Coleman fuel
Encyclopedia
Coleman fuel is a petroleum naphtha
product marketed by The Coleman Company. Historically called white gas
(not White spirit
), it is a liquid petroleum fuel (100% light hydrotreated distillate) sold in one gallon cans. It is used primarily for fueling lanterns and camp stoves. Originally, it was simply casing-head gas or drip gas which has similar properties. Drip gas was sold commercially at gas stations and hardware stores in North America until the early 1950's. The White gas
sold today is a similar product but is produced at refineries with the benzene removed.
Coleman fuel is a mixture of cyclohexane
, nonane
, octane
, heptane
, and pentane
.
Though Coleman fuel has an octane rating
of 50 to 55 and a flammability similar to gasoline, it has none of the additives found in modern gasoline
and cannot be used as a substitute for gasoline, kerosene or diesel fuel in modern engines. Its high heat of combustion and lack of octane boosting additives like tetra-ethyl lead
will destroy engine valves, and its low octane rating would produce knocking
.
Naphtha
Naphtha normally refers to a number of different flammable liquid mixtures of hydrocarbons, i.e., a component of natural gas condensate or a distillation product from petroleum, coal tar or peat boiling in a certain range and containing certain hydrocarbons. It is a broad term covering among the...
product marketed by The Coleman Company. Historically called white gas
White gas
White gas is a common name for two flammable substances. In its most common modern usage, it is used as a generic name for camp stove and lantern fuel, usually naphtha....
(not White spirit
White spirit
White spirit [CAS 64475-85-0], also known as Stoddard solvent [CAS 8052-41-3] or mineral spirits, is a paraffin-derived clear, transparent liquid which is a common organic solvent used in painting and decorating. In 1924, an Atlanta dry cleaner named W. J. Stoddard worked with Lloyd E...
), it is a liquid petroleum fuel (100% light hydrotreated distillate) sold in one gallon cans. It is used primarily for fueling lanterns and camp stoves. Originally, it was simply casing-head gas or drip gas which has similar properties. Drip gas was sold commercially at gas stations and hardware stores in North America until the early 1950's. The White gas
White gas
White gas is a common name for two flammable substances. In its most common modern usage, it is used as a generic name for camp stove and lantern fuel, usually naphtha....
sold today is a similar product but is produced at refineries with the benzene removed.
Coleman fuel is a mixture of cyclohexane
Cyclohexane
Cyclohexane is a cycloalkane with the molecular formula C6H12. Cyclohexane is used as a nonpolar solvent for the chemical industry, and also as a raw material for the industrial production of adipic acid and caprolactam, both of which being intermediates used in the production of nylon...
, nonane
Nonane
Nonane is a linear alkane hydrocarbon with the chemical formula C9H20.Nonane has 35 structural isomers. Tripropylene is a mixture of three specific isomers of nonane.Its substituent form is nonyl. Its cycloalkane counterpart is cyclononane, ....
, octane
Octane
Octane is a hydrocarbon and an alkane with the chemical formula C8H18, and the condensed structural formula CH36CH3. Octane has many structural isomers that differ by the amount and location of branching in the carbon chain...
, heptane
Heptane
n-Heptane is the straight-chain alkane with the chemical formula H3C5CH3 or C7H16. When used as a test fuel component in anti-knock test engines, a 100% heptane fuel is the zero point of the octane rating scale...
, and pentane
Pentane
Pentane is an organic compound with the formula C5H12 — that is, an alkane with five carbon atoms. The term may refer to any of three structural isomers, or to a mixture of them: in the IUPAC nomenclature, however, pentane means exclusively the n-pentane isomer; the other two being called...
.
Though Coleman fuel has an octane rating
Octane rating
Octane rating or octane number is a standard measure of the anti-knock properties of a motor or aviation fuel. The higher the octane number, the more compression the fuel can withstand before detonating...
of 50 to 55 and a flammability similar to gasoline, it has none of the additives found in modern gasoline
Gasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
and cannot be used as a substitute for gasoline, kerosene or diesel fuel in modern engines. Its high heat of combustion and lack of octane boosting additives like tetra-ethyl lead
Tetra-ethyl lead
Tetraethyllead , abbreviated TEL, is an organolead compound with the formula 4Pb. An inexpensive additive, its addition to gasoline from the 1920's allowed octane ratings and thus engine compression to be boosted significantly, increasing power and fuel economy...
will destroy engine valves, and its low octane rating would produce knocking
Engine knocking
Knocking in spark-ignition internal combustion engines occurs when combustion of the air/fuel mixture in the cylinder starts off correctly in response to ignition by the spark plug, but one or more pockets of air/fuel mixture explode outside the envelope of the normal combustion front.The...
.