Some oil helps things move.
It can heat your home. It can power big ships. It can also help trucks go. This oil helps us every day. Do you see big trucks?
Fuel oil comes from crude oil.
It can heat many homes. It can also power big ships and trucks.
Some oil is light and easy to use. Other oil is very thick. This thick oil is like tar.
It must be heated to flow.
Heating the thick oil helps it move. This helps it go into engines. Large ships use this cheap oil.
Burning this oil can make the air dirty. It can also hurt people's health. Many places now use cleaner fuels.
This oil helps us move and stay warm.
Fuel oil comes from crude oil.
It is made through a way called distillation. This is a set of steps to separate oil parts. Small parts like gasoline boil away first. Heavier parts stay behind. These heavy parts are called residues.
Some fuel oil is light. This includes diesel and jet fuel. Other fuel is very thick. We call this residual fuel oil. It is very thick, or viscous. It can even turn into a tar-like solid if it gets cold.
Because it is so thick, it must be heated to flow. Large ships and power plants use it. It is the cheapest liquid fuel.
Burning this oil can make the air dirty. It can release sulfur. This can cause health problems for people. Many places now use cleaner fuels like natural gas. This helps keep the air safer.
Fuel oil is a type of liquid fuel used to create heat or power. It comes from crude oil through a process called distillation.
During distillation, the crude oil is heated to separate it into different parts. Small molecules like gasoline and naphtha boil away quickly at the start. Heavier parts, called residues, stay behind because they have higher boiling points.
These different parts are used for many different jobs around the world. Some oils are light and easy to use, while others are very thick.
How fuel oil works depends on how heavy it is. Light oils, like diesel or jet fuel, flow easily.
Heavy residual fuel oil is very viscous, which means it is thick and sticky. It can even turn into a tar-like solid if it gets too cold. To make it flow, large machines must heat the oil first.
This heating is a delicate job that takes a lot of space. Because of this, heavy oil is only used in large things like big ships or power plants. It cannot be used in small, fast cars.
People have used different kinds of fuel oil for a long time. In the past, residual fuel oil powered railroad steam locomotives and steamships.
Many industrial plants were built in the mid-20th century to use this cheap fuel. However, things have changed as technology has improved. Most locomotives now use diesel or electric power instead of steam. Many large boilers also switched from heavy oil to natural gas. Even some old buildings in New York City used to burn these heavy oils.
There are many specific types of fuel oil with different numbers. Number 1 fuel oil is a light distillate used for jet fuel and kerosene.
Number 2 fuel oil is often used for home heating or diesel engines. Number 6 fuel oil is the heaviest and most viscous type available. It must be stored at high temperatures so it can be pumped.
This heavy oil can contain up to 3.5% sulfur by weight. This high sulfur content can cause damage to heating systems over time.
Using fuel oil can affect the air and people's health. Burning heavy oils can release sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide into the air.
Before new rules were made in 2020, ship pollution was linked to many illnesses. For example, shipping air pollution was estimated to cause 14 million childhood asthma cases each year. Countries near big shipping lanes, like Taiwan and Japan, feel this a lot.
Many places are now moving toward cleaner fuels to keep the air safer.
Fuel oil is a category of liquid fuels derived from the distillation of petroleum, also known as crude oil. These fuels are used primarily to generate heat in boilers or to provide power in engines.
While the term is broad, it specifically refers to liquids heavier than gasoline or naphtha. Fuel oil is essential for global industry, powering everything from massive cargo ships to home heating systems. It is classified into different groups based on how heavy or thick the liquid is.
To understand fuel oil, one must understand fractional distillation. This process separates crude oil into different parts by heating it.
Small molecules, such as those found in propane or kerosene, have low boiling points. These molecules evaporate quickly at the start of the process. Heavier petroleum-derived oils, like diesel, are much less volatile. They distill out more slowly because they require more heat to turn into gas. The very heaviest parts, called residues, are what remain after the lighter fractions have been removed.
Fuel oils are often categorized by number, which indicates their properties. Number 1 fuel oil is a light distillate used for jet fuel and high-performance diesel engines. Number 2 fuel oil is a common distillate used for home heating and diesel engines.
Number 4 fuel oil is a commercial heating oil used in burners without preheaters. Number 6 fuel oil is a high-viscosity residual oil. This is the heaviest type and consists of the material left after more valuable cuts have boiled off. As the fuel number increases, the boiling point and viscosity also increase, while the price generally decreases.
Residual fuel oil, often called heavy fuel oil or bunker fuel, has unique physical properties. It is extremely viscous, meaning it is very thick and sticky.
In cooler temperatures, No. 6 oil can even congeal into a tarry, semisolid mass. To make it flow through pumps and burners, it must be heated with special systems. For example, No. 6 oil often requires storage at high temperatures to remain liquid. Because this heating equipment is heavy and takes up space, residual fuel cannot be used in small, fast road vehicles. Instead, it is used by large ships and power plants.
Historically, residual fuel oil played a massive role in global transport and industry. It once powered railroad steam locomotives and large steamships.
Many industrial plants were constructed in the early to mid-20th century specifically to use this cheap, available fuel. However, usage has declined significantly over the decades. In 1973, residual fuel produced 16.8% of electricity in the United States. By 1983, that number fell to 6.2%. Today, all petroleum-based electricity production accounts for only about 3% of total production due to competition with natural gas.
Despite being the cheapest liquid fuel available, residual oil carries significant environmental and maintenance costs. It often contains high amounts of sulfur, sometimes up to 3.5% by weight. When burned, this sulfur forms sulfur dioxide, a pollutant that can cause corrosion in heating systems.
In New York City, a small group of buildings using No. 4 and No. 6 fuel oils was responsible for 86% of the city's building soot in 2011. Additionally, burning fuel oil produces higher carbon dioxide emissions than natural gas. Because of these factors, many regions are phasing out these heavy fuel grades.
The use of fuel oil also has major implications for human health. Air pollution from the shipping industry has been linked to serious respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.
Before new sulfur limits were introduced in 2020, shipping pollution was estimated to cause 400,000 premature deaths annually. It was also linked to 14 million cases of childhood asthma each year. Even after cleaner rules were implemented, it is still estimated to cause 250,000 deaths and 6.4 million asthma cases annually. Countries located on major shipping lanes, such as Taiwan and Japan, face particularly high exposure to these pollutants.
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