BTU per Second (BTU/s) - Unit Information & Conversion
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What is a BTU per Second?
BTU per second (BTU/s) measures very high heat transfer rates. 1 BTU/s = 1,055 watts = 1.055 kW. Used for large power plants, industrial systems. Rare unit; MW or BTU/h × 1000 preferred.
History of the BTU per Second
Theoretical unit for very high-power applications. Rarely used in practice; megawatts (MW) or millions of BTU/h preferred for large systems. Engineering reference conversion.
Quick Answer
What is BTU/s? BTU per second (BTU/s) measures very high power. 1 BTU/s = 1,055 watts = 1.055 kW = 3,600 BTU/h. Used for large power plants, industrial processes. Rarely seen; MW more common. 1,000 BTU/s ≈ 1 MW. Use our power converter for conversions.
Definition
1 BTU/s = 1,055.06 W = 1.055 kW = 3,600 BTU/h = 1.41 hp = 0.001055 MW
Common Uses
Rare Unit: Almost never used in practice. Theoretical: Engineering textbooks, conversion tables. Alternatives Preferred: MW for large systems, BTU/h for HVAC. Historical: Old power plant references (now use MW).
Real-World Examples
Large Systems (if rated in BTU/s)
- Large boiler (10 MW): ~9,478 BTU/s (34.1 million BTU/h)
- Small power plant (100 MW): ~94,780 BTU/s (341 million BTU/h)
- Industrial furnace (5 MW): ~4,739 BTU/s (17 million BTU/h)
Reality: These would actually be rated in MW or million BTU/h, not BTU/s.
Why BTU/s is Impractical
- Large numbers: 10,000 BTU/s easier as 10.55 MW
- Industry standards: Power plants always use MW
- Confusion: Mixing BTU/s with BTU/h creates errors
BTU per Second Conversion Formulas
To Watt:
To Milliwatt:
To Kilowatt:
To Megawatt:
To Gigawatt:
To Horsepower:
To Metric Horsepower:
To Electric Horsepower:
To BTU per Hour:
To BTU per Minute:
To Foot-pound per Second:
To Foot-pound per Minute:
To Calorie per Second:
To Kilocalorie per Hour:
To Ton of Refrigeration:
To Erg per Second:
To Joule per Second:
Frequently Asked Questions
Formula:
- kW = BTU/s × 1.055
- MW = BTU/s × 0.001055 Examples:
- 100 BTU/s = 105.5 kW = 0.106 MW
- 1,000 BTU/s = 1,055 kW = 1.055 MW
- 10,000 BTU/s = 10,550 kW = 10.55 MW BTU/s to kW converter → BTU/s to MW converter →
Convert BTU per Second
Need to convert BTU per Second to other power units? Use our conversion tool.
BTU per Second Quick Info
Related Power Units
Popular Conversions
- BTU per Second to WattConvert →1 BTU/s = 1055.055853 W
- BTU per Second to MilliwattConvert →1 BTU/s = 1055055.85262 mW
- BTU per Second to KilowattConvert →1 BTU/s = 1.055056 kW
- BTU per Second to MegawattConvert →1 BTU/s = 0.001055 MW
- BTU per Second to GigawattConvert →1 BTU/s = 0.000001 GW
- BTU per Second to HorsepowerConvert →1 BTU/s = 1.414853 hp