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How Natural Gas is MeasuredNatural Gas is usually measured by
volume and is stated in cubic feet. A cubic foot of gas is the amount
of gas needed to fill a volume of one cubic foot under set conditions
of pressure and temperature.To measure larger amounts of natural gas, a
"therm" is used to denote 100 cubic feet, and "mcf" is used to denote
1,000 cubic feet.
To provide greater accuracy in comparing fuels, energy content is measured in terms of "British Thermal Units (BTU's)." A BTU is the amount of heat required to raise one pound of water (approximately a pint), one degree Farenheit at or close to its point of maximum density. The energy content of natural gas differs in various locations thoughout the country. For the sake of comparison, one average cubic foot of natural gas about 1,000 BTU's of heat energy.The chart below shows how much heat energy is released in various quantities of natural gas. HEAT
ENERGY PER UNIT OF MEASURE FOR NATURAL GAS
How
Natural Gas is Sold as Transportation Fuel
Compressed Natural Gas or CNG is
sold at the retail level either by mass, energy units or "gasoline
gallon equivalents" or gge. The National Conference of Weights &
Measurements (NCWM) has developed a standard unit of
measurement for compressed natural gas. The standard is defined in the NIST Handbook 44 Appendix D as follows:
"gasoline gallon equivalent (GGE). gasoline gallon equivalent (GGE) means 5.660 pounds of natural gas." The chart below shows how much heat energy is released in various quantities of natural gas.
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Tulsa Gas Technologies 4809 S. 101st E. Ave. Tulsa, OK 74146 (918) 665-2641
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