The
kerosene lamp is a type of
lightingLighting or illumination is the deliberate application of light to achieve some practical or aesthetic effect. Lighting includes the use of both artificial light sources such as lamps and light fixtures, as well as natural illumination by capturing daylight...
device that uses
keroseneKerosene, sometimes spelled kerosine in scientific and industrial usage, also known as paraffin or paraffin oil in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Ireland and South Africa, is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid. The name is derived from Greek keros...
(British "paraffin," as distinct from paraffin wax) as a
fuelFuel is any material that stores energy that can later be extracted to perform mechanical work in a controlled manner. Most fuels used by humans undergo combustion, a redox reaction in which a combustible substance releases energy after it ignites and reacts with the oxygen in the air...
. This article refers to kerosene lamps that have a wick and a tall glass chimney. Kerosene lanterns that have a wick and a glass globe are related to kerosene lamps and are included here as well. There are three types of kerosene lamp; Traditional flat wick, Central draught (tubular round wick) and the Mantle lamp. There are three types of kerosene lantern; Dead flame, Hot blast and cold blast.
The first description of a simple lamp using crude mineral oil was provided by
al-Razi Muhammad ibn Zakariyā Rāzī , known as Rhazes or Rasis after medieval Latinists, was a Persian polymath,a prominent figure in Islamic Golden Age, physician, alchemist and chemist, philosopher, and scholar....
(Rhazes) in 9th century Baghdad, who referred to it as the "naffatah" in his
Kitab al-Asrar (
Book of Secrets). Modern versions of the kerosene lamp were later constructed by the Polish inventor Ignacy Łukasiewicz in 1853
LvivLviv is a city in western Ukraine. The city is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of today's Ukraine and historically has also been a major Polish and Jewish cultural center, as Poles and Jews were the two main ethnicities of the city until the outbreak of World War II and the following...
, and by Robert Edwin Dietz of the United States at about the same time. The question regarding the primacy of these two inventors' versions of the lamp remains unresolved.
Flat wick lamp
A flat wick lamp is a simple type of
keroseneKerosene, sometimes spelled kerosine in scientific and industrial usage, also known as paraffin or paraffin oil in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Ireland and South Africa, is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid. The name is derived from Greek keros...
lamp that works in a similar way to a
candleA candle is a solid block or cylinder of wax with an embedded wick, which is lit to provide light, and sometimes heat.Today, most candles are made from paraffin. Candles can also be made from beeswax, soy, other plant waxes, and tallow...
. This type of lamp is also known as a "paraffin lamp" in the
United kingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.A flat wick lamp has a fuel tank (fount) with the lamp burner attached. Attached to the fuel tank, 4 prongs hold the glass chimney which acts to prevent the flame from being blown out and enhances a thermally induced draft. The glass chimney needs a "throat" or slight constriction to create the proper draft for complete
combustionCombustion or burning is the sequence of exothermic chemical reactions between a fuel and an oxidant accompanied by the production of heat and conversion of chemical species. The release of heat can result in the production of light in the form of either glowing or a flame...
of the fuel; the draft carries more air (oxygen) past the flame, helping to produce a brighter, smokeless light than an open flame would produce.
The lamp burner has a flat wick, usually made of
cottonCotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
. The lower half of the wick dips into the fount and absorbs the kerosene the top part of the wick extends out of the wick tube of the lamp burner which includes a wick-adjustment mechanism. Adjusting how much of the wick extends above the wick tube controls the flame. The wick tube surrounds the wick, and ensures that the correct amount of air reaches the lamp burner. Adjustment is usually done by means of a small knob operating a cric, which is a toothed, metal
sprocketA sprocket or sprocket-wheel is a profiled wheel with teeth, cogs, or even sprockets that mesh with a chain, track or other perforated or indented material. The name 'sprocket' applies generally to any wheel upon which are radial projections that engage a chain passing over it...
bearing against the wick. If the wick is too high and extends beyond the burner cone at the top of the wick tube, the lamp will produce
smokeSmoke is a collection of airborne solid and liquid particulates and gases emitted when a material undergoes combustion or pyrolysis, together with the quantity of air that is entrained or otherwise mixed into the mass. It is commonly an unwanted by-product of fires , but may also be used for pest...
and
sootSoot is a general term that refers to impure carbon particles resulting from the incomplete combustion of a hydrocarbon. It is more properly restricted to the product of the gas-phase combustion process but is commonly extended to include the residual pyrolyzed fuel particles such as cenospheres,...
