2006-07-13 08:19:50 · 8 answers · asked by van v 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Earth Sciences & Geology
The answers you received are good guesses, but most are quite wrong.
I am a former oil and gas industry geologist.
When "gas" is measured in cubic meters, it is usually Liquified Natural Gas (LNG). You are correct in that it is a liquid, but it is extremely cold, about -160°C, and under tremendious pressure, about 800 lb/cubic-inch. It is around 1/600 of its natural gasous volume. Because it is shipped internationally as LNG, the metric system is used.
The standard American measure of gasous natrual gas at your house is by the cubic foot at a Standard Temperature and Pressure (STP). Because gas volume changes as the temperature and pressure vary, there has to be a standard. But, it is not the same STP used in chemistry and physics. STP as accepted by the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is 14.696 psia (1 atmosphere) at 60°F. The OPEC STP is 14.73 psia at 60°F.
Crude oil, on the other hand, is measured by the barrel. The SPE, ISO, and OPEC accepted standard barrel size is 42 gallons. Not 55 gallons, as some people believe. The "barrel" dates back to the very first oil well drilled in Titusville, PA by "Col" (not a real one, but add to his name to give him respect) Edwin Drake in 1859. Wooden barrels were the standard means of transporting liquids back then. Oil was measured and transported in wooden, 42 gallon barrels. By the mid 1860's, the 42 gallon barrel became the standard measure of crude oil. It has never changed from this 42 gallons per barrel standard.
Modern refined petroleum products are shipped in 55 gallon drums, not barrels. Steel drums did not exist in 1859.
I hope this answers your question.
Tom the Registered Professional Geologist
Edit as to response below:
Okay, lets get technical: LNG and gasoline are indeed fluids because they tend to disperse if not contained, LNG much more rapidly than gasoline. Natural gas is a gas. Crude oil is more of a liquid than a fluid. The volatile components of crude oil (refined out to make gasoline) will disperse over time, but not completely. Depending where the crude oil is from, a paraffin or tar based liquid will be left behind. (Ah... geology.)
2006-07-13 13:50:50 · answer #1 · answered by Tom-PG 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I am assuming that you mean natural gas and oil, correct?,
when condesed natural gas is a liquid and thus could be messured in barrels, but the barrel can still be full with even a little bit of natural gas thus the way to measure the true volume of the gas is to allow it to get to a normal pressure/tempature and messure how many cubic feet of gas their is.
2006-07-13 08:27:26 · answer #2 · answered by first_gholam 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Gas, as in natural gas, is in fact a, you guessed it, gas. Oil is measured in barrels because that used to be the standard shipping/containing method for crude oil.
If you mean gasoline, its usually measured in liters or gallons (I believe a liter is 1000 cubic centimeters, but my chemistry class could be failing me....). If you were asking about THIS kind of gas, its like asking why coke comes in 2 liter bottles but milk and water in gallon jugs. Or the 20 oz coke vs. the 16.9 oz bottle of water.
Its also based on the amount purchased. Imagine buying a bottle of Pepto Bismal measured in .0002 barrels instead of 8 fluid ounces. Or buying 7040 fluid ounces of oil (thats approximately one barrel). Just the standard of measurement for that particular liquid.
2006-07-13 08:28:34 · answer #3 · answered by travis_b7 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Are you talking about gasoline? I'm pretty sure we measure that in gallons.
Maybe do you mean natural gas? Because that is actually a gas, so it would be measured by its volume (at a standard temp and pressure of course).
A barrel is 55 gallons in case you were wondering
2006-07-13 08:23:44 · answer #4 · answered by Steve S 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Oil is measured in barrels for the economic market; it's the equivalent of a share of stock for pricing purposes. It's not usually referred to as in 'barrels' elsewhere.
2006-07-13 08:23:22 · answer #5 · answered by biosafety_level_4 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A gas is not a liquid. That's why it's called a gas.
2006-07-13 08:22:53 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, gas is, by definition, a gas.
Gasoline is usually measured in gallons, however.
2006-07-13 08:22:33 · answer #7 · answered by MeteoMike 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They are both fluids, not liquids.
2006-07-13 18:38:48 · answer #8 · answered by wires 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