Hot Petrol == Lose Money

[fxm88]

Or are motor fuel sales in Thailand temperature compensated?

1 year of 'hot gas' costs Arizona motorists $115 million, The Arizona Republic, Aug. 29, 2006

Hot fuel for you and cold cash for big oil, The Kansas City Star, Aug. 27, 2006

"Don’t Pump Gas At Noon: Hot Gasoline Costs US Drivers Over $2.3 Billion a Year", RealtechNews, August 29, 2006

[doctormann]

I assume that gasoline at the pumps is metered by volume so, indeed, if the gas is hot, you will get less energy per litre because the liquid will have expanded. i.e. you get less mass (and energy) per litre than if the gas was cold.

However, as the gasoline is stored in underground tanks (usually) the temperature will not vary significantly throughout the day so the effect should be small. If the tanks are above ground then maybe it's more of a problem.

Whether or not the pumps are temperature compensated I have no idea. It would be quite easy to do this, especially on a modern, electronically controlled pump but I suspect that there is no mileage (no pun intended) in the oil companies doing so. If anyone out there knows the true story then please tell us.

DM