<Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations . Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations . (September 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> <P> A kerosene lamp (usually called a paraffin lamp in some countries) is a type of lighting device that uses kerosene (paraffin) as a fuel . Kerosene lamps have a wick or mantle as light source, protected by a glass chimney or globe; lamps may be used on a table, or hand - held lanterns may be used for portable lighting . Like oil lamps, they are useful for lighting without electricity, such as in regions without rural electrification, in electrified areas during power outages, at campsites, and on boats . There are three types of kerosene lamp: flat wick, central draught (tubular round wick), and mantle lamp . Kerosene lanterns meant for portable use have a flat wick and are made in dead flame, hot blast, and cold blast variants . </P> <P> Pressurized kerosene lamps have a gas generator and gas mantle; these are known as Petromax, Tilley lamps, or Coleman lamps, among other manufacturers . They produce more light per unit of fuel than wick - type lamps, but are more complex and expensive in construction, and more complex to operate . A hand - pump pressurizes air, which forces liquid fuel from a reservoir into a gas generator . Vapor from the gas generator burns, heating a mantle to incandescence and also providing heat to the gas generator . </P> <P> The first description of a simple lamp using crude mineral oil was provided by Persian alchemist al - Razi (Rhazes) in 9th century Baghdad, who referred to it as the "naffatah" in his Kitab al - Asrar (Book of Secrets). In 1846 Abraham Pineo Gesner invented a substitute for whale oil for lighting, distilled from coal . Later made from petroleum, kerosene became a popular lighting fuel . Modern versions of the kerosene lamp were later constructed by the Polish inventor Ignacy Łukasiewicz in 1853 in Lviv . </P>

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