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First Naphthometers to Determine the Flash Point of Liquids: IV.1 Closed and Distillation Testers

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Abstract

The American Oil Revolution of 1859 and the invention of the kerosene lamp contributed to the onset of the kerosene era when candle lighting was replaced by kerosene lighting. A side effect of this situation was a growing number of fires and explosions due to application of unsafe kerosene. In this regard, there was a need to develop criteria for safe kerosene. These indicators were the flash and ignition points. The first stage of creating instruments to determine these indicators began in 1862 and ended at the beginning of the 20th century. This period is characterized by the development of devices of various designs, one of which was closed and distillation testers. The article discusses both the well-known closed Abel, Abel–Pensky, Pensky–Martens, and Tag devices and their modifications, and little-known closed Letheby, St. Lucia, Engler–Parrish, Vette, Klee, Gray, Leeses, Engler, Hofmann, Pease, Scott, and Gawalowsky devices. The distillation method introduced by Rosenbladt and the corresponding apparatus, which have not survived to the present day, are analyzed, as the ideas embodied in these devices are successfully used at present.

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Notes

  1. In the 1860s–1920s, such terms as naphtometer, device, apparatus, pyrometer, and tester for determination of the flash (ignition) point were considered synonymous. This approach is retained in the present work.

  2. The jurisdiction of the Petroleum Acts of 1862 and 1868 was limited only to the territory of England, Wales, Scotland, and partly Ireland, while other places in the British Empire had their own regulations.

  3. For comparison, the dimensions of the oil cylindrical cub according to the Petroleum Act of 1868 were 2×2 inches, and the water bath was 4.5×4.5 inches [28].

  4. In some colonies and dominions of the Great Britain, a colonial version of the Abel–Pensky tester was also used.

  5. In Switzerland, the official use of the Abel device took place later, whereas in the 1880s, local developments were actively used (see Part III of our series [1]).

  6. The indicated time corresponds to the application registration date (14.08.1915), whereas the invention patent was issued later 07.08.1917 [60].

  7. Tag is an abbreviation of the Tagliabue surname, which has been used since the beginning of the 20th century to refer to Ch. Tagliabue’s devices and methods.

  8. This group of devices also includes the semi-closed naphtometer by S.S. Mann [7, 74] and the formally closed apparatus by A. Gawalowski [27, 75].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Science and Engineering Center “Reliability and Resource of Large Systems and Machines”, Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 620049, Yekaterinburg, Russia

    S. G. Alexeev

  2. Ural Institute of the State Fire Service of EMERCOM of Russia, 620062, Yekaterinburg, Russia

    S. G. Alexeev, V. V. Smirnov & N. M. Barbin

  3. Ural State Agrarian University, 620075, Yekaterinburg, Russia

    K. S. Alexeev & N. M. Barbin

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Translated from Rossiiskii Khimicheskii Zhurnal, 2019, Vol. 63, No. 2, pp. 85–97 https://doi.org/10.6060/rcj.2019632.12.

For communication III, see [1].

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Alexeev, S.G., Smirnov, V.V., Alexeev, K.S. et al. First Naphthometers to Determine the Flash Point of Liquids: IV.1 Closed and Distillation Testers. Russ J Gen Chem 91, 1178–1189 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1134/S107036322106030X

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