1.1 Understanding Various Terms and Conversion Factors
5
Readers frequently encounter two terms, viz., ‘ton’ and ‘tonne’. Globally, three
different types of ‘Ton’ (https://www.quora.com) have been recognized and these
are as follows (Box 3):
Box 3
Tonne/Ton
British Ton or
Long Ton
2240 Pounds
American Ton or
Short Ton
2000 Pounds
Metric Ton or
Ton
1000 Kg or 2204
Pounds
Let us examine the calorific value and quantum of energy (Box 4) that can be generated from some well-known commercial and non-renewable sources (Yearbook,
Energy Statistics 2013).
Box 4 Calorific value and quantum of energy
Equals BTU (British
Thermal Unit)
Total Calorific Value
(Calories)
Kilowatt Hours that
can be generated
One KWH of Electricity
3412
853000
1.008
One Barrel of Petroleum / crude oil (42
Gallons)
5800000
1461600000
1713.48183
One Barrel of Residual Fuel Oil
627000
158004000
185.233294
One Gallon Gasoline
124238
31307976
36.7033716
One Gallon Diesel
138690
34949880
40.9728957
One Gallon Heating Oil
138690
34949880
40.9728957
One CFT Natural Gas
1023
257796
0.30222274
One Gallon Propane
91333
23015916
26.9823165
One Short (A Short ton is a US term and is
equivalent to 2000 pounds or 907 kg, while
a Long ton is a British term which is
equivalent to 2240 pounds.) ton of Coal
19858000
5004216000
5866.60727
Source [Yearbook, Energy Statistics 2013
Since different types of fuel materials are used for generating commercial energy,
their efficiency (Planning Commission 1953) is compared in terms of calorie content.
For example, one ton of crude oil is worth 10 billion cal or 42 billion joules. Similarly,
one million ton of Indian coal is worth 4.1 billion cal. It is also possible to measure
electrical energy in terms of thermal energy. For example, one billion kilowatt-hour
equals 0.86 billion cal. Taking the thermal efficiency of a power plant and other
losses in the system, the equivalence between electricity and fossil fuels would be
one billion kilowatt-hour = 0.28 million tons of oil equivalent (in case of coal-fired
5
Readers frequently encounter two terms, viz., ‘ton’ and ‘tonne’. Globally, three
different types of ‘Ton’ (https://www.quora.com) have been recognized and these
are as follows (Box 3):
Box 3
Tonne/Ton
British Ton or
Long Ton
2240 Pounds
American Ton or
Short Ton
2000 Pounds
Metric Ton or
Ton
1000 Kg or 2204
Pounds
Let us examine the calorific value and quantum of energy (Box 4) that can be generated from some well-known commercial and non-renewable sources (Yearbook,
Energy Statistics 2013).
Box 4 Calorific value and quantum of energy
Equals BTU (British
Thermal Unit)
Total Calorific Value
(Calories)
Kilowatt Hours that
can be generated
One KWH of Electricity
3412
853000
1.008
One Barrel of Petroleum / crude oil (42
Gallons)
5800000
1461600000
1713.48183
One Barrel of Residual Fuel Oil
627000
158004000
185.233294
One Gallon Gasoline
124238
31307976
36.7033716
One Gallon Diesel
138690
34949880
40.9728957
One Gallon Heating Oil
138690
34949880
40.9728957
One CFT Natural Gas
1023
257796
0.30222274
One Gallon Propane
91333
23015916
26.9823165
One Short (A Short ton is a US term and is
equivalent to 2000 pounds or 907 kg, while
a Long ton is a British term which is
equivalent to 2240 pounds.) ton of Coal
19858000
5004216000
5866.60727
Source [Yearbook, Energy Statistics 2013
Since different types of fuel materials are used for generating commercial energy,
their efficiency (Planning Commission 1953) is compared in terms of calorie content.
For example, one ton of crude oil is worth 10 billion cal or 42 billion joules. Similarly,
one million ton of Indian coal is worth 4.1 billion cal. It is also possible to measure
electrical energy in terms of thermal energy. For example, one billion kilowatt-hour
equals 0.86 billion cal. Taking the thermal efficiency of a power plant and other
losses in the system, the equivalence between electricity and fossil fuels would be
one billion kilowatt-hour = 0.28 million tons of oil equivalent (in case of coal-fired