(unburned carbon). When the lamp is lit, the kerosene that the wick has absorbed burns and produces a clear, bright, yellow
flameA flame is the visible , gaseous part of a fire. It is caused by a highly exothermic reaction taking place in a thin zone...
. As the kerosene burns,
capillary actionCapillary action, or capilarity, is the ability of a liquid to flow against gravity where liquid spontanously rise in a narrow space such as between the hair of a paint-brush, in a thin tube, or in porous material such as paper or in some non-porous material such as liquified carbon fiber, or in a...
in the wick draws more kerosene up from the fuel tank. All kerosene flat wick lamps use the dead flame burner design where the flame is fed cold air from below and hot air exits above.
Central draught (tubular round wick) lamp
A central draught lamp or argand lamp works in the same manner as the flat wick lamp. The burner is equipped with a tall glass chimney of around 12 inch tall or taller to provide the powerful draft this burner requires to burn properly. The burner uses a wick usually made of
cottonCotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
that is made of a wide flat wick rolled into a tube the seam is then stiched together to form the completed wick. The tubular wick is then mounted into a "carrier" that has some form of toothed rack that engages into the gears of the wick raising machanism on the burner that allows the wick to be raised and lowered. The wick rides in between the inner and outter wick tubes the inner wick tube (central draft tube) provides the "central draught" or draft that supplies air to the flame spreader. When the lamp is lit the central draft tube supplies air to the flame spreader that spreads out the flame into a ring of
fireFire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition....
and allows the lamp to burn cleanly.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Idealbrenner.JPG Photo "central draught" tubular wick kerosene lamp
Mantle lamp
A variation on the "central draught" lamp is the mantle lamp. The mantle is a roughly pear-shaped silk fabric net that contains
thoriumThorium is a natural radioactive chemical element with the symbol Th and atomic number 90. It was discovered in 1828 and named after Thor, the Norse god of thunder....
or other
rare-earthAs defined by IUPAC, rare earth elements or rare earth metals are a set of seventeen chemical elements in the periodic table, specifically the fifteen lanthanides plus scandium and yttrium...
salts that will be converted to oxides that incandescences (
glowThermal radiation is electromagnetic radiation generated by the thermal motion of charged particles in matter. All matter with a temperature greater than absolute zero emits thermal radiation....
brightly) from combustion of fuel. As mantle lamps are considerably brighter than flat or round wick lamps, and produce a whiter light, a lamp shade is often desirable. They also consume fuel at a greater rate than simple wick lamps and produce large amounts of
heatIn physics and thermodynamics, heat is energy transferred from one body, region, or thermodynamic system to another due to thermal contact or thermal radiation when the systems are at different temperatures. It is often described as one of the fundamental processes of energy transfer between...
. A few operating mantle lamps can serve to heat a small building in cold weather. Mantle lamps, because of the higher
temperatureTemperature is a physical property of matter that quantitatively expresses the common notions of hot and cold. Objects of low temperature are cold, while various degrees of higher temperatures are referred to as warm or hot...
at which they operate, do not produce much of an odor except when they are first ignited or extinguished. Like flat and round wick lamps, they can be adjusted for brightness, and can also be adjusted too high, which will cause the lamp chimney and the mantle to soot up. If a too high adjusted lamp is caught promptly, it can simply be adjusted down and the small amount of soot on the mantle will soon be burned off. If it is not caught soon enough, a "runaway lamp" condition can result.
