Convert BTU per Second to Terawatts
Convert BTU per Second (BTU/s) to Terawatts (TW) instantly and accurately.
Conversion Formula
TW = BTU/s × 1.055055853e-9
About BTU per Second
One BTU per second (BTU/s) ≈ 1,055 W - close to 1 kW but slightly larger. Used when heat rates are so high that per-hour or per-minute numbers become unwieldy. In fire protection engineering, large house fires peak at 500-2,000 BTU/s; industrial fires at millions of BTU/s. Blast characterisation for petrochemical safety and large industrial heat exchangers with duties of millions of BTU/h are conveniently expressed in BTU/s. Since 1 BTU/s ≈ 1.055 kW, conversion to SI is straightforward. 1 BTU/s = 1,055.056 W.
About Terawatts
A terawatt (TW) is 10¹² W. All of human civilisation consumes ~17-18 TW (electricity + heat + transport combined); global electricity generation alone is ~9 TW. Solar irradiance intercepted by Earth is ~174,000 TW; photosynthesis captures ~130 TW. The National Ignition Facility (NIF) fusion laser produces pulses of ~500 TW lasting nanoseconds. High-power laser facilities for nuclear physics and ICF research routinely exceed 1 TW in ultrashort pulse regimes. 1 TW = 10¹² W.
Quick Reference Table
| BTU per Second (BTU/s) | Terawatts (TW) |
|---|---|
| 1 BTU/s | 1.055 × 10-9 TW |
| 2 BTU/s | 2.11 × 10-9 TW |
| 5 BTU/s | 5.275 × 10-9 TW |
| 10 BTU/s | 1.055 × 10-8 TW |
| 25 BTU/s | 2.638 × 10-8 TW |
| 50 BTU/s | 5.275 × 10-8 TW |
| 100 BTU/s | 1.055 × 10-7 TW |