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84-451: Kerosene , or paraffin , is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid which is derived from petroleum . It is widely used as a fuel in aviation as well as households. Its name derives from κηρός ( kērós ) meaning " wax ", and was registered as a trademark by Nova Scotia geologist and inventor Abraham Gesner in 1854 before evolving into a generic trademark . It is sometimes spelled kerosine in scientific and industrial usage. Kerosene

168-434: A hydrated crystal is left in air, dehydration may occur slowly. This makes the color of the crystal become dull. Kerosene can keep air away from the crystal. Combustibility The degree of flammability in air depends largely upon the volatility of the material - this is related to its composition-specific vapour pressure , which is temperature dependent. The quantity of vapour produced can be enhanced by increasing

252-473: A United States patent for the same invention. These patents were subsequently upheld in both countries in a series of lawsuits, and other producers were obliged to pay him royalties. In 1851, Samuel Martin Kier began selling lamp oil to local miners, under the name "Carbon Oil". He distilled this from crude oil by a process of his own invention. He also invented a new lamp to burn his product. He has been dubbed

336-518: A building is subject to the local fire code, which is ordinarily enforced by the local fire prevention officer. For an Authority Having Jurisdiction , combustibility is defined by the local code. In the National Building Code of Canada , it is defined as follows: BS 476-4:1970 defines a test for combustibility in which a technician heats three specimens of a material in a furnace. Combustibile materials are those for which any of

420-553: A burning match, and spread flame rapidly. The technical definitions vary between countries so the United Nations created the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals , which defines the flash point temperature of flammable liquids as between 0 and 140 °F (60 °C) and combustible liquids between 140 °F (60 °C) and 200 °F (93 °C). Flammability

504-796: A comprehensive set of rules on combustible dust. When suspended in air (or any oxidizing environment), the fine particles of combustible dust present a potential for explosions. Accumulated dust , even when not suspended in air, remains a fire hazard. The National Fire Protection Association (U.S.) specifically addresses the prevention of fires and dust explosions in agricultural and food products facilities in NFPA Code section 61, and other industries in NFPA Code sections 651–664. Collectors designed to reduce airborne dust account for more than 40 percent of all dust explosions. Other important processes are grinding and pulverizing , transporting powders, filing silos and containers (which produces powder), and

588-466: A flash of fire when ignited by an external source. A lower flash point indicates higher flammability. Materials with flash points below 100  °F (38  °C ) are regulated in the United States by OSHA as potential workplace hazards . The flame point of a material is a temperature value at which sustained flame can be supported on the material once ignited by an external source. Once

672-622: A great deal of public excitement and investment drilling in new wells, not only in Pennsylvania, but also in Canada, where petroleum had been discovered at Oil Springs, Ontario in 1858, and southern Poland, where Ignacy Łukasiewicz had been distilling lamp oil from petroleum seeps since 1852. The increased supply of petroleum allowed oil refiners to entirely side-step the oil-from-coal patents of both Young and Gesner, and produce illuminating oil from petroleum without paying royalties to anyone. As

756-578: A heat source during power failures. Kerosene is widely used in Japan and Chile as a home heating fuel for portable and installed kerosene heaters. In Chile and Japan, kerosene can be readily bought at any filling station or be delivered to homes in some cases. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, kerosene is often used as a heating fuel in areas not connected to a gas pipeline network. It is used less for cooking, with LPG being preferred because it

840-497: A kerosene-based fuel, is used by the United States military as a replacement in diesel fueled vehicles and for powering aircraft. JP-8 is also used by the U.S. military and its NATO allies as a fuel for heaters, stoves, tanks, and as a replacement for diesel fuel in the engines of nearly all tactical ground vehicles and electrical generators. Aliphatic kerosene is a type of kerosene which has a low aromatic hydrocarbon content,

924-425: A large market, manufacturers meet TB 117 in products that they distribute across the United States. The proliferation of flame retardants, and especially halogenated organic flame retardants, in furniture across the United States is strongly linked to TB 117. When it became apparent that the risk-benefit ratio of this approach was unfavorable and industry had used falsified documentation (i.e. see David Heimbach ) for

