Talk:Kerosene

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[edit] Chemical property questions

What is the generated heat (J/kg) obtained by the burning of kerosene in air?
—Preceding unsigned comment added by Damas (talk • contribs) 01:27, 28 March 2002

Answer - Energy Density depends on the grade and source.. Should be similar to these figures

Diesel 10942Wh/l 13762Wh/kg
Gasoline 9,700 Wh/l 12,200 Wh/kg
—Preceding unsigned comment added by 63.245.153.165 (talk) 16:14-:27, 7 February 2006

What is the use of mixing kerosene and styrene and heat for 45 - 60 minutes at 150 degree celcius?
—Preceding unsigned comment added by 165.21.154.11& 165.21.154.12 (talk) 16:31, 22 September 2004 think.
Gaviidae 13:38, 30 October 2006 (UTC)

What is the toxic inhalation level of Kerosene?
—Preceding unsigned comment added by 202.160.21.17 (talk) 05:54, 22 January 2005

[edit] Usage questions

  • The article makes no mention that many people in the US and perhaps Canada use it for heating in homes. K-1 is a term for undyed, untaxed Kerosene in the US. We use to heat our home workshop.
    --Dakota t e 08:54, 22 November 2005 (UTC)

Can Biodiesel be used for aviation purposes, providing it can be kept liquid? Maybe a blend with kerosine? Reduce CO2 emissions overall.
—Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.140.113.51 (talk) 18:32, 13 January 2006

To above: if diesel can be used for aviation, biodiesel can also. If diesel can't, then BD can't. Be aware that BD is even more viscous than diesel, so you have even worse gelling problems. I say this knowing only about BD in land vehicles-- if the vehicle can use diesel, it can use BD. Since planes get pretty cold, I'd say no. The amount of additives would be huge, I'd

[edit] Naming questions

What is K-1?
—Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.23.107.74 (talk) 16:57, 6 April 2005

What is the difference between kerosene and diesel fuel?
David.Monniaux 20:08, 19 Jun 2005 (UTC)

According to various sources I've seen (ex), kerosene is another name for #1 Diesel. (The stuff we usually put in our cars is #2 Diesel.) Compared to #2, it's more expensive, not as good for your engine, and gets significantly worse mileage. Its (only?) advantage is that it works in much colder weather than #2, even winterized #2. At least, that's AFAICT. (I've heard of people running kerosene-petrodiesel or kerosene-biodiesel blends in cold weather.)
—Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.117.2.90 (talk) 06:53, 5 November 2005 (anonymous)
According to the article Diesel, Diesel is obtained by fractional distillation of crude oil between 250°C and 350°C and Kerosene (this article) between 150°C and 275°C, this is in sync with the picture in the article on oil refinery and the one about fuel oils. I.e. kerosene is lighter than diesel (and heavier than gasoline), lighter means not only a slightly lower density, also lower boiling and freezing points, lower ignition temperature (flash point), lower relative energy density (per volume), lower viscosity.
-- Alureiter 09:45, 5 November 2005 (UTC)
It's to do with the viscosity of the refined oil. I work for an oil distributor and in the UK kerosene is called 28 second oil, diesel is called 35 second oil as it's thicker and takes longer to pass through the aperture of the "cup" used to measure oil viscosity. There are a whole variety of names for these products but the ones relating to their viscosity are probably the most accurate.

IrishPete 21:26, 29 July 2007 (UTC)

Is the Turkish for Kerosene "Gaz Yağı"?
—Preceding unsigned comment added by 63.226.193.28 (talk) 05:00, 11 April 2006

[edit] 'medical' advice

Is there a wikipedia policy about dubious medical advice? Although I found a reference on the Anthelmintic page to kerosene being used to purge intestinal worms in some army field manual reprint, I strongly suspect that most of the medical community would say that ingesting kerosene under any circumstances is likely to cause more harm than good... for now, I'm leaving the reference with the link so people can at least see the reference.
--Montyy0 03:13, 3 July 2006 (UTC)

I removed from the article the advice that kerosene kill worms. It also kills people. Wikipedia should be very cautious giving out home remedies. I have been told by my doctor that if petroleum distillates enter the lungs it can be fatal. As for ingestion: if someone ingests kerosene they need medical treatment. It is dangerous. See http://www.emedicine.com/PED/topic2721.htm See http://www.pasasa.org/pasasa/aboutus/ where it says "Paraffin {[kerosene]poisoning is usually caused by drinking paraffin (ingestion). If paraffin, which is very viscous, gets into the lungs it often leads to chemical pneumonitis and eventually pneumonia....80,000 children ingest paraffin (kerosene) every year.40 000 children develop chemical pneumonia each year as a result of ingesting paraffin. See also http://www.valero.com/docs/MSDS/HeatingOil/Kerosene%20-%20105.pdf
Edison 16:17, 21 July 2006 (UTC)

