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Conversion
Factors
The
conversion factors shown below are
approximate and were taken from a variety of
sources. When dealing with liquid or gaseous
hydrocarbons, the actual volume, weight,
mass, or heat content may depend upon a
range of factors such as the specific
gravity of the fluid, the amount (if any) of
water entrained in the mixture, the
temperature and pressure at which the
measurements are taken, and other factors.
Consequently, in many cases there is no
single factor that can be used for
conversion. The factors below may be used as
rules of thumb and will work for general
comparison purposes or calculations.
Thermal
conversion factors measure the equivalent
heating content of various fuels in British
Thermal Units (Btus). In the U.S., common
practice is to use the gross or upper end of
the range of heat content values for a
specific product. In Europe, net or lower
end heat content rates are typically used.
The difference is the amount of energy that
is consumed to vaporize the water created
during the combustion process. This
difference is typically 2 to 10 percent,
depending on the specific fuel and its
hydrogen content. Some fuels, such as
unseasoned wood, can be more than 40 percent
different in their gross and net heat
content rates. [Source: U.S. Department of
Energy, Energy Information Administration]
Volume
Unit
multiplied by
Approximate
Conversion Factor
equals
Unit
barrels of oil (bbl)
X
42
=
US gallons (gal)
barrels of oil (bbl)
X
34.97
=
Imperial gallons (UK
gal)
barrels of oil (bbl)
X
0.136
=
tonnes of oil
equivalent (toe)
barrels of oil (bbl)
X
0.1589873
=
cubic metres (m3)
barrels of oil
equivalent (boe)
X
5,658.53
=
cubic feet (f3) of
natural gas
tonnes of oil
equivalent (toe)
X
7.33 [1]
=
barrels of oil
equivalent (boe)
cubic yards (y3)
X
0.764555
=
cubic metres (m3)
cubic feet (f3)
X
0.02831685
=
cubic metres (m3)
cubic feet (f3) of
natural gas
X
0.0001767
=
barrels of oil
equivalent (boe)
US gallons (gal)
X
0.0238095
=
barrels (bbl)
US gallons (gal)
X
3.785412
=
liters (l)
US gallons (gal)
X
0.8326394
=
Imperial gallons (UK
gal)
Imperial gallons (UK
gal)
X
1.201
=
US gallon (gal)
Imperial gallons (UK
gal)
X
4.545
=
liters (l)
[1] This
conversion can range from 6.5 to 7.9
depending on the type of crude oil.
Mass/Weight
Unit
multiplied by
Approximate
Conversion Factor
equals
Unit
short
tons
X
2,000
=
pounds
(lb)
short tons
X
0.9071847
=
metric tonnes (t)
long tons
X
1.016047
=
metric tonnes (t)
long tons
X
2,240
=
pounds (lb)
metric tonnes (t)
X
1,000
=
kilograms (kg)
metric tonnes (t)
X
0.9842
=
long tons
metric tonnes (t)
X
1.102
=
short tons
pounds (lb)
X
0.45359237
=
kilograms (kg)
kilograms (kg)
X
2.2046
=
pounds (lb)
Length
Unit
multiplied by
Approximate
Conversion Factor
equals
Unit
miles
(mi)
X
1.609344
=
kilometers (km)
yards (yd)
X
0.9144
=
meters (m)
feet (ft)
X
0.3048
=
meters (m)
inches (in)
X
2.54
=
centimeters (cm)
kilometer (km)
X
0.62137
=
miles (mi)
Area
Unit
multiplied by
Approximate
Conversion Factor
equals
Unit
acres
X
0.40469
=
hectares
(ha)
square miles (mi2)
X
2.589988
=
square kilometers
(km2)
square yards (yd2)
X
0.8361274
=
square meters (m2)
square feet (ft2)
X
0.09290304
=
square meters (m2)
square inches (in2)
X
6.4516
=
square centimeters
(cm2)
Energy
Unit
multiplied by
Approximate
Conversion Factor
equals
Unit
British
Thermal Units (Btus)
X
1,055.05585262
=
joules
(J)
calories (cal)
X
4.1868
=
joules (J)
kilowatt hours (kWh)
X
3.6
=
megajoules (MJ)
therms
X
100,000
=
British thermal units
(Btus)
tonnes of oil
equivalent
X
10,000,000
=
kilocalories (kcal)
tonnes of oil
equivalent
X
396.83
=
therms
tonnes of oil
equivalent
X
41.868
=
gigajoules (GJ)
tonnes of oil
equivalent
X
11,630
=
kilowatt hours (kWh)
cubic feet (f3) of
natural gas
X
1,025
=
British Thermal Units
(Btus)
Approximate Heat Content of
Petroleum Products
Million Btu (MMBtu) per Barrel
Energy Source
MMBtu/bbl
Energy Source
MMBtu/bbl
Crude Oil
5.800
Natural Gasoline
4.620
Natural Gas Plant
Liquids
3.735
Pentanes Plus
4.620
Asphalt
6.636
Petrochemical Feed stocks:
Aviation Gasoline
5.048
Naphtha < 401° F
5.248
Butane
4.326
Other oils >= 401° F
5.825
Butane-Propane
(60/40) Mixture
4.130
Still Gas
6.000
Distillate Fuel Oil
5.825
Petroleum Coke
6.024
Ethane
3.082
Plant Condensate
5.418
Ethane-Propane
(70/30) Mixture
3.308
Propane
3.836
Isobutane
3.974
Residual Fuel Oil
6.287
Jet Fuel,
Kerosene-type
5.670
Road Oil
6.636
Jet Fuel,
Naphtha-type
5.355
Special Naphthas
5.248
Kerosene
5.670
Still Gas
6.000
Lubricants
6.065
Unfinshed Oils
5.825
Motor Gasoline -
Conventional
5.253
Unfractionated Stream
5.418
Motor Gasoline -
Oxygenated or Reformulated
5.150
Waxes
5.537
Motor Gasoline - Fuel
Ethanol
3.539
Miscellaneous
5.796
Source:
U.S. Department of Energy, Energy
Information Administration (2001)