Kerosene lantern
A kerosene lantern also known as a "barn lantern" or "hurricane lantern" is a flat wick lamp made portable and for outdoor use. They are made of soldered or crimped together sheet metal stampings with tin plated sheet steel being the most common followed by brass and copper. There are three types; Dead flame, Hot blast and Cold blast.
Dead flame
The earliest portable kerosene "glass globe" lanterns of the 1850s and 60s were of the dead flame type another early kerosene lantern was a flat wick lamp installed in a metal box with glass panes it was made to be a stationary outdoor lamp and was not intended to be portable. A dead flame lantern works by drawing in fresh air directly below the burner while the hot exhaust air is exhausted out the top of the lantern.
Hot blast
The hot blast design also known as a "tubular lantern" due to the round metal tubes used in its construction was invented by John irwin and patented on january 12, 1868. The hot blast design collected hot (exhaust) air from above the globe and fed it through metal side tubes to the burner to make the flame burn brighter.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tranby_house_49_gnangarra.jpg photo hot blast kerosene lantern
Cold blast
The cold blast design is similar to the hot blast except that cold fresh air is drawn in from arount the top of the globe and is then fed though the metal side tubes to the flame making it burn brighter. This design produces a brighter light than the hot blast because the fresh air the is fed to the flame has plenty of oxygen to support the combustion process.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kerosene_lantern.jpg photo cold blast kerosene lantern
Operation and maintenance
The operation of a kerosene lamp is quite simple, To light a flat wick lamp first fill the fuel tank (fount) with a fresh approved fuel such as kerosene then let the lamp sit for approximately 15 minutes (an hour of more for tubular wick burners) to allow the wick to absorb the fuel. The wick should first be trimmed straight across with a pair of sharp scissors before lighting, then lift the glass chimney off the lamp turn up the wick slightly and light the wick with a match or butane lighter if it smokes turn the wick down a little then put the glass chimney back on the lamp and turn up the wick to a low flame. Allow the lamp to warm up for a few minutes before turning the lamp up to full brightness as turning up the flame to soon can crack a cold chimney. To extinguish the lamp turn down the flame and then blow across the chimney to put out the flame. You can also extinguish the lamp by quickly turning down the wick below the top of the wick tube.
Mantle lamps and other lamps that use the "central draught" tubular wick burner light up in the same manner except the chimney and gallery on "central draught" lamps that also includes the mantle on mantle lamps (the gallery is a removable base that fits on top of the burner that the chimney and mantle is mounted on) is removed as a unit the wick is lit and then the chimney and gallery is placed back on the lamp. The wick on a mantle lamp or "central draught" tubular wick lamp should never be trimmed with scissors or any sharp instrument the use of a special wick cleaner is required to remove the carbon off the top of the wick and to leave a smooth surface on the top of it.
Approved Fuels
- Pure paraffin
In chemistry, paraffin is a term that can be used synonymously with "alkane", indicating hydrocarbons with the general formula CnH2n+2. Paraffin wax refers to a mixture of alkanes that falls within the 20 ≤ n ≤ 40 range; they are found in the solid state at room temperature and begin to enter the...
wax oil not to be confused with paraffin the name for kerosene in the United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and South AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. Is a pure paraffin wax oil it burns clean and odorless and is available clear or in a choice of several colors.
- Generic lamp oil is available clear or in a choice of several colors and in scented and unscented form. Lamp oil burns cleaner and with less odor than kerosene.
- K-1 kerosene
Kerosene, sometimes spelled kerosine in scientific and industrial usage, also known as paraffin or paraffin oil in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Ireland and South Africa, is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid. The name is derived from Greek keros...
or paraffinIn chemistry, paraffin is a term that can be used synonymously with "alkane", indicating hydrocarbons with the general formula CnH2n+2. Paraffin wax refers to a mixture of alkanes that falls within the 20 ≤ n ≤ 40 range; they are found in the solid state at room temperature and begin to enter the...
in the United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and South AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
is the preferred fuel for kerosene wick lamps.
