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Unit Conversion Factors

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 0.0283 1685 = cubic metres (m3)
cubic feet (f3) of natural gas X 0.0001767 = barrels of oil equivalent (boe)
US gallons (gal) X 0.023 8095 = 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. This factor is intended to provide an
approximation that can be used when the exact factor is unknown.

Unit multiplied by Approximate Conversion Factor equal
s
Unit
short tons X 2,000 = pounds (lb)
short tons X 0.907 1847 = 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)
Unit multiplied by Approximate Conversion Factor equals Unit
miles (mi) X 1.609344 = kilometers (km)
yards (yd) X 0.9 144 = meters (m)
feet (ft) X 0.3048 = meters (m)
inches (in) X 2.54 = centimeters (cm)
kilometer (km) X 0.62137 = miles (mi)
Mass/Weight
Length

Area
Unit multiplied by Approximate Conversion Factor equal
s
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 equal
s
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 3.73 5 Pentanes Plus 4.620
Asphalt 6.636 Petrochemical Feedstocks:
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 (70/3 0) Mixture 3.308 Propane 3.836
Isobutane 3.974 Residual Fuel Oil 6.287
Jet Fuel, Kerosene-type 5.670 Road Oil 6.63 6
Jet Fuel, Naphtha-type 5.3 55 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 5.4 18
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)

Natural Gas Units & Conversion Tables
Contrary to popular opinion, gas is not generally sold per unit of volume, but rather per unit of energy that can be produced
by burning the gas. End-use consumers of gas are interested in the heat energy that combusting the gas will generate. Since
the heat energy of the gas is related to the relative proportion of lighter methane versus heavier ethane, propane,
butane, pentane, and other components, heat energy is not a constant value between different gas sources. The heat energy
of a particular gas stream is measured by units of calorific value, which is defined by the number of heat units released
when a unit volume of the gas burns. Typical units of calorific value are British thermal units (Btu), joules (J), and
kilocalories (kcal).
Most industrial and residential customers receive gas via a pipeline connection and a gas meter that measures the volume of
gas delivered. This volume measurement is subsequently converted, using the average calorific value per volume factor,
into number of energy units consumed by the end user and multiplied by the price per unit of energy to determine the billed
amount.
Worldwide, the cost of gas to the customer is commonly specified in dollars per British thermal unit. A British thermal unit
is the energy required to raise the temperature of 1 pound of water by 1F. For larger industrial customers, the abbreviations
MBtu (thousand or 10x3 Btu) or MMBtu (million or 10x6 Btu) are more commonly used. In the United Kingdom, gas is
charged to residential customers at a price per therm, which is equivalent to 100,000 Btu.
Gas volumes are usually measured in multiples of cubic feet (ft
3
) or cubic meters (m
3
). Gas reserves are expressed in billion
cubic feet (bcf) (109), or trillion cubic feet (tcf) (10x12), or, in the case of countries using the metric system, billion cubic
meters (bcm). Gas volume produced or consumed is often expressed in million cubic feet (MMcf), (10x6), and Mcf
(thousand cubic feet). Gas volume can also be expressed in million cubic feet per day (MMcfd), sometimes written as
MMscfd to denote standard conditions, and its metric counterpart, billion cubic meters per day (bcmd). (M is commonly
used to designate 1,000, which is based on the Roman numeral system. Thus MM denotes 1,000 x 1,000, or 1 million
(10x6). In the metric system, k also refers to 1,000. The energy industry uses both M and k. Some companies use the lower
case m to denote 1,000; thus mmcfd would be equal to MMcfd.
As stated earlier, conversion from volume to energy requires knowledge of the average calorific value of the particular gas.
Natural gas from different fields, and sometimes different reservoirs in the same field, can have different proportions of
hydrocarbon components and thus varying calorific values. A factor of 1,000 Btu/ft
3
is commonly used.
1 ft
3
approximately equal to 1,000 Btu : 1 MMcf = 1,000 MMBtu
Crude oil has a calorific value of 5.4 MMBtu to 5.8 MMBtu per barrel (bbl) of oil, depending on the composition of the
oil. It is often necessary and useful to convert gas volume into energy equivalent barrels of oil using barrel of oil
equivalent (boe) units. This is commonly done when both oil and gas are found and produced in the same reservoir, making it
easier to estimate the total reserves or production volumes.
Using equivalent calorific values:
1 bbl oil = 5.8 MMBtu = 5,800 MBtu
1 ft
3
gas = 1,000 Btu = 1 MBtu
Thus:
1 bbl oil 5,800 ft
3
gas = 5.8 Mcf gas
1 boe 5.8 Mcf gas

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