Kerosene

Light oil, middle distillate

2 mm ² / s ( 20 ° C)

About 0.8 kg / L

About 175-325 ° C

55 to about 74 ° C.

Risk

Petroleum ( v. gr: Petra = rock, rock and Latin oleum = oil; short form of petroleum ) is a liquid mixture of hydrocarbons obtained by fractional distillation of petroleum. The properties of the mixture depend on the exact chemical composition of each, and may vary widely. Petroleum is not very volatile and difficult to ignite with a flash point of 55-74 ° C. Petroleum vapors are much heavier than air and may form explosive mixtures with this. The petroleum fraction in the distillation of petroleum is in the boiling range of gasoline and diesel fuel by about 175 ° C to 325 ° C.

The correct term for petroleum in the American style. English is Kerosene and is often mistakenly translated into German with kerosene, although the German term kerosene is limited to light petroleum. The British word for petroleum is against paraffins Oil. Petroleum was the historical term for oil, the English word Petroleum means crude oil or crude oil. The designation by the European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road (ADR) is " KEROSENE ".

Use

Petroleum is (energy density / mass: 11.9 kWh / kg according to 43.1 MJ / kg, energy density / volume: 9.5 kWh / l corresponding to 34.2 MJ / l) used as fuel for oil lamps and as a cleaning agent. It burns evenly under highly oily soot and verzoteter and is suitable as a cleaning agent in order to remove strongly adhering dirt and grease residues from metal surfaces.

Petroleum (also called diesel engines) as a fuel for diesel engines, aircraft model used (42% paraffin, 36 % diethyl ether, 20% castor oil, 2% isoamyl nitrite ). This type of motor is used only rarely. However, he will continue to be manufactured in small series (India, UK, Czech Republic and former Soviet Union countries, primarily for team racing or fox hunting models). Petroleum is now used inter alia in jet engines for model aircraft.

Petroleum appropriated in the form of an admixture to improve the cold properties (see cloud point, cold filter plugging point ) of diesel fuel at low temperatures. This method is ( in advance of the cold season ) usually not required by the provision of winter diesel.

In the commercial cleaners and solvents are offered with very narrow boiling ranges and sold as kerosene for different applications. These materials are very pure ( eg hydrogenated, deflavorized ) and have no serious proportions, which would leave residues. Also petroleum is used for storage of certain metals ( eg pure potassium). In this case, however, shows a stronger crust formation, as in the storage of the alkali metals with pure paraffin oil - which is recommended here.

With a flash point (>) 55 ° C Petroleum is significantly less dangerous than flying or car gasoline.

As the Siedeverlaufskurve shows (pictured), petroleum is the jet fuel ( kerosene) similar, the clearly recognizable higher-boiling fractions, however, would not meet the specification to an increased, leading Freezing Point. To designate as kerosene kerosene with additives, is therefore wrong.

Petroleum is also still used as a lubricant for precise slide-mounted spindles, eg on surface grinders.

History

Petroleum was from about 1870 until after the turn of the 20th century used as fuel for lamps used before it was replaced by electricity.