I saw that, and I confess that I reinstated the remark. I sit here now and wonder if that should be kept. It is a fact, it is used in such a way (I know the story from my grandfather, it was used as a 'medicine' against some strange diseases), and yes, kerosine is not a healthy compound. I know there are templates on the medical pages to warn people not taking these things for 'normal', maybe that should be used here. Or otherwise a serious rephrase of the sentence.
--Dirk Beetstra T C 16:24, 21 July 2006 (UTC)

Silly, can't wikipedia just say, "so-and-sos have used the ingestion of kerosene to kill intestinal parasites, although it's well-known in most of the world that ingesting kerosene causes severe medical problems" or something like that? Gives info, doesn't confuse Grandma?
Gaviidae 13:38, 30 October 2006 (UTC)

The liquid paraffin used for medical purposes is quite different from kerosene. I have added a page Liquid paraffin (medicinal) with a link to a safety data sheet. Biscuittin 21:41, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Kero as engine fuel

What about mentioning the use of kerosene in internal combustion engines? I've heard that back in the 20s and 30s many tractors were started using a small tank of gasoline, and once the engine was warm they'd switch to the main kerosene tank. This was done because kerosene was cheaper than gasoline in those days.—Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.160.160.175 (talk) 03:52, 28 September 2006

They were apparently just using kerosene like regular diesel. People running home-made biodiesel, without anti-gelling agents, also start on regular diesel or gasoline if they can, then switch to BD (regular pump diesel no longer needs the warmed engine because of anti-coagulants, except where it gets cold (you'll see the plugs to electrically heat the fuel pans sticking out of the grills then).
Gaviidae 13:56, 30 October 2006 (UTC)
Some of those electrical connectors are engine-block heaters, tho, for literally warming up the engine before starting it.
--Jerzy•t 05:32, 20 November 2006 (UTC)

See: Tractor vaporising oil. Biscuittin 18:18, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

Volvo Penta was making kerosene internal combustion engines for boats all the way up into the early '80s. Others may have been too. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 129.108.26.4 (talk) 19:30, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Dual-purpose kerosene

In the article Nigeria runs out of jet fuel it talks of dual-purpose kerosene (DPK). What is this ?
Wizzy…☎ 08:28, 21 September 2006 (UTC)

According to the EPA, fuel must be catagorised in certain ways for it to be imported into the US (I assume other countries as well). Dual-use kerosene is a fuel that is both "Motor vehicle, nonroad, locomotive or marine (MVNRLM) diesel fuel" and "...is also suitable for use as kerosene or jet fuel (i.e., commonly referred to as dual use kerosene) may be designated as MVNRLM, kerosene, or jet fuel (as applicable).[1]" I think 1D is diesel #1, which is kerosene/diesel. In other words, read the article's "dual-use" as "kerosene." Hope this helps.
Gaviidae 13:52, 30 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] British name

In Britain, kerosene is normally referred to as 'paraffin' (NOT 'paraffin oil' - I have never heard it called 'paraffin oil', except here on wikipedia,) and the wax is referred to as 'paraffin wax', never as just 'paraffin'. When used as aviation fuel, either 'kerosene' or 'aviation spirit/fuel' is usually used.
DuncanHill 16:32, 4 October 2006 (UTC)

I read this bcz i found the Paraffin article to be lopsided in using a ToP Dab rather than equal Dab'n. I don't think a proper Dab page can handle the task with just two-way dab'n, but i'm considering an approach with something like
Paraffin (terminology) or Paraffin, discussing what the two senses have in comparsion, etymology and a sentence each on the applications that UK and US have for their respective paraffins
Paraffin (waxy) or Wax paraffin, with the rest of what is currently in Paraffin
Paraffin (liquid), Fuel paraffin, Liquid paraffin, rdrs to Kerosene
Paraffin or Paraffin (disambiguation), a Dab lk'g to all of the above 3.
Am i wrong in wanting to devote another separate article and a Dab page to this? Am i on the right track with the titles?
--Jerzy•t 06:50, 20 November 2006 (UTC)

I have tried to tackle some of the points you raise, see: Paraffin (disambiguation), but it's a bigger job than I expected and there are probably still some inconsistencies. Biscuittin 20:54, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

Just to complicate matters slightly further. In terms of domestic use most distribution companies refer to kerosene by that name. Paraffin is a more refined kerosene which contains a lower impurity content than the regular kerosene- as is reflected in the price. Having worked for a distributor for a few years, I know there are lots of different names for the same product and it often leads to confusion. Good luck on sorting it out. IrishPete 21:30, 29 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Carbon Atoms?

