gas oil
1
5.3
- noun
- /ɡæs ɔɪl/
- Specialized
:
gasóleo
- Hydrocarbon gases are sent into a fractionator for separation into naphtha, kerosene, and gas oil.
Examples
-
As in the United States, gas competes in multiple ways with other sources of energy such as gas oil, heavy fuel oil, coal, and electricity.
Academic text (1990) -
The factory uses gas oil to power its machinery efficiently.
-
This causes the lighter naphtha and gas oil, used to make crude oil, to separate from the heavier carbon.
Academic text (1998) -
The hydrotreater began operating in 1993, replacing an earlier vacuum gas oil plant and decreasing the feed rate by 60 percent.
Academic text (1999) -
Two critical factors highlighted in the study were the nature of the gas-oil substitution by large industrial and utility consumers, and the incremental costs of finding and producing additional gas supplies.
Academic text (1990) -
In colder climates, gas oil is a popular choice for heating due to its effective energy output.
-
Many farmers rely on gas oil to fuel their equipment during the harvest season.
Synonyms
5
3.5
A heavy oil that heats buildings and runs engines
How Viscous
- UK
3
7.4
- Specialized
5
3.5
- Specialized
1
3.4
- Specialized
1
5.3
41
3.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound clearly links 'gas' and 'oil' so a learner who knows both words can infer it is a petroleum fuel product or a type of oil related to gasoline/petroleum. However, the precise technical sense (a heavy distillate with a specific boiling range between kerosene and lubricating oil) is specialized and not fully predictable from the constituents alone. Therefore it gives a useful clue but is not completely transparent.
Etymology
The compound gas oil comes from the old process of heating raw oil. When the oil was heated, lighter gas rose away and heavier oil stayed below, and the liquid in the middle was called gas oil, which is why the name refers to this kind of 'fuel'.