Q: How many gallons of gas can you get from a barrel of oil?
Q: How many gallons of gas can you get from a barrel of oil?
A: A barrel of oil (42 gallons) results in the production of about 19.4 gallons of gasoline, but the excess oil produces many things, from asphalt and jet fuel to lubricants and heating oil, according to the Web site www.Classroom-Energy.com, a teaching site created by the American Petroleum Institute.
But the amount of gasoline produced by a single barrel can vary widely depending on the origin of the oil used, the mix desired by the refinery and refinery efficiency, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
“The amount of gasoline that can be distilled from crude depends on where the crude is obtained,” wrote Bob Erck, an expert respondent on the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ask a Scientist Web site.
“Venezuelan crude yields little gasoline (about five percent), whereas Texas or Arabian crude yields about 30 percent gasoline. This is called ‘straight run’ gasoline.”
