Natural gas can be priced in dollars per therm, dollars per MMBtu, or dollars per cubic foot in the United States. 1 To translate these costs from one price basis to another, the heat content of natural gas per physical unit (such as Btu per cubic foot) is required. The annual average heat content of natural gas provided to consumers in the United States in 2020 was around 1,037 Btu per cubic foot. As a result, 100 Ccf of natural gas equals 103,700 Btu, or 1.037 therms. A thousand cubic feet (Mcf) of natural gas equals 1.037 million British thermal units (MBtu), or 10.37 therms.
These calculations can be used to convert natural gas prices from one pricing basis to another (assuming a heat content of 1,037 Btu per cubic foot):
Natural gas heat content varies by location and type of natural gas customer, as well as with time. For information on the heat content of the natural gas they supply to their clients, consumers and analysts should contact natural gas distribution firms or natural gas suppliers. Customers’ invoices may include this information from some natural gas distribution providers or utilities.
1 Natural gas was measured in cubic feet by the US Energy Information Administration from 1964 to 1964 at a pressure of 14.65 psia (poundspersquareinchabsolute) at 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Since 1965, the pressurebase has been 14.73 psia at 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
In natural gas, how do you compute BTU?
Divide your therm by 100,000 BTUs to get the BTUs per pound (100 cubic feet or 1 standard therm). Multiply the value by 5.66 to get the number of BTUs per GGE (1 standard GGE). For example, if your area’s therm is 4.96 lbs, divide that figure by 100,000 to get the corresponding BTUs per pound.
How much energy is in one MCF of natural gas?
At a certain temperature and pressure, a cubic foot of natural gas is the amount of gas that can be contained in a cube one foot on a side. However, gas is not produced on a large scale “Temperature and pressure are “standard.” The amount of gas that may be held in a one-foot cube is affected by temperature and pressure. The more gas that can be trapped in a cubic foot of space, the higher the pressure. Conversely, when the temperature rises, the amount of gas that can be trapped in a cubic foot of space decreases. As a result, when a gas is measured, it must also be measured in terms of pressure and temperature. The volume of the gas at its current temperature and pressure can then be rectified to indicate the volume of the same gas at a standard temperature and pressure. The volume provided by producers to the Texas Railroad Commission at standard temperature and pressure is also the volume utilized to calculate the price the purchaser will pay for the gas.
When measuring volume, another factor to consider is the amount of water present. When most gas is created, some water vapor is dissolved in it. Water vapor takes up a lot of room. As a result, gas containing a lot of water vapor has less natural gas per unit volume than gas containing no water vapor. “There is no water vapor in “dry gas.” “Water vapor is present in “wet gas.” “The highest amount of water vapor that may be held in a gas without precipitating out as liquid water is called a “saturated gas.” As a result, measured gas volumes must be corrected for the presence of water vapor.
Technically, gas measurement is a well developed science. Gas meters do not directly measure volume. An orifice plate is a plate having a small hole in it through which the gas must travel in a gas meter. The pressure on either side of the orifice is measured by the meter. The volume of gas going through the aperture can be calculated using the pressure differential (the difference in pressure on either side of the orifice).
Gas is sold based on its heating value rather than its volume. British thermal units, or Btu’s, are used to measure the amount of heat in a room. At one atmosphere of pressure, a Btu is the amount of heat necessary to raise one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit. The calorie equivalent of a Btu is 251.99 Btu.
We’ll have to go back to high school chemistry for this. Methane makes up the majority of natural gas. CH4 is the chemical formula for methane, a hydrocarbon molecule with one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms. However, natural gas may contain ethane (C2H6), propane (C3H8), butane (C4H10), and other hydrocarbons as it is created “hydrocarbons that are “heavier.” For the same amount of volume, heavier hydrocarbons have a higher heating value a higher Btu content.
At standard temperature and pressure (60 degrees Fahrenheit and 14.73 pounds per square inch), one cubic foot of methane gas contains exactly 1,000 Btus. One million Btus, or one MMBtu, is contained in one thousand cubic feet of methane, or 1 mcf. The MMBtu unit of measurement is used to price gas. Gas sold at $5 per MMBtu would be $5 per mcf if it was purely methane.
