Convert British Thermal Units to Terajoules
Convert British Thermal Units (BTU) to Terajoules (TJ) instantly and accurately.
Conversion Formula
TJ = BTU × 1.055055853e-9
About British Thermal Units
A British Thermal Unit (BTU) - the heat to raise 1 lb of water by 1°F - equals exactly 1,055.05585262 J. It dominates US HVAC: room air conditioners are rated in BTU/h (5,000-24,000 BTU/h = 1.5-7.0 kW); one ton of refrigeration is exactly 12,000 BTU/h. Natural gas is billed in therms (100,000 BTU) in the US. Higher heating values: natural gas ~1,020-1,050 BTU/ft³; No. 2 fuel oil ~138,700 BTU/US gal; propane ~91,500 BTU/US gal. 1 BTU = 1,055.06 J = 252.164 cal = 0.29307 Wh.
About Terajoules
A terajoule (TJ) is 10¹² J - the scale of nuclear yields in the kiloton range and large industrial accidents. One kiloton of TNT = 4.184 TJ; the Hiroshima bomb (15 kt) released ~62.8 TJ. The Halifax Explosion (1917) released ~3 TJ. A 500 MW coal plant consumes ~51.4 TJ/h of thermal input. Daily primary energy of Denmark is ~250-300 TJ; the UK ~3,800 TJ/day. A 1 GW nuclear reactor at 90% capacity factor generates ~77.7 TJ/day. 1 TJ = 10¹² J = 277,778 kWh = 277.78 MWh = 23.88 ktoe.
Quick Reference Table
| British Thermal Units (BTU) | Terajoules (TJ) |
|---|---|
| 1 BTU | 1.055 × 10-9 TJ |
| 2 BTU | 2.11 × 10-9 TJ |
| 5 BTU | 5.275 × 10-9 TJ |
| 10 BTU | 1.055 × 10-8 TJ |
| 25 BTU | 2.638 × 10-8 TJ |
| 50 BTU | 5.275 × 10-8 TJ |
| 100 BTU | 1.055 × 10-7 TJ |