About

In heavy industry and district heating, equipment capacity is frequently denoted in Gigacalories per hour (Gcal/h), while electrical heating elements or auxiliary inputs are rated in Kilowatts (kW). Accurately sizing boilers, heat exchangers, or chillers requires precise conversion between these power units. This tool strictly handles the power-to-power rate conversion, eliminating the time variable to focus on equipment capacity. It includes a local history feature, allowing engineers to compare multiple equipment specifications without re-entering data.

Formulas

The conversion is a direct scalar multiplication of the power value:

PGcal/h = PkW × 0.000859845

Conversely, to find the electrical equivalent:

PkW = PGcal/h ÷ 0.000859845

Reference Data

Common Boiler Capacity (kW)	Thermal Output (Gcal/h)	Typical Application
100	0.086	Small Apartment Block
500	0.430	Commercial Office
1,163	1.000	Standard 1 Gcal Boiler
2,500	2.150	Industrial Process
5,000	4.300	District Heating Node
10,000	8.600	Large Manufacturing
11,630	10.000	Municipal Power Plant
58,150	50.000	City Sector Supply

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, provided you input the net thermal power in kW. However, if your boiler is rated in "Boiler Horsepower" (BHP) or kg/h of steam, those must first be converted to kW before using this tool.

The history is stored locally in your browser for quick reference during a session. Limiting it to the last 5 entries keeps the interface clean and focused on the most relevant recent comparisons.

No. In the context of boiler capacity and thermal generation, negative power (generation) is not applicable in this standard sizing tool. The input validates for positive numbers only.

Yes. The physics of energy transfer rate is identical for heating and cooling. 1000 kW of cooling capacity converts to the same 0.86 Gcal/h of heat removal.