Diesel Fuel: the Gas Oil Cut from a Pennsylvania Crude Run, 38 to 36.5° Baumé (Bacon & Hamor 1916)

How small refineries at Warren, Pennsylvania, ran crude oil in 1915: the still is cut by gravity into benzine, kerosene, gas oil and wax distillate. The gas oil, the cut between kerosene and wax distillate, is the Diesel motor fuel of the day: Bacon & Hamor list American gas oil (density 0.858, boiling 300 to 380 °C, setting point -10 °C) for Diesel motors. Variables: take the benzine off by steam (12 to 15 %, a sweeter product) or by fire (20 to 22 %); take kerosene as one cut (54 to 38° Bé) or as 150 °F fire-test kerosene (54 to 41°) plus mineral colza oil (41 to 38°). The gas oil cut is 38 to 36.5° Bé either way. Source: Bacon & Hamor, The American Petroleum Industry, vol. 2 (1916), pp. 471-474 and 886. Not given: temperatures, firing schedule, gas-oil yield. Crude oil vapour is highly flammable. Picture drawn by Youblob.