Ward Smith + 6,615 May 7, 2019 OK decided to move it here. There are plenty of clues in the tags. Why is bbl used for barrel and why is it 42 gallons? They're related. I'll wait another day and give the answer Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ceo_energemsier + 1,818 cv May 7, 2019 4 hours ago, Ward Smith said: OK decided to move it here. There are plenty of clues in the tags. Why is bbl used for barrel and why is it 42 gallons? They're related. I'll wait another day and give the answer Historically , the wooden barrels were used for wine in the form of wooden casks were used to store animal fat (whale oil) for transport ( as well as veg oils) . Wooden casks were used for mineral oil and standardized to 42 gallons to make it a common thread for ease of trade between the Bits and the US. The standard barrel was 42 gallons of crude or petroleum product=159litres, which was booming int he PA oilfields. Whiskey barrels were also used to transport and store, which was a 40 gal one , and later standardized to 42 gals. With the advent of pipelines, tanker trucks, tankers the barrel became extinct for crude oils and most petro products. https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/09/oil-barrels/539238/ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ward Smith + 6,615 May 8, 2019 (edited) @Justin Hickswins the Kewpie doll. @ceo_energemsierwins honorable mention. My great grandfather owned a mercantile store in the pioneer West at the turn of the century. Among other things he purchased kerosene, which was rapidly replacing whale oil in hurricane lamps. In those days vendors sold kerosene in barrels, and the store would sell it by the quart. Unfortunately, the cooper method of using live oak and letting the water swell up the wood to make a good seal didn't work with the low viscosity oil, so the barrels leaked. Standard Oil produced their own barrels using kiln dried oak, glue, and most importantly, Guaranteed you'd receive 42 gallons when you bought their bright Blue barrels. Henceforth bbl stood for blue barrel. So next time when you see the bbl abbreviation, don't wonder who flunked English and spelling, just say blue barrel. https://petroglobalnews.com/2013/10/the-9-most-amazing-facts-about-john-d-rockefeller/ Edited May 8, 2019 by Ward Smith 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
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