Unit Conversion Factors

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SPE.org Unit 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 barrels of oil (bbl) barrels of oil (bbl) barrels of oil (bbl) barrels of oil (bbl) barrels of oil equivalent (boe) tonnes of oil equivalent (toe) cubic yards (y3) cubic feet (f3) cubic feet (f3) of natural gas US gallons (gal) US gallons (gal) US gallons (gal) Imperial gallons (UK gal) Imperial gallons (UK gal) multiplied by X X X X X X X X X X X X X X Approximate Conversion Factor 42 34.97 0.136 0.1589873 5,658.53 7.33 [1] 0.764555 0.02831685 0.0001767 0.0238095 3.785412 0.8326394 1.201 4.545 equals = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Unit US gallons (gal) Imperial gallons (UK gal) tonnes of oil equivalent (toe) cubic metres (m3) cubic feet (f3) of natural gas barrels of oil equivalent (boe) cubic metres (m3) cubic metres (m3) barrels of oil equivalent (boe) barrels (bbl) liters (l) Imperial gallons (UK gal) US gallon (gal) 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.

Mass/Weight
Unit short tons short tons long tons long tons metric tonnes (t) metric tonnes (t) metric tonnes (t) pounds (lb) kilograms (kg) multiplied by Approximate Conversion Factor equals X X X X X X X X X 2,000 0.9071847 1.016047 2,240 1,000 0.9842 1.102 0.45359237 2.2046 = = = = = = = = = Unit pounds (lb) metric tonnes (t) metric tonnes (t) pounds (lb) kilograms (kg) long tons short tons kilograms (kg) pounds (lb)

Length
Unit miles (mi) yards (yd) multiplied by Approximate Conversion Factor equals X X 1.609344 0.9144 = = Unit kilometers (km) meters (m)

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Unit Conversion Factors

http://www.spe.org/industry/reference/unit_conversions.php

feet (ft) inches (in) kilometer (km)

X X X

0.3048 2.54 0.62137

= = =

meters (m) centimeters (cm) miles (mi)

Area
Unit acres square miles (mi2) square yards (yd2) square feet (ft2) square inches (in2) multiplied by X X X X X Approximate Conversion Factor 0.40469 2.589988 0.8361274 0.09290304 6.4516 equals = = = = = Unit hectares (ha) square kilometers (km2) square meters (m2) square meters (m2) square centimeters (cm2)

Energy
Unit British Thermal Units (Btus) calories (cal) kilowatt hours (kWh) therms tonnes of oil equivalent tonnes of oil equivalent tonnes of oil equivalent tonnes of oil equivalent cubic feet (f3) of natural gas multiplied by X X X X X X X X X Approximate Conversion Factor 1,055.05585262 4.1868 3.6 100,000 10,000,000 396.83 41.868 11,630 1,025 equals = = = = = = = = = Unit joules (J) joules (J) megajoules (MJ) British thermal units (Btus) kilocalories (kcal) therms gigajoules (GJ) kilowatt hours (kWh) British Thermal Units (Btus)

Approximate Heat Content of Petroleum Products Million Btu (MMBtu) per Barrel
Energy Source Crude Oil Natural Gas Plant Liquids Asphalt Aviation Gasoline Butane Butane-Propane (60/40) Mixture Distillate Fuel Oil Ethane Ethane-Propane (70/30) Mixture Isobutane Jet Fuel, Kerosene-type Jet Fuel, Naphtha-type Kerosene Lubricants Motor Gasoline - Conventional Motor Gasoline - Oxygenated or Reformulated Motor Gasoline - Fuel Ethanol MMBtu/bbl 5.800 3.735 6.636 5.048 4.326 4.130 5.825 3.082 3.308 3.974 5.670 5.355 5.670 6.065 5.253 5.150 3.539 Energy Source Natural Gasoline Pentanes Plus Naphtha < 401 F Other oils >= 401 F Still Gas Petroleum Coke Plant Condensate Propane Residual Fuel Oil Road Oil Special Naphthas Still Gas Unfinshed Oils Unfractionated Stream Waxes Miscellaneous MMBtu/bbl 4.620 4.620 5.248 5.825 6.000 6.024 5.418 3.836 6.287 6.636 5.248 6.000 5.825 5.418 5.537 5.796

Petrochemical Feedstocks:

Source: U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration (2001)

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Unit Conversion Factors

http://www.spe.org/industry/reference/unit_conversions.php

2003-2010 Society of Petroleum Engineers

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