Which statement correctly describes common oil production flow rate units and the conversion between barrels per day and cubic meters per day?

Which statement correctly describes common oil production flow rate units and the conversion between barrels per day and cubic meters per day?

• A. Common units are bbl/d and m3/d; 1 bbl = 0.1589873 m3; 1 m3 = 6.2898 bbl
• B. Only bbl/d is used
• C. There is no standard conversion between bbl and m3
• D. bbl/d and m3/d measure different things and cannot be converted

Answer: (A)

Oil production flow rates use barrels per day and cubic meters per day because a barrel is a fixed volume. A standard oil barrel is 42 US gallons, which is 159 litres, or 0.1589873 cubic metres. So, 1 bbl/d equals 0.1589873 m3/d, and 1 m3/d equals 6.2898 bbl/d (the reciprocal). To convert, multiply by 0.1589873 to go from bbl/d to m3/d, or multiply by 6.2898 to go from m3/d to bbl/d. For example, 1000 bbl/d ≈ 158.99 m3/d, and 500 m3/d ≈ 3153.9 bbl/d.

Oil production flow rates use barrels per day and cubic meters per day because a barrel is a fixed volume. A standard oil barrel is 42 US gallons, which is 159 litres, or 0.1589873 cubic metres. So, 1 bbl/d equals 0.1589873 m3/d, and 1 m3/d equals 6.2898 bbl/d (the reciprocal).

To convert, multiply by 0.1589873 to go from bbl/d to m3/d, or multiply by 6.2898 to go from m3/d to bbl/d. For example, 1000 bbl/d ≈ 158.99 m3/d, and 500 m3/d ≈ 3153.9 bbl/d.