What is the Difference between Gasoline, Diesel Fuel, and Fuel Oil?
Gasoline, diesel fuel and fuel oil are all petroleum products. Petroleum is a mixture found in the earth, composed of crude oil and natural gas. While the products that are derived from petroleum power the modern world, raw petroleum is of little use until it is refined. It is the refining process that converts crude oil into gasoline, fuel oil, and diesel fuel.
Gasoline, diesel fuel and fuel oil are all petroleum products. Petroleum is a mixture found in the earth, composed of crude oil and natural gas. While the products that are derived from petroleum power the modern world, raw petroleum is of little use until it is refined. It is the refining process that converts crude oil into gasoline, fuel oil, and diesel fuel. Crude oil is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons that are chained together in different lengths. These chains have different characteristics and properties and form the basis for the individual products created out of raw petroleum. To be able to convert these hydrocarbon chains into gasoline, diesel fuel, fuel oil and other petroleum products, they have to be separated from other chains.