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1008-445: A liquid, which varies with its temperature, is a measure of how much the vapor of the liquid tends to concentrate in the surrounding atmosphere as the liquid evaporates. Vapor pressure is a major determinant of the flash point and flame point, with higher vapor pressures leading to lower flash points and higher flammability ratings. The International Code Council (ICC) developed fire code requirements to provide adequate protection to

1092-434: A local petroleum seep . Many people knew of his work, but paid little attention to it. On the night of 31 July 1853, doctors at the local hospital needed to perform an emergency operation, virtually impossible by candlelight. They therefore sent a messenger for Łukasiewicz and his new lamps. The lamp burned so brightly and cleanly that the hospital officials ordered several lamps plus a large supply of fuel. Łukasiewicz realized

1176-802: A naturally occurring asphaltum called albertite . He was blocked from using it by the New Brunswick coal conglomerate because they had coal extraction rights for the province, and he lost a court case when their experts claimed albertite was a form of coal. In 1854, Gesner moved to Newtown Creek , Long Island , New York . There, he secured backing from a group of businessmen. They formed the North American Gas Light Company, to which he assigned his patents. Despite clear priority of discovery, Gesner did not obtain his first kerosene patent until 1854, two years after James Young 's United States patent. Gesner's method of purifying

1260-418: A number of useful liquids from it, one of which he named paraffine oil because at low temperatures, it congealed into a substance that resembled paraffin wax. Young took out a patent on his process and the resulting products in 1850, and 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. In 1852, he took out

1344-438: A polluting fuel and recommends that "governments and practitioners immediately stop promoting its household use". Kerosene smoke contains high levels of harmful particulate matter , and household use of kerosene is associated with higher risks of cancer , respiratory infections, asthma , tuberculosis , cataracts , and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Kerosene is a low- viscosity , clear liquid formed from hydrocarbons obtained from

1428-502: A public demonstration in Charlottetown , Prince Edward Island of a new process he had discovered. He heated coal in a retort , and distilled from it a clear, thin fluid that he showed made an excellent lamp fuel. He coined the name "kerosene" for his fuel, a contraction of keroselaion , meaning wax-oil . The cost of extracting kerosene from coal was high. Gesner recalled from his extensive knowledge of New Brunswick 's geology

1512-552: A range of concentrations. In addition to wood, combustible dusts include metals , especially magnesium, titanium and aluminum, as well as other carbon-based dusts . There are at least 140 known substances that produce combustible dust. While the particles in a combustible dusts may be of any size, normally they have a diameter of less than 420  μm . As of 2012 , the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration has yet to adopt

1596-435: A result, the illuminating oil industry in the United States completely switched over to petroleum in the 1860s. The petroleum-based illuminating oil was widely sold as Kerosene, and the trade name soon lost its proprietary status, and became the lower-case generic product "kerosene". Because Gesner's original Kerosene had been also known as "coal oil", generic kerosene from petroleum was commonly called "coal oil" in some parts of

1680-505: A whiter light and a greater fraction of the energy in the form of visible light than a black body at the same temperature would. These types of lamps are still in use today in areas of the world without electricity, because they give a much better light than a simple wick-type lamp does. Recently, a multipurpose lantern that doubles as a cook stove has been introduced in India in areas with no electricity. In countries such as Nigeria, kerosene

1764-542: Is a custom-blended fuel used by the New York City Transit Authority to power its bus fleet. The transit agency started using this fuel in 2004, prior to the widespread adoption of ultra-low-sulfur diesel , which has since become the standard. In 2008, the suppliers of the custom fuel failed to tender for a renewal of the transit agency's contract, leading to a negotiated contract at a significantly increased cost. JP-8 (for "Jet Propellant 8"),

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1848-456: Is also commonly referred to as " coal oil ". Confusingly, the name "paraffin" is also used to refer to a number of distinct petroleum byproducts other than kerosene. For instance, liquid paraffin (called mineral oil in the US) is a more viscous and highly refined product which is used as a laxative. Paraffin wax is a waxy solid extracted from petroleum. To prevent confusion between kerosene and