According to "Advanced Chemistry " (Oxford University Press), by Michael Clugston and Rosalind Flemming (ISBN 0-19-914633-0), Kerosene has 10-14 carbon atoms in molecules, so which is right ? I have seen a number of internet-sites stating that Kerosene is from 12-15 carbon atoms, but generally I would think that my textbook is more reliable than the internet, does anyone else know anything about this ?
--cKaL —Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.211.231.150 (talk) 18:55-:56, 25 October 2006

There's certainly no magic formula for kero; those ranges are close enuf that i'd be surprised if the behaviors were dramatic enuf to say that any of them don't qualify. It's likely the difference between the two authors is that
  • they have slightly different definitions of the viscosity, energy content, and ignition temperature ranges that constitute kero, and/or
  • they are describing what would be economical to produce with two different
    1. grades of crude and/or
    2. refinery technologies (perhaps reflecting different decades of construction, or regulatory regimes) or
    3. patterns of price ratios among refinery products, due to differences in local demand.
      --Jerzy•t 05:59, 20 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Merge of RP-1 into kerosene

Disagree - If RP-1 is to be merged into kerosene, then jet fuel must also. The differences between Kerosene and RP-1 are just as few as the differences between Kero and Jet Fuel. Personally I'd rather they stay seperate, or, at least have the redirection take the wikier down to the part of the page that specifically addresses RP-1.
Gaviidae 13:42, 30 October 2006 (UTC)

  • I would agree. Rather than focus on the name (kerosene), one should examine the distillation curves of the various fuels. JP-5 (Naval aviation grade), Jet-A, Jet-A-50, Arctic Diesel, No. 1 Diesel, GT-No. 1, these are all derivatives of something generally regarded as Kerosene.Bonzoboy 13:53, 3 January 2007 (UTC)
  • Disagree - separate things, would be too trivial for kerosene article. Eventually the types of kerosene will all merit their own articles; kerosene should only deal with a sweeping overview - Jack (talk) 03:07, 28 January 2007 (UTC)
  • Disagree for many of the same reasons as stated by Jrockley. I think there's enough material in both articles to merit them being separate. Combining them would probably cause confusion. The articles should link to each other with perhaps some mention of RP-1 in the kerosene article with "See main RP-1 article" and a link to it. IrishPete 21:51, 29 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Colour

I don't agree with the statement that kerosene is dark blue. I believe it's initially clear but, in the UK, a dye is added to "domestic paraffin" before sale. This is usually blue but, in the past, different oil companies used different colours, e.g. Esso blue, Aladdin pink (from Shell) and I think Regent/Texaco used green. Biscuittin 18:36, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

I've commented out the "dark blue" phrase. --Trovatore 21:56, 17 June 2007 (UTC)
That's correct. Kerosene is currently a pale yellow colour- as a result of the marker dyes added to it to ensure it's not used for fuelling on-road vehicles without the payment of appropriate duty. I would like to add a bit about this to the existing article- perhaps as a new paragraph on "kerosene use in the UK" or similar as it would appear that the UK and Ireland use it disproportionately in comparison with other developed nations.IrishPete 21:36, 29 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Suggested alterations for the article

I would like to suggest that the paragraphs on heating and lighting be incorporated under one paragraph- possibly with the heading "Domestic use" with statements that have been made consolidated under this heading by geographic region; similarly consolidate "transportation" and "other uses" under a further heading of "commercial use" where possible- there would probably still be a much reduced "other uses" section. I'm happy to rewrite these parts of the article and possibly expand and add references as long as people are happy for me to do that.IrishPete 21:45, 29 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] In Sri Lanka

I'm surprised nobody's noticed the badly-written section on Sri Lanka — it was added by 91.104.4.48 in late July (*.orangehomedsl.co.uk, diff). I've removed bits already mentioned in other sections, and moved it to the end, but I don't know if the paragraph should be there at all. ⇌Elektron 18:56, 14 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Chemical Formula

Why don't we have the chemical formula anywhere on the aricle page?--§ Eloc § 23:00, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

Oh, after reserching around on Google, I found out it's C14H30. I'll add it to the article.--§ Eloc § 23:03, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Chemistry Question: Why does Kerosene smell bad?

Kerosene is usually defined as a mixture of aliphatic compounds ranging from approximately C12 to C15. So why does it have such a strong odor? If you have ever smelled pure compounds in this range, such as dodecane, they are nearly odorless. Heavier petroleum distillates like mineral oil are pretty much odorless too. But kerosene has a strong, fairly distinct odor. Does kerosene's odor come from other types of chemicals, like naphtha or benzene? If so, is it possible to buy "pure" kerosene with all of those things removed? Deepfryer99 (talk) 18:50, 18 March 2008 (UTC)