ASTM D187 standard test method for burning quality of kerosine
10. Procedure
10.1 Dry the wick in an oven (Warning - Avoid skin contact with exposed hot surfaces by use of protective equipment) at 105°C for 1 h. While still hot, soak the wick in the sample and insert the wick into the wick guide. Rinse the reservoir several times with the sample. Filter the sample through a coarse-textured filter paper, to remove suspended matter and pour 900 mL into the reservoir and assemble the lamp.
10.2 Hinge back the dome and chimney, and trim the wick carefully with sharp scissors to produce a smooth and symmetrical flame of the standard dimensions shown in Fig. 3.
10.3 Trim the wick as follows: With sharp scissors cut the wick level with the wick guide, raise the wick, and cut a triangular portion from each corner as illustrated in Fig. 4. Round off very slightly the sharp corners produced. Remove any ragged projections by slight beveling of the top edges as illustrated in Fig. 5. Be careful not to compress or squeeze the wick with the fingers. Trimming should produce a smooth, symmetrical flame, free of peaks or ears. Check this by lighting the lamp from time to time and inspecting the flame during the trimming operation.
10.4 After the wick is trimmed to yield a flame of standard shape and dimensions, allow the lamp to burn for 0.5 h, extinguish; and trim again, removing any uneven points and charred fiber. Relight the lamp and again check the shape and dimensions of the flame. Extinguish the flame, allow the chimney to cool, wash it with hot water, and dry with a clean lint-free cloth.
10.5 After the wick has been trimmed and the chimney washed, allow the lamp to burn for 0.5 h and readjust the flame to the standard dimensions. At the end of this period weigh the lamp, while burning, to the nearest 1 g on a platform balance. Weigh again after 1 h. If the rate of sample consumption differs from 22 more or less 4 g/h, check the flame dimensions and wick condition for further trimming. Normally, the measurement of sample consumption is needed only as a check on standard burning conditions, since with the specified flame size and shape, the initial rate of sample consumption will always be within these limits.
10.6 Allow the sample to burn continuously without further adjustment of any kind for the duration of the test, which shall be 16 h (or other specified period) of continuous burning after the first weighing. At the end of this period reweigh to the nearest 1 g and record any changes in height, width, or shape of the flame to the nearest 1 mm.
10.7 Examine the density and color of the chimney deposit.
