Kerosene

:This article is about lighting and cooking fuel. For the tractor fuel known as power kerosene, see tractor vaporising oil.

Uses

At one time it was widely used in kerosene lamps but it is now mainly used in aviation fuel for jet engines (more technically Avtur, Jet-A, Jet-A1, Jet-B, JP-4, JP-5 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.

Related Topics:
Kerosene lamp - Aviation fuel - Jet engine - RP-1 - Liquid oxygen - Smoke point - Freeze point

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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.

Related Topics:
Merox - Hydrotreater - Sulfur - Corrosiveness - Hydrocracker - Fuel oil

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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.

Related Topics:
Cooking - Portable stove - Backpacker - Less developed countries - Lice

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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.

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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.

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It is also used as an organic solvent.

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The origins of Kerosene are disputed. Some claim that Polish chemist Ignacy ?ukasiewicz first discovered and marketed kerosene; while others maintain that Canadian physician Abraham Gesner did so in the 1840s in Atlantic Canada.

Related Topics:
Polish - Ignacy ?ukasiewicz - Canadian - Abraham Gesner

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