Natural gas, on the other hand, is frequently a mixture of methane, ethane, propane, and other hydrocarbons, thus its Btu content can easily reach 1,000 Btus per cubic foot. Because natural gas is sold in MMBtu units, it is necessary to determine not just its volume but also its Btu composition. The Btu content of gas is determined by obtaining a sample and analyzing it to identify its hydrocarbon elements. Because the hydrocarbon content of gas from a specific well does not fluctuate significantly over time, this is done once or twice a year for each well. “Natural gas that is “rich” in Btu concentration can have as much as 1,200 Btu per cubic foot or more. Carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, and other gases may be present in natural gas, lowering its heating value to less than 1,000 Btus per cubic foot.
MMBtus/mcf is the standard unit of measurement for gas Btu content. The Btu content of gas with a Btu content of 1,200 Btu per cubic foot is 1.2 MMBtus/mcf.
The volume of a gas can readily be converted to Btus once the heating value has been determined. If a well produces 100,000 mcf of gas with a heating value of 1,200 Btu per cubi foot, the total MMBtu’s of gas produced is calculated by multiplying mcf by MMBtu’s/mcf: 100,000 X 1.2 = 120,000 MMBtus.
A barrel of oil, for example, has around 5.8 MMBtus (depending on the constituency of the oil). As a result, a barrel of oil is about equivalent to 5.8 mcf of methane in terms of heating value. When firms report production or reserves in “barrels of oil equivalent,” or “boe,” they are converting their gas reserves into oil barrels at a 5.8-to-1 ratio. Methane is now significantly cheaper than oil based on its heating value. Oil would sell for $20.30 per barrel on a Btu-equivalent basis at the present price of natural gas, which is around $3.50 per mcf.
Even though the actual pricing is based on Btus, exploration companies must record their natural gas production in mcf on royalty checks. To determine the price per MMBtu, you must first determine the gas’s Btu content. Some businesses provide this data in their check details. If the information isn’t available, the corporation should supply it if asked. Without knowing the Btu content of the gas being produced, it is impossible to compare pricing between companies and wells.
What exactly is the distinction between MCF and MMBtu?
The volume of 1,000 cubic feet (cf) of natural gas is equal to one thousand cubic feet (mcf). 1,000,000 British thermal units are equal to 1,000,000 MMBtu (Btu). (One Btu is equal to the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit.)
How do you figure out MCF?
With a little arithmetic, it is possible to convert from one measurement system to another.
If you want to do some fast math, burning 100 cubic feet of natural gas (1 CCF) is roughly similar to burning one therm of gas. However, that figure is based on the natural gas’s efficiency, or “heat content.”
The annual average heat content of natural gas delivered to consumers in the United States is 1,037 British Thermal Units (BTU) per cubic foot, according to the Energy Information Administration (CF).
So, 100 cubic feet (1 CCF) of natural gas equals 103,700 Btu, or 1.037 therms, if you want the exact conversion.
This translates to 1.037 MMBtu, or 10.37 therms, per thousand cubic feet (1 MCF) of natural gas.
Here’s how to convert between multiple natural gas unit measurements and prices:
What is the formula for calculating BTU for a gas meter?
General safety warning: inappropriate natural or “LP” gas installation, as well as poor inspection and testing methods, can result in harmful conditions, including fire or explosion.
If you smell gas, leave the building immediately and avoid doing anything that could cause a spark, such as turning on a light switch or dialing a phone number. Call your gas company’s emergency number and/or your local fire department from a safe area. The text supplied here is a rough draft that may be erroneous or incomplete.
Gas meters by American Meter Company are shown at the top and left of the page. The AC250 is at the top of the page, and we have further information about it at the end of this article. The American Meter – Singer Co. AC-95 gas meter is seen above.
How to Calculate, Measure, and Set LP “Bottled” Gas or Natural Gas Pressures & BTUH per Cubic Foot is discussed here.
What are the average pressures in a natural gas or LP fuel system, and how do they differ? What is the distinction between butane, propane, and natural gas? Can we just use butane instead of propane or LPG?
How to calculate the BTU capacity of LP or natural gas fired equipment, heaters, or appliances
Computing BTUH: Technical Note: You can calculate your gas-fired equipment’s BTUs per hour of gas usage. Make sure only one gas appliance is on and keep an eye on the gas meter to see how long it takes to utilize one cubic foot of gas.
