As I have access to a rather broad range of kit at work (Herzog Distillation Kits, FTIR's, GC-MSD's, HPLC etc ) I thought I may as well take advantage of this and carry out a full analysis of alternative fuels for petrol stoves. As I want to be quite comprehensive about this (boiling range, additives, Aromatics etc) If i've missed anything, please add it to the list! ULGAS Coleman Fuel Primus Fuel (probably the same as Coleman, but worth checking anyway) Military Stove Naptha Panel Wipe. I do however, have a question about the panel wipe, which brands do people use?
Someone on the forum here has put forth the idea that "mineral spirits" (as it's known in the states) or "Stoddard solvent" (mineral spirits and Stoddard solvent ARE the same thing, this we know for sure) is the same thing as Kerosene, only more refined. I would love to know if this is true and if it's safe to use in an unvented kerosene heater, such as the "Kerosun" heaters we use. Thanks in advance for this endeavor! Best, Randy
We have large amounts of Jet A (F35 for any ex AAC or RAF types on here) Stoddard Solvent, White Spirit, plus F44 AVCAT at work. So I may as well do them as well...
ASPEN 4T. Put it on the list, if you can. Since you are in the UK you should be able to source it without too much difficulty.
Er, sorry for that,dropped into work mode Simple answer is that with Distillation, you're looking at a physical property of a sample, the rest of 'em, you're looking at the chemistry of the constituent parts of the sample.
I can't even afford to think about that stuff, it costs 20 US dollars a gallon. That's damn near what 10yr old Scotch costs. Screw this, I'm goin' back to plain old fire to cook on. This weekend. The weather's good, the White Chuck river's open for rainbows and my pickup and camper are provisioned and fueled. I may must stay up there for several days. Think of it, no phone, no radio, no tv. I've got a wonderful bottle of Jameson's and no one to answer to. I'll grab a .22, and 500 or 1000 rounds for it, my trout gear and go play. Gerry
Yes, include alkylate petrol (such as Aspen 4T). It costs about the same in Norway as indicated by Gerry, but that's still less than half the price we have to pay for Coleman fuel (the lowest price of that stuff I have seen in Norway is 65 NOK a liter which translates to about 45 US dollars a gallon). Hence the alkylate petrol is as far as I know the cheapest "clean" petrol fuel in Norway and probably in many/most other parts of Europe as well As for other fuels, perhaps Optimus Arctic Fuel could be included. Knut
Definitely include Aspen 4T. I'd be very interested to see the results of that. If it's as clean as Coleman, I'll never buy the latter again, it's so expensive. Incidentally Gerry remarked, on alkylate petrol: I can't even afford to think about that stuff, it costs 20 US dollars a gallon. That's damn near what 10yr old Scotch costs. For us here in the UK, Coleman fuel costs ?5 for 500ml. That equates to US$ 76 per US gallon! Makes your 10yo Scotch look piss cheap. Alkylate 4T here costs about ?13 for a 5L can. That equates to around US$ 20 per US gallon, interestingly the same price as Gerry quotes for the US. Furthermore, alkylate here in the UK works out at ?2.54/L whereas Coleman is ?10.00/L so that alkylate is just about one quarter the price. However Coleman is available only, far as I know, in 500ml cans unlike in the US where it can be bought in US gallon cans. It is very likely that if Coleman was available here in larger, say 5L cans then it would be considerably cheaper per litre, though nowhere near as cheap as alkylate. It's all down to supply and demand of course. In the UK, probably most of Europe too, the liquid fuel stove is all but dead in favour of gas cartridge types. Consequently Coleman fuel is hard to find and very expensive due to ultra low demand. Ordinary hardware shops don't sell it, don't even know what it is, unike in the US where it is sold routinely in such outlets. You have to go to a specialist camping shop and even a lot of those don't stock it. Unfortunately I can't see this situation reversing but only getting worse as gas more or less takes over. Which is why alkylate, if it works as well as Coleman, will be welcome for us petrol stoveheads to counter the shocking cost of Coleman. Alkylate is sold primarily to the petrol powered garden tool market, and again it is not that easy to find in the UK, especially in cities. The outlets are predominantly in country areas as listed on the Aspen website. However a 5L can will last a very long time for most stove users.
If the alkylate fuel is the same thing as coleman fuel I might just have to get myself a coleman stove 8)
You may probably not have to test it, but some stores sell somthing called "primus bensin" in Norway. The label says heptane with small letters. Still I would like to have a compairization between all theese fuels and heptane. Thank you. dsk
Stoddard solvent? It burns? I've seen lit matches thrown into the stuff and it just drowns the match. Not to mention the fact that it has been banned from use as a solvent. I do miss it for a electric motor cleaner. drop an electric motor into the Stoddard and turn on the power to the motor, instant clean motor. ( it's fun to watch the Stoddard change from clear to dark).
Take a look at this and the Wikipedia entry for Stoddard solvent. Mineral Spirits Stoddard Solvent Same stuff and not banned as far as I know. Perhaps it's a different solvent you remember BigAl?
Alexander, If you do a search for Aspen and use my name as a reference here on the Forum, you'll get a thread I posted about my success with this fuel. It's wonderful stuff ... and might even be cleaner than Coleman These tests being proposed could produce some very interesting. results.
Interesting thread, but it's worth mentioning that for the US (And I'd guess out NATO allies as well), Military jet fuel has additives you don't want burning in a stove you cook food with. Commercial Jet fuel is supposed to be free of these additives...
