Among the more ridiculous units of measure used in the oil industry is barrels per acre-foot. If this is converted to SI, one ends up with a dimensionless number (which could be expressed as a percentage should one so wish).
_____ From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Han Maenen Sent: 21 June 2008 10:35 To: U.S. Metric Association Subject: [USMA:41190] Re: Time magazine, June 16, 2008, page 20, "A Brief History of:The Oil Barrel" When measuring CO emissions started years ago it began with the ridiculous g/mile. I had the displeasure of seeing that unit crop up in a Dutch automobile magazine without any comment and without any conversion. Thank goodness, in the end everybody saw the light and the g/km is standard now. Now for the BTU/h used for expressing the output of air conditioners. I will look at ads for these devices this season in the hope that it is starting to crumble. Let's hope that another ridiculous unit of energy that was discussed on this forum some time ago, the CMO (Cubic Mile of Oil) will be stillborn. The inventors of that unit want it to be adopted by all countries in the world. ----- Original Message ----- From: Martin <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Vlietstra To: U.S. Metric <mailto:[email protected]> Association Sent: Friday, 2008, June 13 7:13 Subject: [USMA:41061] Re: Time magazine, June 16, 2008, page 20, "A Brief History of:The Oil Barrel" In recent years we have become accustomed to seeing how many grams of CO2 we emit per kilometre. One argument in favour of selling petrol by the kilogram is that this might be easier to calculate. Using molecular weights, one can easily show that one gram of C(n)H(n+2) generates just about 3.1 g CO2. _____ From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Pat Naughtin Sent: 12 June 2008 02:10 To: U.S. Metric Association Cc: U.S. Metric Association Subject: [USMA:41055] Re: Time magazine, June 16, 2008, page 20, "A Brief History of:The Oil Barrel" On 2008/06/12, at 2:55 AM, Norman & Nancy Werling wrote: The article explains that Japan measures crude oil in kiloliters and Russia measures it in metric tons (tonnes). Dear Norman and All, One problem in buying or selling oil by volume is that oil varies quite markedly in its density and this varies, again quite markedly, with temperature. This means that if you want to buy or sell in litres or kilolitres then you should apply adjustment factors to allow for density and for temperature. These adjustments have the effect that, after some calculation, you actually buy and sell in tonnes and kilograms. I suspect that all sales of oil in the world are, in fact, done in kilograms and tonnes although there are many elaborate ways for people to hide this simple fact. For example, this web page (http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/science/energy_calculator.html ) seems to me a terribly inefficient way to teach children how to spell the simple, both in word and concept, single word 'tonne'. A few years ago, I visited the Permian Basin Oil Museum in Midland TX where a poster on the wall stated that the oil barrel never actually existed. I believe that this is the truth and that the oil barrel never actually existed in any physical sense; no oil has ever actually been poured into a barrel for measuring purposes. I think that the oil barrel is a theoretical construct based on a notional compromise barrel of about 35 UK gallons (BP), about 42 USA gallons (Exxon), or about 159 litres (Shell). The price per barrel you see in the morning paper is there simply for pricing in such a way that the public will not understand the pricing process. Obfuscation, using the word barrel, means that people cannot make a comparison between the price of crude oil and the price they are asked to pay at the pump. At today's quoted price of about $135 (USD) this works out to be: USA Buying price 3.21 $(USD) per gallon Selling price (approx) 4.00 $(USD) per gallon (Please check these figures for me.) Australia Buying price 85 cents/litre Selling price (approx) 1.59 $/AUD The problem for the oil companies is that when people can compare their buying and selling prices they are inclined to ask questions about the oil company's pricing policies. I am not a religious person but, whenever I think of the way oil companies use the word barrel, I am reminded of these quotations from the the Bible. Deuteronomy 25:13-14 Thou shalt not have in thy bag divers weights, a great and a small. Thou shalt not have in thine house divers measures, a great and a small. Diverse weights and diverse measures, both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord. Micah 6:11 Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances, and with the bag of deceitful weights. Leviticus 19:35-36 Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in meteyard, in weight, or in measure. Just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin, shall ye have. Cheers, Pat Naughtin PO Box 305 Belmont 3216, Geelong, Australia Phone: 61 3 5241 2008 Metric system consultant, writer, and speaker, Pat Naughtin, has helped thousands of people and hundreds of companies upgrade to the modern metric system smoothly, quickly, and so economically that they now save thousands each year when buying, processing, or selling for their businesses. Pat provides services and resources for many different trades, crafts, and professions for commercial, industrial and government metrication leaders in Asia, Europe, and in the USA. Pat's clients include the Australian Government, Google, NASA, NIST, and the metric associations of Canada, the UK, and the USA. See http://www.metricationmatters.com/ for more metrication information, contact Pat at [EMAIL PROTECTED] or to get the free 'Metrication matters' newsletter go to: http://www.metricationmatters.com/newsletter/ to subscribe.
