Primus stove
Encyclopedia
The Primus stove, the first pressurized-burner kerosene
(paraffin) stove, was developed in 1892 by Frans Wilhelm Lindqvist
, a factory mechanic in Stockholm
, Sweden
. The stove was based on the design of the hand-held blowtorch; Lindqvist’s patent covered the burner, which was turned upward on the stove instead of outward as on the blowtorch. The same year, Lindqvist partnered with Johan Viktor Svenson to establish J.V. Svenson’s Kerosene Stove Factory to manufacture the new stoves, which were sold under the name Primus. The first model was the No.1 stove, which was quickly followed by a number of similarly-designed stoves of different models and sizes. Shortly thereafter, B.A. Hjorth & Co. (later Bahco), a tool and engineering firm begun in Stockholm in 1889, acquired the exclusive rights to sell the Primus stove.
The efficient Primus stove quickly earned a reputation as a reliable and durable stove in everyday use, and it performed especially well under adverse conditions: it was the stove of choice for Roald Amundsen’s
expedition to the South Pole
and Richard Byrd’s
to the North Pole
. Primus stoves also accompanied Mallory
on Mt. Everest as well as Tenzing and Hillary
there many decades later. While many other companies also made portable stoves of a similar design to the Primus, this style is often generically referred to as a “Primus” stove, regardless of the manufacturer.
, consists of a fuel tank at the base, above which is a “rising tube” and the burner assembly. A steel top ring on which to set a pot is held above the burner by three support legs. Other Primus-style stoves may be larger or smaller, but have the same basic design. The No. 1 stove weighs about 2½ pounds, and measures about 8½ inches high with an overall diameter of just under 7 inches. The tank, about 3½ inches high, holds a little over 2 pints of kerosene and will burn for about 4 hours on a full tank.
To light the stove, the burner assembly is pre-heated with a small amount of alcohol
burned in a circular “spirit cup” just below the burner. Once heated, the tank is pressurized by means of a small hand pump integrated into the tank, which forces the kerosene from the tank up through the rising tube (A) through the ascending pipe (B) to the pre-heated burner head (C), where the fuel is heated and vapourized. The kerosene vapour is then forced under pressure through the descending tube (D) to the vapour nozzle (E). The vapourized kerosene gas is sprayed through a jet in the middle of the burner, where it mixes with air and burns in a sootless, blue flame. Additional pumping increases the pressure in the tank and makes the flame larger; turning a small “air screw” (usually located in the filler cap) will release pressure from the tank and make the flame smaller.
Prior to the introduction of the Primus, kerosene stoves were constructed in the same manner as oil lamp
s, which use a wick to draw fuel from the tank to the burner and which produce a great deal of soot
due to incomplete combustion. The Primus stove’s design, which uses pressure and heat to vapourize the kerosene before ignition, results in a hotter, more efficient stove that does not soot. Because it did not use a wick and did not produce soot, the Primus stove was advertised as the first “sootless” and “wickless” stove.
Kerosene
Kerosene, sometimes spelled kerosine in scientific and industrial usage, also known as paraffin or paraffin oil in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Ireland and South Africa, is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid. The name is derived from Greek keros...
(paraffin) stove, was developed in 1892 by Frans Wilhelm Lindqvist
Frans Wilhelm Lindqvist
Frans Wilhelm Lindqvist was a Swedish inventor. He designed the first sootless kerosene stove, operated by compressed air. He started a company, Primus, to manufacture and sell the Primus stove....
, a factory mechanic in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. The stove was based on the design of the hand-held blowtorch; Lindqvist’s patent covered the burner, which was turned upward on the stove instead of outward as on the blowtorch. The same year, Lindqvist partnered with Johan Viktor Svenson to establish J.V. Svenson’s Kerosene Stove Factory to manufacture the new stoves, which were sold under the name Primus. The first model was the No.1 stove, which was quickly followed by a number of similarly-designed stoves of different models and sizes. Shortly thereafter, B.A. Hjorth & Co. (later Bahco), a tool and engineering firm begun in Stockholm in 1889, acquired the exclusive rights to sell the Primus stove.
The efficient Primus stove quickly earned a reputation as a reliable and durable stove in everyday use, and it performed especially well under adverse conditions: it was the stove of choice for Roald Amundsen’s
Roald Amundsen
Roald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen was a Norwegian explorer of polar regions. He led the first Antarctic expedition to reach the South Pole between 1910 and 1912 and he was the first person to reach both the North and South Poles. He is also known as the first to traverse the Northwest Passage....
expedition to the South Pole
South Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is one of the two points where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on the surface of the Earth and lies on the opposite side of the Earth from the North Pole...
and Richard Byrd’s
Richard Evelyn Byrd
Rear Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd, Jr., USN was a naval officer who specialized in feats of exploration. He was a pioneering American aviator, polar explorer, and organizer of polar logistics...
to the North Pole
North Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface...
. Primus stoves also accompanied Mallory
George Mallory
George Herbert Leigh Mallory was an English mountaineer who took part in the first three British expeditions to Mount Everest in the early 1920s....
on Mt. Everest as well as Tenzing and Hillary
Edmund Hillary
Sir Edmund Percival Hillary, KG, ONZ, KBE , was a New Zealand mountaineer, explorer and philanthropist. On 29 May 1953 at the age of 33, he and Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers known to have reached the summit of Mount Everest – see Timeline of climbing Mount Everest...
there many decades later. While many other companies also made portable stoves of a similar design to the Primus, this style is often generically referred to as a “Primus” stove, regardless of the manufacturer.
Construction
The Primus No. 1 stove, made of brassBrass
Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties.In comparison, bronze is principally an alloy of copper and tin...
, consists of a fuel tank at the base, above which is a “rising tube” and the burner assembly. A steel top ring on which to set a pot is held above the burner by three support legs. Other Primus-style stoves may be larger or smaller, but have the same basic design. The No. 1 stove weighs about 2½ pounds, and measures about 8½ inches high with an overall diameter of just under 7 inches. The tank, about 3½ inches high, holds a little over 2 pints of kerosene and will burn for about 4 hours on a full tank.
How it Works
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
burned in a circular “spirit cup” just below the burner. Once heated, the tank is pressurized by means of a small hand pump integrated into the tank, which forces the kerosene from the tank up through the rising tube (A) through the ascending pipe (B) to the pre-heated burner head (C), where the fuel is heated and vapourized. The kerosene vapour is then forced under pressure through the descending tube (D) to the vapour nozzle (E). The vapourized kerosene gas is sprayed through a jet in the middle of the burner, where it mixes with air and burns in a sootless, blue flame. Additional pumping increases the pressure in the tank and makes the flame larger; turning a small “air screw” (usually located in the filler cap) will release pressure from the tank and make the flame smaller.
Prior to the introduction of the Primus, kerosene stoves were constructed in the same manner as oil lamp
Oil lamp
An oil lamp is an object used to produce light continuously for a period of time using an oil-based fuel source. The use of oil lamps began thousands of years ago and is continued to this day....
s, which use a wick to draw fuel from the tank to the burner and which produce a great deal of soot
Soot
Soot is a general term that refers to impure carbon particles resulting from the incomplete combustion of a hydrocarbon. It is more properly restricted to the product of the gas-phase combustion process but is commonly extended to include the residual pyrolyzed fuel particles such as cenospheres,...
due to incomplete combustion. The Primus stove’s design, which uses pressure and heat to vapourize the kerosene before ignition, results in a hotter, more efficient stove that does not soot. Because it did not use a wick and did not produce soot, the Primus stove was advertised as the first “sootless” and “wickless” stove.