The amount you calculate for an appliance’s BTU capacity should be close to the nameplate “input” BTUH on the device.
How many cubic feet of natural gas or propane will a heating furnace or boiler consume per hour?
- In an hour of “burner on” time, a 100,000 BTUh furnace will use around 95 cubic feet of natural gas (100,000 1,050 = 95.21).
- In an hour of “burner on” time, a 100,000 BTUh heater will use around 40 cubic feet of propane (100,000 2500 = 40).
How to calculate the conversion ofgallons of propane or natural gas to pounds or BTUs or to volume of gas
A gallon of propane has around 91,500 BTUs and weighs approximately 4.20 pounds. A pound of propane has around 21,500 BTUs in it. The details of the calculation are listed below.
At 60 degrees Fahrenheit, one gallon of LP-gas (propane or C3H8) weighs about 4.20 pounds, contains about 8.66 cubic feet of gas vapor per pound, burns at 3,595 degrees Fahrenheit in air, and takes 23.86 cubic feet of combustion air to burn correctly.
When converting between cubic feet of gas and liquid gallons, keeping the temperature constant aids in decoding common cubic foot gas meter values.
- At 60 degrees Fahrenheit, 1 gallon of LP gas C3H8 weighs 4.20 pounds and holds 8.66 cubic feet per pound.
- Per gallon of LPG, 4.20 pounds x 8.66 cubic feet/pound Equals 36 cubic feet of gas (at 60F).
- At 60F, 1 cubic foot of LP gasC3H8 equals 1/36 gallon of liquid LP or around 0.3 gallon of liquid LP.
Butane Gas Properties
Butane gas (C4H10) has a different set of numbers. One gallon of butane-based LP gas costs:
- Per pound, 1 gallon of butane contains approximately 6.51 cubic feet of gas vapor (at 60 deg. F),
- to smolder To burn correctly, 1 gallon of butane takes 31.02 cubic feet of combustion air.
Our weights and measures for LP gas were corrected thanks to reader Fred G. Van Orsdol. Additional technical editing was provided by reader Bay Ground Control.
What are the common operating pressures of natural gas and LP or “liquid petroleum” gas in the building gas piping and at the appliance?
There are details on LP gas pressures and natural gas pressures in buildings and in gas-fired appliances.
What exactly is a Mcf unit?
According to the US Energy Information Administration, a Mcf is a unit of measurement for natural gas that equals 1,032 cubic feet. One million British Thermal Units (BTUs) equals one Mcf (BTUs).
What is the BTU value of a cubic foot of heating?
The underlying equation of a heating and cooling system is how much you want to add or remove from the air within a building. That depends on a variety of factors, including square footage and environment, but the beginning point is determining how many degrees you want to raise the interior temperature and how many BTUs are required to do so. There are calculators available to assist homeowners in determining the proper unit size, but there are also some general guidelines to follow. A 300 square foot space, for example, normally requires 7,000 BTUs to maintain a pleasant temperature, whereas a 1,000 square foot room necessitates 18,000 BTUs.
BTUs needed per hour = (desired temperature change) x (cubic feet of space) x.133
Propane or natural gas has more BTUs.
A cubic foot of propane has 2,516 BTUs, whereas a cubic foot of natural gas contains 1,030 BTUs. Propane has double the energy content of natural gas. A 100,000 BTU natural gas furnace burns roughly 97 cubic feet per hour, whereas a propane furnace only burns 40 cubic feet per hour.
What is the BTU value of a kW?
The fundamental method breakdown of the BTU to kW equation is used by physicists. Engineers developing air conditioners and other HVAC systems use the outtakes. When comparing the energy output of natural gas and electric garage heaters, knowing how many BTUs equals 1 kW is useful.
This translates to 3412 BTU/h for 1 kW. Here’s where you can simply convert kW to BTU.
Divide the BTU by around 3,000 to get a kW figure. You’d figure the power for a 10,000 BTU portable air conditioner to be around 3.3 kW, right? To be precise, it’s 2.93 kW, but 3.3 kW is a decent estimate.
In any event, be certain you purchase a powerful enough air conditioner to chill specific areas of your home.