Kerosene lamp
A kerosene lamp, kerosene lamp also, is a lamp that produces light by means of the combustion of petroleum gases.
History
It is not possible to designate one (and only one ) specific inventor of the kerosene lamp, nor known a year of their invention. Petroleum (English petroleum) was already known for hundreds of years, but was rarely used because of the low light effect and the strong odor and soot for illumination. Some publications predate the invention of the early 19th century, but the principle is likely to have been derived from the much earlier oil lamps. Significant steps in the functioning kerosene lamp as we know it today, the invention of the light cylinder ( Rhineland in 1810 ) and the round wick in 1854 by the Polish chemist Ignacy Lukasiewicz ( 1822-1882 ) in Lviv, who also serves as one of the pioneers of petroleum were applies.
There was also a series of necessary Vorerfindungen, such as the well-functioning burner for Argandleuchten, and the ability to purify the crude oil by treatment with acids and alkalis as well as to separate them by fractional distillation into its components in order to have a suitable fuel. Finally, it also required a stable and extensive production of oil, so that the new product could enforce priced. As the technical requirements were created, also had the already existing oil lamps ( Carcellampe and clockwork lamp, Argand burner, Moderateurlampe ) to be redesigned for the new fuel.
After adjustments to the fuel at the burner, the wick and the Zugglas (lamp glass, lamp cylinder ) to overcome the strong Rußens and according to the massive odor, dissolved paraffin lamps within a short time before the use of oil lamps from. The great advantage of petroleum as fuel was its low viscosity, which rose in a wick much higher ( about 10 cm) than all other oils used previously. Besides, it was to get relatively inexpensive.
To this day, oil lamps are built. There are also still glass cylinder, wicks, tanks and various burner on the market. This allows repair and continue to operate old lamps.
Technology
Kerosene lamps usually consist of tank, wick, burner and glass cylinder. The fuel rises by capillary action in the wick up. The wick is often adjustable in height to be replaced by a gear drive in the burner to burn. At the free end of the wick in the burner gasified kerosene and can be ignited.
The burner keeps the wick, resulting in only so much air that the flame burns bright and white. Insufficient air makes the flame soot, too much air results in a blue flame, is unsuitable as a light source (see Bunsen burner ).
Have kerosene lamps over candles the advantage of greater brightness and much cheaper and longer operation. Candles have long been something special and expensive. Usually lit kerosene lamps with a full tank for 20 hours. The brightness was stated earlier in Hefner candles ( HK), which corresponded approximately to the brightness of a household candle. The lamps had depending on the burner design, burner wick width and size magnitudes of about 5 to 30 HK.
Lamp types
Wick lamps / Luftzuglampen
- Types of lamp types
French oil lamp with burner and reflector cosmos with wall bracket, end of 19th century
Kosmos burner of a " Ditmar " kitchen lamp
Ideal torch (flash disc burner )
Flat burner of a Lucas bicycle lamp
Burners are available in different forms, the most popular flat burner, Kosmos burner and flame plate burner.
The cosmos burner, patented in 1865, goes back to a growth of natural and Wessel of Berlin. In it, a flat, wide wick is guided so that it runs along a circle above and the combustion air is supplied from the outside and from the inside. The light output of these hollow wick or round burners therefore much higher than that of the flat burner. The combustion is cleaner, such a burner smokes and smells not hardly. The cosmos burner is one of the most built burners, he was economical in operation and could be screwed onto almost any simple tank. The German Reichsbahn used Kosmos burner in various wagon and signal lamps. This use was continued at the German railways until well into the 1980s. Some petroleum - round burners use a circular woven hollow wick, must therefore but the combustion air to the internal ventilation of the flame using a central air pipe through the tank through related ( so-called Central Luftzuglampe ). In these lamps, so the tank is constructed complicated.
Important is the glass cylinder on the burner, which carries out its chimney effect for the right train to the combustion air. He also protects the flame from the wind. Different types of burners needs exactly adjusted to the respective models glass cylinder. For example, the "Wiener cylinder " for flat burner, "Cosmos cylinder " Kosmos burner or " Matador cylinder " for flash disc burners are available.
Measure of the wick width and thus size of a kerosene burner is the line (Paris line). So an 8- straightforward (abbreviation 8'' ' ) Kosmos burner has a wick width of 42 mm and a Schraubgewindedurchmesser of 28 mm.
A method for increasing the brightness has been the use of a flame plate. These flame ( also fire ) disc was placed a few millimeters above the wick end. The flame " pushes " on the way up against the disc and becomes " wider " and thus be slightly lighter. Flash disk burner need a special glass cylinder with spherical bulge to allow the flame accordingly place. The brightness of these lamps is amazing the warmth they spread, however. Similarly, these burners are excessively "thirsty". Consumption increases disproportionately. Lamps with such burners were located almost exclusively in "rich" households. Known models of this type are the ideal and the Matador burner.
Until about 1970, you discover construction lanterns often still used for traffic safety, usually on the make " Feuerhand 276 " from Nier. In East Germany were even into the 1980s kerosene lamps makes the BAT or Frowo in use. There are hurricane lamps with flat wick burner, which can be due to the housing construction hardly blown by strong wind. These lanterns have a fairly large tank, which allowed a burn time of up to about 70 hours.
Some of these construction lanterns produced flashing brightness curve, which brings attention and fuel saving. For lighting purposes, trying yes otherwise by appropriate design and wick setting flicker, and also to avoid blacks.
Petroleum incandescent lamps
Petroleum incandescent lamps are a combination of wicking and high-powered lamp. These lamps suck the fuel through the wick from the underlying tank, burn it with a blue flame to provide a mantle with heat and gas. The magnitudes obtained are far greater than the ordinary wick lamps. To generate the still built Aladdin No. 23 a brightness equivalent to a 50 watt bulb. Glühlichtlampen gave it as gasoline and Spiritusglühlicht.
High-powered lamps
Having a completely different operation gasoline and kerosene lamps, which are known under the trade name Aida, AMG, BAT, Coleman, Continental, Ditmar, Geniol, Hasag, Mewa, Optimus, Petromax, radius, SMP, Tilley, Vapalux. Here, light is generated similar to a gas lamp means an incandescent body to Auer. This high-powered lamps to evaporate in a special carburetor depending on the design petrol or paraffin. The fuel is put in a tank by means of a built-in or external air pump under pressure. From there it enters the carburetor and is heated so much that it vaporizes. In a mixing tube, the gaseous fuel is mixed with air and then bringing the filament, called mantle, to emit light. This type of design allows for a much higher light output than the conventional wick lamps. However, the operation and maintenance of such a high-powered lamp are more complicated and expensive than the wick of a lamp, so high-powered lamps must be preheated generally with a carburetor. Most methylated spirit is used in a few lanterns for the preheating Petroleum is constructed, eg 824N Petromax. Illustrates an alternative construction of the starter Rapid: the fuel is compressed and nebulized with compressed air from the tank through a nozzle. This fuel -air mixture is ignitable and can be used to heat the gasifier.