1932-481: Is also important in processes that produce combustible substances as a by-product . Special precautions are usually required for substances that are easily combustible. These measures may include installation of fire sprinklers or storage remote from possible sources of ignition. Substances with low combustibility may be selected for construction where the fire risk must be reduced, such as apartment buildings, houses, or offices. If combustible resources are used there

2016-675: Is common in much of Argentina , Australia , Canada , India , New Zealand , Nigeria , and the United States , while the term paraffin (or a closely related variant) is used in Chile , East Africa , South Africa , Norway , and the United Kingdom . The term "lamp oil", or the equivalent in the local languages, is common in the majority of Asia and the Southeastern United States , although in Appalachia , it

2100-507: Is commonly used in metal extraction as the diluent, for example in copper extraction by LIX-84 it can be used in mixer settlers. Kerosene is used as a diluent in the PUREX extraction process, but it is increasingly being supplanted by dodecane and other artificial hydrocarbons such as TPH (Hydrogenated Propylene Trimer). Traditionally the UK plants at Sellafield used aromatic kerosene to reduce

2184-519: Is easier to light. Kerosene is often the fuel of choice for range cookers such as Rayburn . Additives such as RangeKlene can be put into kerosene to ensure that it burns cleaner and produces less soot when used in range cookers. The Amish , who generally abstain from the use of electricity, rely on kerosene for lighting at night. 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

2268-515: Is greater chance of fire accidents and deaths. Fire resistant substances are preferred for building materials and furnishings. A non-combustible material is a substance that does not ignite, burn, support combustion, or release flammable vapors when subject to fire or heat, in the form in which it is used and under conditions anticipated. Any solid substance complying with either of two sets of passing criteria listed in Section 8 of ASTM E 136 when

2352-516: Is liquid around room temperature : 25 °C (77 °F). The flash point of kerosene is between 37 °C (99 °F) and 65 °C (149 °F), and its autoignition temperature is 220 °C (428 °F). The freezing point of kerosene depends on grade, with commercial aviation fuel standardized at −47 °C (−53 °F). Grade 1-K kerosene freezes around −40 °C (−40 °F, 233 K). The process of distilling crude oil/petroleum into kerosene, as well as other hydrocarbon compounds,

2436-507: Is now the accepted standard in American English and British English. Antonyms of "flammable" or "inflammable" include: non-flammable , non-inflammable , incombustible , non-combustible , not flammable , and fireproof . Flammable applies to combustible materials that ignite easily and thus are more dangerous and more highly regulated. Less easily ignited less-vigorously burning materials are combustible . For example, in

2520-520: Is of concern as cigarettes and candle accidents can trigger domestic fires. In 1975, California began implementing Technical Bulletin 117 (TB 117), which required that materials such as polyurethane foam used to fill furniture be able to withstand a small open flame, equivalent to a candle, for at least 12 seconds. In polyurethane foam, furniture manufacturers typically meet TB 117 with additive halogenated organic flame retardants . No other U.S. states had similar standards, but because California has such

2604-423: Is produced by fractional distillation of crude oil in an oil refinery . It condenses at a temperature intermediate between diesel fuel , which is less volatile, and naphtha and gasoline , which are more volatile. Kerosene made up 8.5 percent by volume of petroleum refinery output in 2021 in the United States, of which nearly all was kerosene-type jet fuel (8.4 percent). The fuel, also known as heating oil in

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2688-414: Is similar to that of diesel fuel ; its lower heating value is 43.1 MJ / kg (around 18,500 Btu / lb ), and its higher heating value is 46.2 MJ/kg (19,900 Btu/lb). The ASTM recognizes two grades of kerosene: 1-K (less than 0.04% sulfur by weight) and 2-K (0.3% sulfur by weight). Grade 1-K kerosene burns cleaner with fewer deposits, fewer toxins, and less frequent maintenance than 2-K, and

2772-425: Is the ease with which a combustible substance can be ignited, causing fire or combustion or even an explosion. The degree of difficulty required to cause the combustion of a substance is quantified through fire testing . Internationally, a variety of test protocols exist to quantify flammability. The ratings achieved are used in building codes , insurance requirements, fire codes and other regulations governing

