What is the Difference Between Fuel Oil and Gasoline?
2 Answers
Here are the specific differences between fuel oil and gasoline: 1. Nature: Fuel oil is mainly made from cracked residue oil and straight-run residue oil of petroleum. Gasoline is produced by refining different gasoline components obtained from petroleum refining, such as straight-run gasoline components, catalytic cracked gasoline components, and catalytic reformed gasoline components, and then blending them with high-octane components. 2. Characteristics: Fuel oil is characterized by high viscosity and contains a large amount of non-hydrocarbon compounds, colloids, and asphaltenes. Gasoline is characterized by volatility, anti-knock properties, stability, and corrosiveness. 3. Application: Fuel oil is mainly used for fuel power generation, heating units, ignition of coal-fired units, as well as for combustion support and stable combustion. Gasoline products can be divided into three categories according to their use: aviation gasoline, automotive gasoline, and solvent gasoline.
When discussing automotive fuels, as someone who frequently works on my own car, I've learned that 'fuel' is a broad term encompassing various types such as gasoline, diesel, and even liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). Gasoline specifically refers to a light liquid fuel primarily used in standard passenger car engines. It contains components like alkanes, and a higher octane rating indicates better anti-knock performance. Fuels also include heavier oils like diesel, which is used in large trucks—it has lower volatility but higher thermal efficiency. Simply put, when you see labels like 92 or 95 at the pump, that's gasoline; for diesel-engine vehicles, you need to fill up with fuel (but not gasoline). The differences are significant: choosing the wrong fuel can damage engine components—for example, using diesel in a gasoline car may clog fuel injectors. That's why I always carefully check the vehicle manual to confirm the specified fuel type and avoid issues that could compromise driving safety. Additionally, hybrid vehicles now use different fuel combinations, but the key remains distinguishing them clearly to prevent mix-ups.
