Identify two crude oil fractions commonly used as fuels for transport.

• A. Kerosene and lubricating oil
• B. Gas oil and diesel
• C. Petrol and Diesel
• D. Bitumen and wax

Answer: (C)

Petrol and diesel come from the fractional distillation of crude oil. They are the fractions most suitable as fuels for transport because of their boiling ranges and how engines use them. Petrol is light and highly volatile, so it vaporizes easily and ignites readily in spark-ignition engines, delivering quick power for cars and motorcycles. Diesel is heavier and less volatile but has a higher energy density, making it very efficient in compression-ignition engines used in many cars, trucks, buses, and trains. Other fractions serve different roles—kerosene is used as jet fuel or for heating, lubricating oil is for reducing engine wear, bitumen is too viscous to burn as fuel and is used for road surfaces, and wax has non-fuel applications. So petrol and diesel are the transport fuels derived from crude oil.