2856-454: Is the main fuel used for cooking, especially by the poor, and kerosene stoves have replaced traditional wood-based cooking appliances. As such, increase in the price of kerosene can have a major political and environmental consequence. The Indian government subsidizes the fuel to keep the price very low, to around 15 U.S. cents per liter as of February 2007, as lower prices discourage dismantling of forests for cooking fuel. In Nigeria an attempt by

2940-418: Is the most flammable synthetic fiber. A fire test can be conducted to determine the degree of flammability. Test standards used to make this determination but are not limited to the following: Combustibility is a measure of how easily a substance bursts into flame, through fire or combustion . This is an important property to consider when a substance is used for construction or is being stored. It

3024-410: Is the preferred grade for indoor heaters and stoves. In the United Kingdom, two grades of heating oil are defined. BS 2869 Class C1 is the lightest grade used for lanterns, camping stoves, and wick heaters, and mixed with petrol in some vintage combustion engines as a substitute for tractor vaporizing oil . BS 2869 Class C2 is a heavier distillate, which is used as domestic heating oil. Premium kerosene

3108-568: Is their particularly high thermal output and their ability to operate at very low temperature in winter or at high altitude. Wick stoves like Perfection's or wickless like Boss continue to be used by the Amish and off grid living and in natural disasters where there is no power available. In the early to mid-20th century, kerosene or tractor vaporizing oil was used as a cheap fuel for tractors and hit 'n miss engines . A petrol-paraffin engine would start on gasoline, then switch over to kerosene once

3192-498: Is usually sold in 5- or 20-litre containers from hardware, camping and garden stores, and is often dyed purple. Standard kerosene is usually dispensed in bulk by a tanker and is undyed. National and international standards define the properties of several grades of kerosene used for jet fuel . Flash point and freezing point properties are particularly interesting for operation and safety; the standards also define additives for control of static electricity and other purposes. Kerosene

3276-468: Is widely used to power jet engines of aircraft ( jet fuel ), as well as some rocket engines in a highly refined form called RP-1 . It is also commonly used as a cooking and lighting fuel, and for fire toys such as poi . In parts of Asia, kerosene is sometimes used as fuel for small outboard motors or even motorcycles . World total kerosene consumption for all purposes is equivalent to about 5,500,000 barrels per day as of July 2023. The term "kerosene"

3360-844: The Grandfather of the American Oil Industry by historians. Kier's salt wells began to be fouled with petroleum in the 1840s. At first, Kier simply dumped the oil into the nearby Pennsylvania Main Line Canal as useless waste, but later he began experimenting with several distillates of the crude oil, along with a chemist from eastern Pennsylvania. Ignacy Łukasiewicz , a Polish pharmacist residing in Lviv , and his partner Jan Zeh  [ pl ] had been experimenting with different distillation techniques, trying to improve on Gesner's kerosene process, but using oil from

3444-473: The Imperial Sugar Company's plant at Port Wentworth, Georgia , resulting in thirteen deaths. A material's flash point is a metric of how easy it is to ignite the vapor of the material as it evaporates into the atmosphere . It is defined as the lowest material temperature required for fuel oils in the materials to begin to give off flammable vapors in the quantity high enough to support

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3528-869: The fractional distillation of petroleum between 150 and 275 °C (300 and 525 °F), resulting in a mixture with a density of 0.78–0.81 g/cm. It is miscible with petroleum solvents but immiscible with water. It is composed of hydrocarbon molecules that typically contain between 6-20 carbon atoms per molecule , predominantly containing 9 to 16 carbon atoms. Regardless of crude oil source or processing history, kerosene's major components are branched- and straight-chain alkanes (hydrocarbon chains) and naphthenes (cycloalkanes), which normally account for at least 70% of volume. Aromatic hydrocarbons such as alkylbenzenes (single ring) and alkylnaphthalenes (double ring), do not normally exceed 25% by volume of kerosene streams. Olefins are usually not present at more than 5% by volume. The heat of combustion of kerosene

