All around us, there are powerful machines. Seen and unseen, these machines make our fast, convenient, and relatively inexpensive lifestyles possible. A pneumatic conveyor speeds up the manufacturing process so that you can buy plywood at a reduced price; a powerful semi tractor trailer pulls the wood to the outlet store.

All of the machines which make our lives possible run thanks to some form of liquid or another. There are many more kinds of liquid treats for our machines than you might think; most of the time our imaginations are limited to just a handful. However, our lives revolve around the different liquids listed below.

Gas

When you think liquid energy for machines, odds are that gas is the first thing to come to your mind. Gas is what makes our cars go, it's what allows goods to be delivered from one spot to another. From getting you to work to allowing the handyman to come to the factory to engage in some valve repair, without gas the world would be literally stuck in place.

Diesel

Yes, diesel fuel is different from gas! Cheaper and easier to produce, diesel is also easier on engines and burns more efficiently. However, diesel is also the dirtier of the two main liquids which power our lives.

Oil

Of course, without oil neither gas or diesel would be possible. Oil and oil prices are something the entire industrialized world has become concerned about over the last few years, as rising costs directly affect our energy prices.

Oil is a driving force in our machines even beyond its use as a fuel. Without oil to lubricate joints, many of our machine's parts would wear out quickly. That's true of simple machines such as cable cutters as well as more complex machinery.

Chemicals

Many liquid chemicals are used to produce goods such as plastic, paper, and furniture. These chemicals can be mixed and separated in machines known as duplex strainers which won't run without them. It's a good example of a machine which both refines and runs on liquid.

Water

Last but not least in our list, which of course is not exhaustive, is good old H2O. Most machines need water in some form to operate, whether it is the sheer power it offers to the operation (such as with vacuum excavation) or as a cooling agent (again, think of your car).