- Red kerosene is dyed red and is slightly less expensive than K-1 kerosene, as no motor-fuel taxes
A fuel tax is an excise tax imposed on the sale of fuel. In most countries the fuel tax is imposed on fuels which are intended for transportation...
are collected on it.
- Klean-Heat is a cleaner burning, nicer smelling kerosene substitute, sold at many hardware store
Hardware stores, sometimes known as DIY stores, sell household hardware including: fasteners, hand tools, power tools, keys, locks, hinges, chains, plumbing supplies, electrical supplies, cleaning products, housewares, tools, utensils, paint, and lawn and garden products directly to consumers for...
s during winterWinter is the coldest season of the year in temperate climates, between autumn and spring. At the winter solstice, the days are shortest and the nights are longest, with days lengthening as the season progresses after the solstice.-Meteorology:...
.
- Citronella oil
Citronella oil is one of the essential oils obtained from the leaves and stems of different species of Cymbopogon. The oil is used extensively as a source of perfumery chemicals such as citronellal, citronellol and geraniol...
is a citronella scented lamp oil some brands also have lemongrass oil in them and is used for its Insect repellant properties and should only be used outdoors. .
Emergency Substitutes
Kerosene wick lamps should only be operated with
keroseneKerosene, sometimes spelled kerosine in scientific and industrial usage, also known as paraffin or paraffin oil in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Ireland and South Africa, is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid. The name is derived from Greek keros...
or lamp oil, but alternative fuels may be used in an emergency.
- Tractor vaporizing oil is made from kerosene with some additive to make a motor fuel
A motor fuel is a fuel that is used to provide power to motor vehicles.Currently, the majority of motor vehicles worldwide are powered by gasoline or diesel. Other energy sources include ethanol, biodiesel, propane, compressed natural gas , electric batteries charged from an external source, and...
for tractors and should only be used outdoors.
- Diesel fuel No 1 Diesel is about the same as kerosene
Kerosene, sometimes spelled kerosine in scientific and industrial usage, also known as paraffin or paraffin oil in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Ireland and South Africa, is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid. The name is derived from Greek keros...
but with the additives to make it a motor fuelA motor fuel is a fuel that is used to provide power to motor vehicles.Currently, the majority of motor vehicles worldwide are powered by gasoline or diesel. Other energy sources include ethanol, biodiesel, propane, compressed natural gas , electric batteries charged from an external source, and...
. It should only be used outdoors.
- Jet A jet engine fuel is essentially kerosene with a few additives. It should only be used outdoors
Hazardous Fuels
- Charcoal lighter fluid
Charcoal lighter fluid is a volatile mixture of petroleum distillates, like butane, sold to accelerate the ignition of charcoal in a barbecue grill. It can be used both with lump charcoal and briquettes. Lighter-fluid infused briquettes, such as Kingsford® Match Light® instant charcoal briquets,...
for starting charcoal briquettes used in bbq grills contains stoddard solvent and should not be used in kerosene wick lamps due to its low flash pointThe flash point of a volatile material is the lowest temperature at which it can vaporize to form an ignitable mixture in air. Measuring a flash point requires an ignition source...
.
- 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...
aka petrol is extremely flammable and has a very low flash pointThe flash point of a volatile material is the lowest temperature at which it can vaporize to form an ignitable mixture in air. Measuring a flash point requires an ignition source...
and will lead to a serious fireFire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition....
or explosionAn explosion is a rapid increase in volume and release of energy in an extreme manner, usually with the generation of high temperatures and the release of gases. An explosion creates a shock wave. If the shock wave is a supersonic detonation, then the source of the blast is called a "high explosive"...
if used in a kerosene wick lamp.
- 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...
also known as white gasWhite 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....
or coleman fuelColeman fuel is a petroleum naphtha product marketed by The Coleman Company. Historically called white gas , it is a liquid petroleum fuel 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...
is extremely flammable and has a very low flash pointThe flash point of a volatile material is the lowest temperature at which it can vaporize to form an ignitable mixture in air. Measuring a flash point requires an ignition source...
and will lead to a serious fire or explosionAn explosion is a rapid increase in volume and release of energy in an extreme manner, usually with the generation of high temperatures and the release of gases. An explosion creates a shock wave. If the shock wave is a supersonic detonation, then the source of the blast is called a "high explosive"...
if used in a kerosene wick lamp.
