Higher heating value in the context of "Barrel of oil equivalent"

Play Trivia Questions online!

or

Skip to study material about Higher heating value in the context of "Barrel of oil equivalent"

Ad spacer

⭐ Core Definition: Higher heating value

The heating value (or energy value or calorific value) of a substance, usually a fuel or food (see food energy), is the amount of heat released during the combustion of a specified amount of it.

The calorific value is the total energy released as heat when a substance undergoes complete combustion with oxygen under standard conditions. The chemical reaction is typically a hydrocarbon or other organic molecule reacting with oxygen to form carbon dioxide and water and release heat. It may be expressed with the quantities:

↓ Menu

>>>PUT SHARE BUTTONS HERE<<<

👉 Higher heating value in the context of Barrel of oil equivalent

The barrel of oil equivalent (BOE) is a unit of energy based on the approximate energy released by burning one barrel (42 US gallons, 35 imp gal or about 159 litres) of crude oil. The BOE is used by oil and gas companies in their financial statements as a way of combining oil and natural gas reserves and production into a single measure, although this energy equivalence does not take into account the lower financial value of energy in the form of gas.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration defines the barrel of oil equivalent as about 6 gigajoules (1.7 megawatt-hours; 5.7 million British thermal units). The value is necessarily approximate as various grades of oil and gas have slightly different heating values. If one considers the lower heating value instead of the higher heating value, the value for one BOE would be approximately 5.4 GJ (see tonne of oil equivalent). Typically 5,800 cubic feet of natural gas is equivalent to one BOE. The United States Geological Survey gives a figure of 6,000 cubic feet (170 cubic metres) of typical natural gas.

↓ Explore More Topics
In this Dossier

Higher heating value in the context of Autogas

Autogas is liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) used as a fuel in internal combustion engines of vehicles as well as in stationary applications such as generators. It is a mixture of propane and butane.

Autogas is widely used as a "green" fuel, as its use reduces CO2 exhaust emissions by around 15% compared to petrol. One litre of petrol produces 2.3 kg of CO2 when burnt, whereas the equivalent amount of autogas (1.33 litres due to the lower density of autogas) produces 2 kg of CO2 when burnt. CO emissions are 30% lower compared to petrol, and NOx is reduced by 50%. It has an octane rating (MON/RON) that is between 90 and 110 and an energy content (higher heating value—HHV) that is between 25.5 megajoules per litre (for pure propane) and 28.7 megajoules per litre (for pure butane) depending upon the actual fuel composition.

↑ Return to Menu

Higher heating value in the context of Condensing boiler

Condensing boilers are water heaters typically used for heating systems that are fueled by gas or oil. When operated in the correct circumstances, a heating system can achieve high efficiency (greater than 90% on the higher heating value) by condensing water vapour found in the exhaust gases in a heat exchanger to preheat the circulating water. This recovers the latent heat of vaporisation, which would otherwise have been wasted. The condensate is sent to a drain. In many countries, the use of condensing boilers is compulsory or encouraged with financial incentives.

For the condensation process to work properly, the return temperature of the circulating water must be around 55 °C (131 °F) or below, so condensing boilers are often run at lower temperatures, around 70 °C (158 °F) or below, which can require larger pipes and radiators than non-condensing boilers. Nevertheless, even partial condensing is more efficient than a conventional non-condensing boiler.

↑ Return to Menu