Kerosine

Kerosine, or paraffin oil as it is often called in the UK, was for fifty years the most important petroleum product. Al­though it has long lost its leading place to gasoline, it is still in considerable demand. Its use as an illuminant persists in many parts of the world, the development of clean, efficient burners has increased its demand for domestic heating and cooking and still more recently the development of turbo-prop and turbo-jet aircraft has resulted in a con­siderable increase in consumption.

Kerosine, as produced in the refinery, is a colourless liquid, but commercial grades are sometimes dyed. It is less volatile and less inflammable than gasoline, boiling between 140-300^o C (285-570^o F), thus overlapping the gasoline range.

Kerosines with a high content of aromaties are unsuitable in lamps or while-flame appliances with wicks since they cause -smoking. For such uses the kerosine is treated to reduce the aromatic content, leaving a. predominantly paraffinic product (p. 90). The sulphur content must also be kept as low as possible.

For use as a tractor fuel kerosine must have as high an octane number as possible, and the inclusion of aromaties, which have high ON, is advantageous. Grades suitable for use in tractors arc marketed as tractor vaporizing oil and preferably have a high aromatic content.

For aviation purposes two widely different grades are used, a low-freezing point kerosine and a wide-range distil­late (a kerosine including gasoline fractions). Both are rigidly controlled by official British and USA specifications.

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