3612-458: The occupancies as originally intended. In other words, if a portion of a building were designed as an apartment , one could not suddenly load it with flammable liquids and turn it into a gas storage facility, because the fire load and smoke development in that one apartment would be so immense as to overtax the active fire protection as well as the passive fire protection means for the building. The handling and use of flammable substances inside

3696-481: The surface area of the material forming a mist or dust. Take wood as an example. Finely divided wood dust can undergo explosive flames and produce a blast wave. A piece of paper (made from wood ) catches on fire quite easily. A heavy oak desk is much harder to ignite, even though the wood fibre is the same in all three materials. Common sense (and indeed scientific consensus until the mid-1700s) would seem to suggest that material "disappears" when burned, as only

3780-532: The Chrysler Horizon that integrated many Saab components) were made. One reason to manufacture kerosene-fueled cars was that in Finland kerosene was less heavily taxed than gasoline. Kerosene is used to fuel smaller-horsepower outboard motors built by Yamaha, Suzuki, and Tohatsu. Primarily used on small fishing craft, these are dual-fuel engines that start on gasoline and then transition to kerosene once

3864-497: The Downer Company (to which Gesner had granted the right) were allowed to call their lamp oil "Kerosene" in the United States. In 1848, Scottish chemist James Young experimented with oil discovered seeping in a coal mine as a source of lubricating oil and illuminating fuel. When the seep became exhausted, he experimented with the dry distillation of coal, especially the resinous "boghead coal" ( torbanite ). He extracted

3948-509: The Latin inflammāre = "to set fire to", where the Latin preposition "in-" means "in" as in "indoctrinate", rather than "not" as in "invisible" and "ineligible". The word "inflammable" may be erroneously thought to mean "non-flammable". The erroneous usage of the word "inflammable" is a significant safety hazard . Therefore, since the 1950s, efforts to put forward the use of "flammable" in place of "inflammable" were accepted by linguists, and it

4032-429: The UK and Ireland, remains widely used in kerosene lamps and lanterns in the developing world. Although it replaced whale oil , the 1873 edition of Elements of Chemistry said, "The vapor of this substance [kerosene] mixed with air is as explosive as gunpowder." This statement may have been due to the common practice of adulterating kerosene with cheaper but more volatile hydrocarbon mixtures, such as naphtha . Kerosene

4116-437: The United States flammable liquids , by definition, have a flash point below 100 °F (38 °C)—where combustible liquids have a flash point above 100 °F (38 °C). Flammable solids are solids that are readily combustible, or may cause or contribute to fire through friction. Readily combustible solids are powdered , granular, or pasty substances that easily ignite by brief contact with an ignition source, such as

4200-415: The United States well into the 20th century. In the United Kingdom, manufacturing oil from coal (or oil shale) continued into the early 20th century, although increasingly overshadowed by petroleum oils. As kerosene production increased, whaling declined. The American whaling fleet , which had been steadily growing for 50 years, reached its all-time peak of 199 ships in 1858. By 1860, just two years later,

4284-424: The aromatic content of crude oil varies greatly from oil field to oil field. However by solvent extraction it is possible to separate aromatic hydrocarbons from aliphatic (alkane) hydrocarbons. A common method is solvent extraction with methanol, DMSO or sulfolane . Aromatic kerosene is a grade of kerosene with a large concentration of aromatic hydrocarbons, an example of this would be Exon 's Solvesso 150. Kerosene

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4368-459: The ash is left. Further scientific research has found that conservation of mass holds for chemical reactions. Antoine Lavoisier , one of the pioneers in these early insights, stated: "Nothing is lost, nothing is created, everything is transformed." The burning of a solid material may appear to lose weight if the mass of combustion gases (such as carbon dioxide and water vapor ) are not taken into account. The original mass of flammable material and

4452-500: The building and occupants. These codes specify the combustibility rating for materials, the entrance and exit requirements, as well as active fire protection requirements, along with numerous other things. In the U.S. other agencies have also developed building codes that specify combustibility ratings such as state and/or county governing bodies. Following the requirements of these fire codes are crucial for higher occupancy buildings. For existing buildings, fire codes focus on maintaining

