How is gas measured at the pump?

Flow measurement The equipment must accurately measure the amount of fuel pumped. Flow measurement is almost always done by a 4 stroke piston meter connected to an electronic encoder.

What do the numbers on fuel pumps mean?

In a nut shell: the numbers on the pump are an octane rating that measures the different volatility levels of gasoline. The numbers measure volatility in reverse of what you would expect. For example: A premium fuel with an octane rating of 93 is less volatile fuel, than a lesser grade fuel with an octane rating of 87.

How much fuel does a gas station hold?

A gas station’s fuel storage tank ranges from around 12,000 gallons to 24,000 gallons of each 87 and 91 octane per station, not per pump. You might find some 10,000 and less but they are being phased out.

How is gas usage measured?

Natural gas is commonly measured by the cubic foot, and you are billed by the thousands of cubic feet (MCF) or hundreds of cubic feet (CCF). You may also be billed by the therm, which is approximately the same as a CCF or 100 cubic feet.

How is octane number calculated?

The octane number is determined by comparing, under standard conditions, the knock intensity of the fuel with that of blends of two reference fuels: iso-octane, which resists knocking, and heptane, which knocks readily.

What number is premium at the gas pump?

Premium gasoline is generally considered any type of gasoline with an octane level of 91 or greater, with 91 octane and 93 octane being the most common versions of premium gasoline available at gas stations in the United States (93 octane gasoline may be called “ultra” or “super-premium” in some cases).

How much fuel is left in the pump hose?

According to the American Petroleum Institute the gas-pump hose typically retains about one third of a gallon of fuel.

How is fuel delivered to gas stations?

Most gasoline moves from refineries through pipelines to large storage terminals near consuming areas. From the storage terminals, gasoline is usually sent by truck to smaller blending terminals for processing into finished motor gasoline, which is then delivered by truck to gasoline fueling stations.