Your ship has loaded 8,000 barrels of gasoline at a cargo temperature of 36°C (97°F). API gravity is 54°. The volume correction factor (VCF) is .0006. You are bound for New Jersey from Ecuador. How many gallons would you expect to unload if the cargo temperature is 55°F at the discharge port?
• Thermal expansion of liquids and why volume changes with temperature • How to convert barrels to gallons and apply volume correction for temperature change • Using the Volume Correction Factor (VCF) correctly over a temperature difference
• First, get the total volume in gallons at the loading temperature; what simple conversion factor links barrels and gallons? • Next, think about whether gasoline volume increases or decreases when it cools from 97°F to 55°F; should your corrected volume be larger or smaller than the loaded volume? • How do you use the VCF together with the temperature change (ΔT) to estimate the change in volume, and then apply that to your original volume?
• Confirm the correct barrels-to-gallons conversion factor before doing any math • Calculate the temperature difference in Fahrenheit and keep the sign (cooling vs warming) consistent • After applying the correction, check if your result is reasonable in size compared to 8,000 barrels (i.e., does it fall in the same rough order of magnitude as the choices?)
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