4536-455: The change into account. Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals uses a four category system to classify flammable liquids using flash point and boiling point temperature. This system is used internationally to evaluate and sort substances in industrial applications, workplaces and products distributed to consumers. Prior to 2012, OSHA's classification of flammable and combustible liquids in regulation 1910.106,

4620-810: The degree of flammability and combustibility in accordance with the German DIN 4102. DIN 4102, as well as its British cousin BS 476 include for testing of passive fire protection systems , as well as some of its constituent materials. The following are the categories in order of degree of combustibility and flammability: A more recent industrial standard is the European EN 13501-1 - Fire classification of construction products and building elements—which roughly replaces A2 with A2/B, B1 with C, B2 with D/E and B3 with F. B3 or F rated materials may not be used in building unless combined with another material that reduces

4704-561: The distillation products appears to have been superior to Young's, resulting in a cleaner and better-smelling fuel. Manufacture of kerosene under the Gesner patents began in New York in 1854 and later in Boston —being distilled from bituminous coal and oil shale . Gesner registered the word "Kerosene" as a trademark in 1854, and for several years, only the North American Gas Light Company and

4788-483: The engine reaches optimum operating temperature . Multiple fuel Evinrude and Mercury Racing engines also burn kerosene, as well as jet fuel. Today, kerosene is mainly used in fuel for jet engines in several grades. One highly refined form of the fuel is known as RP-1 , and is often burned with liquid oxygen as rocket fuel . These fuel grade kerosenes meet specifications for smoke points and freeze points . The combustion reaction can be approximated as follows, with

4872-497: The engine warmed up. On some engines a heat valve on the manifold would route the exhaust gasses around the intake pipe, heating the kerosene to the point where it was vaporized and could be ignited by an electric spark . In Europe following the Second World War, automobiles were similarly modified to run on kerosene rather than gasoline, which they would have to import and pay heavy taxes on. Besides additional piping and

4956-507: The flame point of a material is reached, it produces enough fuel vapors or oils to support continuous burning. The lower flammability limit or lower explosive limit (LFL/LEL) represents the lowest air to fuel vapor concentration required for combustion to take place when ignited by an external source, for any particular chemical. Any concentration lower than this could not produce a flame or result in combustion. The upper flammability limit or upper explosive limit (UFL/UEL) represents

5040-454: The fleet had dropped to 167 ships. The Civil War cut into American whaling temporarily, but only 105 whaling ships returned to sea in 1866, the first full year of peace, and that number dwindled until only 39 American ships set out to hunt whales in 1876. Kerosene, made first from coal and oil shale, then from petroleum, had largely taken over whaling's lucrative market in lamp oil. Electric lighting started displacing kerosene as an illuminant in

5124-508: The government to remove a fuel subsidy that includes kerosene met with strong opposition. Kerosene is used as a fuel in portable stoves , especially in Primus stoves invented in 1892. Portable kerosene stoves earn a reputation of reliable and durable stove in everyday use, and perform especially well under adverse conditions. In outdoor activities and mountaineering, a decisive advantage of pressurized kerosene stoves over gas cartridge stoves

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5208-475: The hazard posed by a substance during an emergency, such as a spill. In addition to GHS, flammability classifications are incorporated into various systems designed for communicating physical and health hazards in workplaces; such as American Coatings Association's Hazardous Materials Identification System (HMIS) and Lab Safety Supply's Hazardous Material Identification Guide (HMIG). Flammable substances include, but are not limited to: Flammability of furniture

5292-480: The heavier hydrocarbons that previously went into kerosene were incorporated into diesel fuel. Kerosene kept some market share by being increasingly used in stoves and portable heaters. A pilot project by ETH Zurich used solar power to produce kerosene from carbon dioxide and water in July 2022. The product can be used in existing aviation applications, and "can also be blended with fossil-derived kerosene." Kerosene

