless odorless tasteless yet highly toxic Gas.

Kerosene is widely used in Japan as a home heating fuel for portable and installed kerosene heaters. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. In Japan, kerosene can be readily bought at any filling station or be delivered to homes. A filling station, fueling station, gas station, service station, petrol station, or gasbar, Retail Outlet

In the United Kingdom and Ireland kerosene is often used as both a cooking and heating fuel in areas where there is a limited gas supply. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world Natural gas is a Gaseous Fossil fuel consisting primarily of Methane but including significant quantities of Ethane, Propane,

The Amish, who limit use of electric appliances for religious reasons, rely on kerosene for lighting and often purchase kerosene-powered versions of appliances such as refrigerators. The Amish (ˈɑːmɪʃ are members of an Anabaptist Christian denomination best known for Simple living, Plain dress and resisting modern conveniences A refrigerator (often called a " fridge " for short is a cooling appliance comprising a thermally insulated compartment and a Heat pump -

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. A kerosene heater, also known as a paraffin heater, is a portable unvented Kerosene -fueled space-heating device 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. A smudge pot (also known as a choofa or orchard heater) is an Oil -burning device used to prevent Frost on fruit trees. "Salamanders" are kerosene space heaters used on construction sites to dry out building materials and to warm workers. A salamander heater is any of a variety of portable forced-air or Convection Heaters often Kerosene -fueled used in ventilated areas for worksite comfort 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. For other uses of mantle see Mantle An incandescent gas mantle, gas mantle, or Welsbach mantle is a device for generating Looking like a delicate woven bag above the woven cotton wick, the mantle was a residue of mineral material (thorium dioxide) which glowed white hot as it burned the volatile gases emanating from the blue flame at the base of the wick. Thorium (ˈθɔːriəm is a Chemical element with the symbol Th and Atomic number 90 These types of lamps are still in use today in areas of the world without electricity.

Transportation

Today kerosene is mainly used in fuel for jet engines (more technically Avtur, Jet A, Jet A-1, Jet B, JP-4, JP-5, JP-7 or JP-8). Jet fuel is a type of Aviation fuel designed for use in Aircraft powered by gas-turbine engines. JP-4, or JP4 (for "Jet Propellant" was a Jet fuel, specified in 1951 by the U JP-5, or JP5 (for "Jet Propellant" is a Jet fuel that weighs 6 JP-7 (Jet Propellant 7 MIL-T-38219 is a Jet fuel developed by the U JP-8, or JP8 (for "Jet Propellant" is a Jet fuel, specified in 1990 by the U One form of the fuel known as RP-1 is burned with liquid oxygen as rocket fuel. Usage and history RP-1 is most commonly burned with LOX ( Liquid oxygen) as the oxidizer though other oxidizers have also been used These fuel grade kerosenes meet specifications for smoke points and freeze points. The smoke point refers to the temperature at which a cooking fat or oil begins to break down The melting point of a solid is the temperature range at which it changes state from solid to Liquid.

In the mid-20th century, kerosene or "TVO" (Tractor Vaporising Oil) was used as a cheap fuel for tractors. Tractor vaporising oil (or TVO) is a fuel for Internal combustion engines produced from paraffin ( Kerosene) The engine would start on gasoline, then switch over to kerosene once the engine warmed up. A "heat valve" on the manifold would route the exhaust gases around the intake pipe, heating the kerosene to the point where it can be ignited by an electrical spark.

Kerosene is sometimes used as an additive in diesel fuel to prevent gelling or waxing in cold temperatures. ^[6]

Cooking

In countries such as India and Japan, kerosene is the main fuel used for cooking, especially by the poor. Kerosene stoves have replaced the traditional wood-based cooking appliances that are unhealthy and inefficient. The price of kerosene can be a major political issue; the Indian government subsidizes the fuel to keep the price very low (around 15 cents/liter as of Feb. 2007).

Cultural/Performance Art

Kerosene is also used for fire performances such as poi and staff because of its low flame temperature when burnt in free air, making the fire low risk, should the performer come in contact with the flame. Poi is a form of Juggling or Object manipulation employing a ball depending from a length of rope which is held in hand and swung in circular patterns comparable

Kerosene is often used in the entertainment industry, as a fuel for fire dancing. Fire dancing (also known as " fire twirling," " fire spinning," " fire performance," or " fire manipulation Kerosene is not usually used as a fuel for indoor fire-dancing as it produces an unpleasant odour which becomes, in sufficient concentration, poisonous. In general such use of fire indoors is not common. Methanol is often used instead, but it can be a more dangerous fuel because of its lower flash point, and it also produces less "impressive" flames. Methanol, also known as methyl alcohol, carbinol, wood alcohol, wood naphtha or wood spirits, is a Chemical compound The flash point of a flammable liquid is the lowest Temperature at which it can form an ignitable mixture in air

Other

Kerosene has been used to treat pools of standing water to prevent mosquitoes from breeding, notably in the yellow fever outbreak of 1905 in New Orleans. Mosquitoes are insects in the family Culicidae. They have a pair of scaled wings a pair of Halteres, a slender body and long legs Yellow fever (also called yellow jack, black vomit or sometimes American Plague) is an acute viral disease Year 1905 ( MCMV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting New Orleans (nʲuːˈɔrliənz nʲuːˈɔrlənz French: La Nouvelle-Orléans) is a major United States port city and the largest city in Louisiana It can also be used to remove lice from hair, but this practice is painful and potentially very dangerous. Lice (singular louse) ( order Phthiraptera) are an order of over 3000 Species of wingless Insects three of which are classified Also, this would wash out all natural oil and fats from the hair and scalp.

Since kerosene is chemically stable, it is used to store substances with redox tendencies within to prevent unwanted reactions, such as alkali metals. Redox (shorthand for reduction-oxidation reaction describes all Chemical reactions in which atoms have their Oxidation number ( Oxidation state Trends The alkali metals show a number of trends when moving down the group - for instance decreasing electronegativity increasing reactivity and decreasing melting and boiling Kerosene is also used in the packaging and storage of white phosphorus to prevent immediate combustion on contact with oxygen. This article is about the military applications of white phosphorus.

Kerosene can be used to store crystals. In Materials science, a crystal is a Solid in which the constituent Atoms Molecules or Ions are packed in a regularly ordered repeating When a water-soluble crystal is left in air, dehydration may occur slowly. Dehydration ( hypohydration) is the removal of Water ( hydro in ancient Greek) from an object This makes the colour of the crystal become dull. Kerosene can prevent the crystal contacting air.

It is used as a solvent and in conjunction with cutting oil as a thread cutting and reaming lubricant. A solvent is a liquid or gas that dissolves a solid liquid or gaseous Solute, resulting in a Solution. Cutting fluids are various fluids that are used in Machining to cool and lubricate the cutting tool A lubricant (sometimes referred to as a "Lube" is a substance (often a liquid introduced between two moving surfaces to reduce the Friction between them improving When machining aluminium and its alloys, kerosene on its own is an excellent cutting lubricant.

See also

• Tractor vaporising oil

References

External links

• Webster Online Dictionary Entry on Kerosene
• Article on Gesner
• Kerosene Fuel Primer