Ron's Corner

Remember the old kid’s riddle – “which weighs more, a pound of feathers or a pound of lead?” It may have been fun for children to ponder, but it covers a principle of measurement which can cause pain for people in inventory control of expensive liquids such as petroleum. For these people the question would be stated – “When is a gallon not a gallon?” The answer to that question is ALMOST ALWAYS. It’s an answer which can mean thousands of dollars lost and thousands of gallons unaccounted for.

The correct definition of a gallon is – “231 cubic inches of water at 60 degrees Fahrenheit as sea level.” If you change any part of the definition, you do not know what you have. If the temperature is not 60 degrees, the product is not water. If it is not as sea level, the product is not water.

Literally, what this means is that one gallon volume of fuel oil at 60 degrees Fahrenheit will equal 1.05 gallons at 160 degrees Fahrenheit. If the temperature is at 40 degree, then you would only have .92 gallons.

Unless you correct for temperature, inventory, blending or batching, accuracy is almost impossible.