The kerosene lamp (widely known in Britain as a paraffin lamp) is any type of lighting device which uses kerosene (paraffin) as a fuel. There are two main types of kerosene lamp which work in different ways, the “wick lamp” and the “pressure lamp”.
The first kerosene lamp was described by al-Razi (Rhazes) in 9th century Baghdad, who referred to it as the “naffatah” in his Kitab al-Asrar (Book of Secrets). A more modern kerosene lamp was later constructed by Polish inventor Ignacy ?ukasiewicz in 1853.
Wick lamp
A wick lamp is a simple type of kerosene lamp which works in a similar way to a candle. This type of lamp is also known as an “oil lamp”. In a wick lamp there is a small fuel tank at the bottom of the lamp. There is also a wick, usually made of cotton. The lower half of the wick is dipped into and absorbs the kerosene. The top part of the wick extends out of the top of fuel tank and (usually) a wick adjustment mechanism. There are many variations in wick lamp design, the barn (tubular) and Aladdin being the most common.
When the top part of wick is lit, the kerosene which has been absorbed in the wick burns and produces a yellowy flame. As the kerosene is burnt, capillary action inside the wick draws more kerosene up from the fuel tank to be burnt.
On this type of lamp, the size of the flame can be controlled by adjusting how much of the wick extends out of the top of the fuel tank. This is usually done by means of a small knob that operates a toothed metal disk that bears against the wick like a sprocket wheel known as a cric. If the wick is turned up too high the lamp will produce smoke (unburned carbon soot).
The flame is usually protected by some kind of glass screen, shade, or globe. The glass acts to prevent the flame from being blown out, to prevent the flame from being an excessive fire hazard, and also to enhance the thermally-induced draft. The draft carries more air (oxygen) past the flame, helping to produce a brighter light than would be produced by an open flame. Wick lamps can also be quite smelly if they are not burning well. Often this is caused by using improper or contaminated fuel.
Barn lamp have several design variations. The earliest lanterns used the dead flame design where the flame was fed fresh air from beneath and warm air expelled above. Because this design does not feed air directly, this type of lamp produces only a dim yellow light and is not much brighter than a candle. Most Aladdin style lamps are dead flame.
Tubular lamps were invented in the later part of the 19th century when, in the late 1860s, Dietz lantern designed the hot blast lantern which recirculated a mix of fresh and warm air back to the flame through side tubes thus improving oil burning efficiency. By 1880 the cold blast lantern was designed using a similar circulation system, but with only fresh air to increase the brightness of the flame. Cold blast lanterns are the brightest and most efficient of all wick lamp designs. Except for decorative purposes, emergency lighting, or in remote areas without electricity, kerosene lamps are rarely used today in countries with a developed national grid for electricity and natural gas but were popular before electrical lighting became widespread. In many countries today kerosene lighting and stoves fueled by kerosene are still in regular use today especially as the fuel is relatively cheap. They were first used by Abraham Gesner’s Kerosene Gaslight Company in 1850 and replaced the Argand lamp which had been in widespread use for seventy years.
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