How much water is generated from burning 100,000 BTU of natural gas?

When natural gas is burned for energy, one of the primary byproducts of the combustion process is water. This occurs because natural gas, largely composed of methane (CH₄), reacts with oxygen (O₂) to produce carbon dioxide (CO₂) and water (H₂O). The chemical reaction can be simplified as follows:

CH₄ + 2 O₂ → CO₂ + 2 H₂O.

To determine how much water is generated from burning a specific amount of natural gas, we can refer to the typical energy content of natural gas, which is about 1,000 BTUs per cubic foot. This means that burning 100,000 BTUs, or 100 cubic feet of natural gas, produces about 2 gallons of water.

This conversion factor is particularly useful in practical applications such as determining water waste for gas appliances and understanding the byproducts of combustion in heating systems. Such information is crucial for efficient energy usage and for assessing the environmental impact of natural gas combustion, including moisture management in HVACR systems.