Various Petroleum Products & Their Uses
As a matter of fact, petroleum or crude oil is also known informally as ‘black gold’ and sometimes as ‘liquid gold’. That’s because prices of crude oil are decided internationally. Crude oil is necessary for lots of things. Surely, you would know some of the uses of petroleum products, that’re derived from crude oil. Here I will discuss some of the common petroleum products and their uses.
Aviation Turbine Fuel
Aviation Turbine Fuel or ATF is used by passenger, cargo and fighter aircraft as fuel. It is a mix of petrol and some other components that make it suitable for use by aircraft engine. It is made keeping in mind, the high speed at which aircraft need to travel from one location to another.
Petrol
This is the most common type of petroleum product. That’s because it is the fuel for cars, scooters, motorcycles and other domestic and commercial vehicles. In some countries such as USA, petrol as we know it in India is also called gasoline. This is the most widely used petroleum product around the world.
Diesel
Trucks, certain kinds of ships and submarines and lots of other commercial vehicles run on diesel, which is also one of the most widely consumed petroleum products around the world. As a matter of fact, the Indian Railways also runs locomotives or engines that operate on diesel. Furthermore, diesel is also used for generation of electric power in India and elsewhere in the world.
Kerosene
Known commonly as ‘ghaslet” in India, kerosene is widely used for cooking and heating purposes. It also finds its uses as a solvent for paints and other chemicals in India. In rural India as well as urban parts of the country, kerosene is widely used in cooking stoves as a substitute to cooking gas. Furthermore, kerosene is also a vital component of Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF).
Fuel oil
Fuel oil is commonly used for lamps, heaters, stoves, engines and lanterns in India. This is also one of the most common type of petroleum products because it is the energy source for industries that use boilers and furnaces. Fuel oil also drives juicing machines as well as machinery used for farming, quarrying, mining and certain types of ships.
Napalm
Napalm is mainly used in weapons. It is a form of condensed, high density petroleum product and is extremely inflammable. Incendiary bombs use napalm because it catches fire and spreads rapidly over the area where it is dropped. It is used as a petroleum-based explosive in defense products, especially bombs.
Polyurethane
Surely, you’ve used polyurethane. It is the basic component of foam that goes into your mattress and pillows. Not many people are aware that petroleum derivatives are also used to manufacture polyurethane, which is a common, household product too.
Paraffin
Paraffin is used in making candles and sometimes, as a fuel for vintage toys. The medical grade of paraffin wax is also used for manufacture of certain beauty products and skin crème. Paraffin wax also goes into making certain kinds of explosives.
Naphtha
Naphtha is a very common solvent and is used for making pains, skin crème and beauty products, dry cleaning at laundries and other such purposes. We also get food grade naphtha which is used as wax coatings for certain products such as cheese. Food grade naphtha wax can be used for coating fruits to ensure they have a longer shelf life.
Bitumen
In India, bitumen is commonly used in the construction of roads and runways at airports. Bitumen is also used for waterproofing. We can get bitumen sheets that’re used while building roofs to ensure they’re waterproof. Bitumen paper is also used for coating pipelines and electrical cables. A common name for bitumen derived from petroleum in India is ‘tar’. Though actually, ‘tar’ refers to a byproduct of charcoal.
Polyester
Who doesn’t know polyester? It is a component of the clothes that we use daily. Normally, most clothing nowadays is made by mixing cotton and polyester fabric to give wrinkle free and crease free clothing. Polyester is commonly used in the textile industry. It is also one of the most common petroleum products in use worldwide.
Liquified Petroleum Gas
And finally, Liquefied Petroleum Gas or LPG that we use commonly at home for cooking. LPG is a blend of propane and butane gases that are generated by processing crude oil. These gases can be easily liquefied and supplied in cylinders or piped to homes for cooking purposes. In most countries around the world, LPG is the main fuel for cooking.
