How Many Kilograms Does One Liter of Gasoline Equal?
2 Answers
One liter of gasoline equals 1.45 kilograms. Gasoline is a volatile, flammable liquid hydrocarbon mixture derived from the distillation, cracking, or pyrolysis of petroleum, primarily used as fuel for spark-ignited internal combustion engines. It mainly consists of organic compounds obtained from crude oil distillation and various additives. Although gasoline yield varies with the composition of crude oil, typically, a barrel of 42 US gallons (160 liters) of crude oil can produce 19 US gallons (72 liters) of gasoline after refinery processing. The octane rating of gasoline measures the anti-knock properties of a specific gasoline mixture (which can cause knocking and reduce the efficiency of reciprocating engines). Depending on the octane rating, produced gasoline is categorized into several grades. Other chemicals are often added to gasoline to enhance chemical stability and other performance characteristics, control corrosiveness, and maintain fuel system cleanliness.
The density of gasoline generally ranges from 0.72 to 0.78 grams per milliliter. Taking the average value of 0.725 grams per milliliter, one liter equals 1000 milliliters, so the mass would be 725 grams. Converting to jin (a Chinese unit of weight, where 1 jin equals 500 grams), 725 divided by 500 equals approximately 1.45 jin. In reality, density fluctuations are significantly influenced by the type of gasoline and temperature. For example, 92-octane gasoline has a slightly lower density of about 0.74, calculating to 1.48 jin, while 95-octane gasoline has a higher density of 0.76, resulting in 1.52 jin. Additionally, for every 10-degree increase in temperature, the density decreases by 0.02, making gasoline lighter in summer and heavier in winter. As a frequent reader of automotive magazines, I find this unit conversion quite practical for optimizing fuel consumption. While reducing the vehicle's weight by one kilogram can save fuel, the weight of gasoline itself has a minor impact. Remembering an average of 1.45 jin is sufficient for daily use. Understanding these details helps me make more informed choices when selecting gasoline.