5376-431: The highest air to fuel vapor concentration at which combustion can take place when ignited by an external source. Any fuel-air mixture higher than this would be too concentrated to result in combustion. The values existing between these two limits represent the flammable or explosive range. Within this threshold, give an external ignition source, combustion of the particular fuel would likely happen. The vapor pressure of

5460-461: The late 19th century, especially in urban areas. However, kerosene remained the predominant commercial end-use for petroleum refined in the United States until 1909, when it was exceeded by motor fuels. The rise of the gasoline-powered automobile in the early 20th century created a demand for the lighter hydrocarbon fractions, and refiners invented methods to increase their output of gasoline, while decreasing their output of kerosene. In addition, some of

5544-416: The low temperature of combustion. A notable exception, discovered in the early 19th century, is the use of a gas mantle mounted above the wick on a kerosene lamp. Looking like a delicate woven bag above the woven cotton wick, the mantle is a residue of mineral materials (mostly thorium dioxide ), heated to incandescence by the flame from the wick. The thorium and cerium oxide combination produces both

5628-500: The mass of the oxygen consumed (typically from the surrounding air) equals the mass of the flame products (ash, water, carbon dioxide, and other gases). Lavoisier used the experimental fact that some metals gained mass when they burned to support his ideas (because those chemical reactions capture oxygen atoms into solid compounds rather than gaseous water). Historically, flammable , inflammable and combustible meant capable of burning . The word "inflammable" came through French from

5712-556: The mixing and blending of powders. Investigation of 200 dust explosions and fires, between 1980 and 2005, indicated approximately 100 fatalities and 600 injuries. In January 2003, a polyethylene powder explosion and fire at the West Pharmaceutical Services plant in Kinston, North Carolina resulted in the deaths of six workers and injuries to 38 others. In February 2008 an explosion of sugar dust rocked

5796-623: The molecular formula C 12 H 26 ( dodecane ): In the initial phase of liftoff, the Saturn V launch vehicle was powered by the reaction of liquid oxygen with RP-1. For the five 6.4 meganewton sea-level thrust F-1 rocket engines of the Saturn V, burning together, the reaction generated roughly 1.62 × 10 watts (J/s) (162 gigawatt) or 217 million horsepower. Kerosene is sometimes used as an additive in diesel fuel to prevent gelling or waxing in cold temperatures. Ultra-low sulfur kerosene

5880-425: The much more flammable and volatile gasoline (petrol) , some jurisdictions regulate markings or colourings for containers used to store or dispense kerosene. For example, in the United States, Pennsylvania requires that portable containers used at retail service stations for kerosene be colored blue, as opposed to red (for gasoline ) or yellow (for diesel ). The World Health Organization considers kerosene to be

5964-533: The potential of his work and quit the pharmacy to find a business partner, and then traveled to Vienna to register his technique with the government. Łukasiewicz moved to the Gorlice region of Poland in 1854, and sank several wells across southern Poland over the following decade, setting up a refinery near Jasło in 1859. The petroleum discovery by Edwin Drake - Drake Well in western Pennsylvania in 1859 caused

6048-508: The radiolysis of TBP while the French nuclear industry tended to use diluents with very little aromatic content. The French nuclear reprocessing plants typically use TPH as their diluent. In recent times it has been shown by Mark Foreman at Chalmers that aliphatic kerosene can be replaced in solvent extraction with HVO100 which is a second generation biodiesel made by Neste . In X-ray crystallography , kerosene can be used to store crystals. When

6132-540: The substance is tested in accordance with the procedure specified in ASTM E 136 is considered to be non-combustible. A number of industrial processes produce combustible dust as a by-product. The most common being wood dust . Combustible dust has been defined as: a solid material composed of distinct particles or pieces, regardless of size, shape, or chemical composition, which presents a fire or deflagration hazard when suspended in air or some other oxidizing medium over

6216-502: The switch between fuels, the head gasket was replaced by a much thicker one to diminish the compression ratio (making the engine less powerful and less efficient, but able to run on kerosene). The necessary equipment was sold under the trademark "Econom". During the fuel crisis of the 1970s , Saab-Valmet developed and series-produced the Saab 99 Petro that ran on kerosene, turpentine or gasoline. The project, codenamed "Project Lapponia",

