It can be confusing to know whether you need heating oil or diesel fuel and if you’re new to the oil thing you might have thought that all heating fuel Shropshire was the same. However, it’s important to know the differences and what their uses are.
Heating oil and diesel fuel all have their own purposes, but they are very similar, so some people interchange them. We outline the differences:
During the creation process…
Before the refining stage, carbon and hydrogen atoms are available in certain ratios in crude oil. These create a large variety of compounds which are based on the hydrocarbon chains length and sizes. Upon refining, the chains are separated according to their boiling points. Each type of chain will have a different temperature.
The chains which have the lower boiling points will get pushed towards the top of the tank and settle, with the higher boiling point compounds lying towards the bottom. This is how substances such as propane and gasoline get distilled before the heavier parts like heating fuel, diesel and lubricating oil.
What is diesel?
Diesel is a product of the distillation process of crude oil. It is around the middle mark when it comes to weight. Diesel also comes with the appearance of oil, but it is actually heavier than gasoline. In comparison, diesel is easier to make in terms of refining.
Diesel doesn’t evaporate as fast or have the volatile nature that gasoline does. Its main uses are for fueling trucks, trains and other modes of transport, and also as fuel for power generators.
What is heating oil?
Heating oil is an umbrella term for a range of different fuel formulas. It can potentially be heavier than diesel fuel, but usually have a similar weight to motor oil. Because of this, it can provide more heat without burning off loads of fuel in the process.
This is the standard substance when it comes to heating up your property – but you can still choose to use other formulas such as diesel, jet fuel, kerosene, and others. Remember, heating oil is the most efficient substance for this of them all.
Heating oils for the home have a heavier compound compared to diesel, although they share the heat giving properties. Heating oils produce around 138,500 BTU (British Thermal Unit) per gallon, whilst diesel will produce around 137,500 BTU.
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