- Mineral Spirits also known as paint thinner, 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...
or stoddard solvent due to its low (under 110 degrees) flash pointThe flash point of a volatile material is the lowest temperature at which it can vaporize to form an ignitable mixture in air. Measuring a flash point requires an ignition source...
and may lead to a serious fireFire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition....
or explosionAn explosion is a rapid increase in volume and release of energy in an extreme manner, usually with the generation of high temperatures and the release of gases. An explosion creates a shock wave. If the shock wave is a supersonic detonation, then the source of the blast is called a "high explosive"...
and should NOT used in a kerosene wick lamp.
- Solvents such as turpentine
Turpentine is a fluid obtained by the distillation of resin obtained from trees, mainly pine trees. It is composed of terpenes, mainly the monoterpenes alpha-pinene and beta-pinene...
, benzeneBenzene is an organic chemical compound. It is composed of 6 carbon atoms in a ring, with 1 hydrogen atom attached to each carbon atom, with the molecular formula C6H6....
, zylene, toluene, acetoneAcetone is the organic compound with the formula 2CO, a colorless, mobile, flammable liquid, the simplest example of the ketones.Acetone is miscible with water and serves as an important solvent in its own right, typically as the solvent of choice for cleaning purposes in the laboratory...
, lacquer thinner, denatured alcohol, etc are meant to be used as a solventA solvent is a liquid, solid, or gas that dissolves another solid, liquid, or gaseous solute, resulting in a solution that is soluble in a certain volume of solvent at a specified temperature...
and not as a fuelFuel is any material that stores energy that can later be extracted to perform mechanical work in a controlled manner. Most fuels used by humans undergo combustion, a redox reaction in which a combustible substance releases energy after it ignites and reacts with the oxygen in the air...
as they can create toxic fumes when burned, also their flash pointThe flash point of a volatile material is the lowest temperature at which it can vaporize to form an ignitable mixture in air. Measuring a flash point requires an ignition source...
is way too low to be used in a kerosene wick lamp and will likely result in a fireFire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition....
or explosionAn explosion is a rapid increase in volume and release of energy in an extreme manner, usually with the generation of high temperatures and the release of gases. An explosion creates a shock wave. If the shock wave is a supersonic detonation, then the source of the blast is called a "high explosive"...
.
See also
- Abraham Pineo Gesner
Abraham Pineo Gesner was a Canadian physician and geologist who invented kerosene. Although Ignacy Łukasiewicz developed the modern kerosene lamp, starting the world's oil industry, Gesner is considered a primary founder. Gesner was born in Cornwallis, Nova Scotia...
- Ignacy Łukasiewicz
Jan Józef Ignacy Łukasiewicz was a Polish pharmacist and petroleum industry pioneer who in 1856 built the first oil refinery in the world...
- List of light sources
- Gas mantle
An incandescent gas mantle, gas mantle, or Welsbach mantle is a device for generating bright white light when heated by a flame. The name refers to its original heat source, existing gas lights, which filled the streets of Europe and North America in the late 19th century, mantle referring to the...
- Citronella
Citronella is a word used for several things, including:* Citronella , a genus of trees and shrubs in the Cardiopteridaceae* Citronella oil, an insect-repelling essential oil derived from Cymbopogon...
- Candles
- Oil lamp
An oil lamp is an object used to produce light continuously for a period of time using an oil-based fuel source. The use of oil lamps began thousands of years ago and is continued to this day....
- kerosene lantern
- kerosene
Kerosene, sometimes spelled kerosine in scientific and industrial usage, also known as paraffin or paraffin oil in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Ireland and South Africa, is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid. The name is derived from Greek keros...
External links