kerosene — LLMpedia

kerosene
Name	Kerosene
Othernames	Paraffin oil, lamp oil
Type	Hydrocarbon fraction
Density	0.78–0.81 g/cm³
Boiling point	150–300 °C
Maincomponents	Alkanes, cycloalkanes, aromatic hydrocarbons

Contents

kerosene

Introduction

Kerosene is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid used as a fuel and solvent. It occupies a role in energy systems alongside Coal, Crude oil, Natural gas, Petroleum refining, and Diesel fuel industries, and it features in technologies developed by figures and organizations such as Abraham Gesner, Ignacy Łukasiewicz, Royal Dutch Shell, Standard Oil, and ExxonMobil. Its distribution and markets intersect with infrastructure actors including Port of Rotterdam, Houston Ship Channel, Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline, International Energy Agency, and Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.

Kerosene is produced by fractional distillation of Crude oil in refineries like those operated by BP plc, Chevron Corporation, TotalEnergies, and PetroChina, and by hydroprocessing and catalytic cracking units derived from technologies developed at laboratories such as ExxonMobil Research and Engineering and Shell Research. Feedstocks pass through units named after innovators and sites like the Benzene reforming processes and units conceptualized in early works by companies such as Standard Oil of New Jersey and Gulf Oil. Product specification follows standards established by bodies including American Society for Testing and Materials, European Committee for Standardization, and International Organization for Standardization, with grade distinctions used by airlines such as Delta Air Lines and British Airways for turbine kerosene. Major producers and trading hubs include Saudi Aramco, Rosneft, Vitol, Trafigura, and Glencore; logistics rely on terminals like Singapore refinery complex and shipping regulated by conventions such as the International Maritime Organization protocols.

Kerosene consists mainly of linear and branched alkanes, cycloalkanes, and light aromatic hydrocarbons with carbon chains typically from C10 to C16, a composition akin to fractions characterized in early petroleum chemistry studies by scientists including Michael Faraday and August Wilhelm von Hofmann. Its density, boiling range, flash point, and calorific value are measured using methods standardized by organizations such as ASTM International and ISO. The liquid exhibits thermophysical behavior relevant to aviation and heating systems engineered by firms like Boeing, Rolls-Royce Holdings, Honeywell Aerospace, and Pratt & Whitney. Combustion characteristics relate to emissions monitored by agencies such as the United States Environmental Protection Agency, European Environment Agency, and World Health Organization.

Kerosene serves as aviation turbine fuel used by carriers including Air France, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, and Qantas, and as a household and industrial heating fuel employed by manufacturers like Carrier Global and Trane Technologies. It is a feedstock in chemical plants operated by companies such as BASF, Dow Chemical Company, and SABIC for solvents and intermediates in petrochemical value chains that supply brands like Procter & Gamble and Unilever. Kerosene-powered lighting historically enabled infrastructures and innovations linked to institutions including Royal Society, British Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art, and public figures such as Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla. It has military applications in flamethrowers and heaters related to campaigns involving the First World War, Second World War, and operations where logistics were influenced by suppliers like Koch Industries.

Exposure to kerosene vapors and liquids raises concerns addressed by occupational safety bodies such as Occupational Safety and Health Administration, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and Health and Safety Executive. Acute and chronic risks have been subjects of research at institutions like Johns Hopkins University, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, and Imperial College London, with clinical guidance produced by organizations such as World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Environmental contamination incidents involving spills have mobilized responses by agencies including United States Coast Guard, Environmental Protection Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and remediation firms that partner with Shell Oil Company and BP, as seen in high-profile events that engaged courts like those in New York and London.

Standards for composition, handling, and transport derive from codes and regulations promulgated by ASTM International, International Civil Aviation Organization, European Union, United States Department of Transportation, and national regulators such as Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (India), National Energy Board (Canada), and Energy Information Administration. Safety labels and classification follow the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals as adopted by member states and trading entities including World Trade Organization participants. Trade and taxation policy affecting kerosene involve fiscal authorities like the United States Internal Revenue Service, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs, and international agreements negotiated among parties to World Trade Organization frameworks.

The commercialization of kerosene traces to inventors and entrepreneurs such as Abraham Gesner and Ignacy Łukasiewicz, and it influenced industrialists like John D. Rockefeller and corporations including Standard Oil Company during the 19th century industrial expansion that reshaped cities like Cleveland, Ohio, Baku, and Birmingham. Kerosene lamps and stoves altered domestic life studied in social histories at institutions like Smithsonian Institution and museums including the Science Museum, London; its role in exploration and colonial logistics intertwined with events such as the Scramble for Africa and expeditions tied to figures like David Livingstone and Roald Amundsen. Cultural depictions appear in literature and film archived by Library of Congress, British Film Institute, and writers such as Charles Dickens and Mark Twain who chronicled technological change.

Category:Petroleum products