6300-676: The three specimens either: Otherwise, the material is classified as non-combustible. Various countries have tests for determining non-combustibility of materials. Most involve the heating of a specified quantity of the test specimen for a set duration. Usually, the material must not support combustion and must not lose more than a certain amount of mass. As a general rule of thumb, concrete, steel, and ceramics - in other words inorganic substances - pass these tests, so building codes list them as suitable and sometimes even mandate their use in certain applications. In Canada , for instance, firewalls must be made of concrete . Materials can be tested for

6384-403: The use of building materials as well as the storage and handling of highly flammable substances inside and outside of structures and in surface and air transportation. For instance, changing an occupancy by altering the flammability of the contents requires the owner of a building to apply for a building permit to make sure that the overall fire protection design basis of the facility can take

6468-479: The use of flame retardants, California modified TB 117 to require that fabric covering upholstered furniture meet a smolder test replacing the open flame test . Gov. Jerry Brown signed the modified TB117-2013, which became effective in 2014. Lightweight textiles with porous surfaces are the most flammable fabrics. Wool is less flammable than cotton, linen, silk, or viscose ( rayon ). Polyester and nylon resist ignition, and melt rather than catch fire. Acrylic

6552-522: The winter. At one time, citrus growers used a smudge pot fueled by kerosene to create a pall of thick smoke over a grove in an effort to prevent freezing temperatures from damaging crops. " Salamanders " are kerosene space heaters used on construction sites to dry out building materials and to warm workers. Before the days of 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

6636-414: Was a significant fire risk; in 1880, nearly two of every five New York City fires were caused by defective kerosene lamps. In less-developed countries kerosene is an important source of energy for cooking and lighting. It is used as a cooking fuel in portable stoves for backpackers . As a heating fuel, it is often used in portable stoves, and is sold in some filling stations . It is sometimes used as

6720-512: Was first written about in the ninth century by the Persian scholar Rāzi (or Rhazes). In his Kitab al-Asrar ( Book of Secrets ), the physician and chemist Razi described two methods for the production of kerosene, termed naft abyad (نفط ابيض"white naphtha"), using an apparatus called an alembic . One method used clay as an absorbent , and later the other method using chemicals like ammonium chloride ( sal ammoniac ). The distillation process

6804-560: Was headed by Simo Vuorio, and towards the end of the 1970s, a working prototype was produced based on the Saab 99 GL. The car was designed to run on two fuels. Gasoline was used for cold starts and when extra power was needed, but normally it ran on kerosene or turpentine. The idea was that the gasoline could be made from peat using the Fischer–Tropsch process . Between 1980 and 1984, 3,756 Saab 99 Petros and 2,385 Talbot Horizons (a version of

6888-550: Was nearly identical to the National Fire Protective Association (NFPA) Flammable and Combustible Liquids Code , NFPA 30. While no longer used for occupational regulations, NFPA 30's definitions are still commonly used in fire codes and NFPA codes and standards. Other systems for classifications of flammable liquids exist for more specialist applications, such as NFPA 704 , which uses five categories, intended for emergency workers to understand

6972-675: Was repeated until most of the volatile hydrocarbon fractions had been removed and the final product was perfectly clear and safe to burn. Kerosene was also produced during the same period from oil shale and bitumen by heating the rock to extract the oil, which was then distilled. During the Chinese Ming Dynasty , the Chinese made use of kerosene through extracting and purifying petroleum and then converted it into lamp fuel. The Chinese made use of petroleum for lighting lamps and heating homes as early as 1500 BC. Although "coal oil"

7056-565: Was well known by industrial chemists at least as early as the 1700s as a byproduct of making coal gas and coal tar, it burned with a smoky flame that prevented its use for indoor illumination. In cities, much indoor illumination was provided by piped-in coal gas , but outside the cities, and for spot lighting within the cities, the lucrative market for fueling indoor lamps was supplied by whale oil , specifically that from sperm whales , which burned brighter and cleaner. Canadian geologist Abraham Pineo Gesner claimed that in 1846, he had given

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