Appendix A: Conversion Factors

In recent years, there has been a strong trend in the world towards using
a set of standard units. In 1960, the SI, International System of Units was defined
through 12oGeneral Conference on Weights and Measures and recommended as a standard
worldwide. In response to this purpose, the American Society of Engineers
Mechanics (ASME) requires the use of the SI system in all its publications since 1o
July 1974. It is expected that the global use of the SI system will be determined in the future,
given its operational convenience over the English System. In these pages,
we present both systems and their conversion factors.

Table 1:
United States Customary System (U.S.)

DIMENSION UNITS
Longitude ( L ) Feet
Mass ( M ) pound table ( lbm)
Time ( t ) Seconds (s)
Temperature ( T ) Fahrenheit degrees ( F )

Table 2 :
SI system and supplementary units

QUANTITY AND SYMBOL UNITY AND SYMBOL

Longitude ( L ) metro (m)
Mass (M) kilogram ( kg )
Concentration moles ( mol )
Time ( t ) second (s)
Electric current ( I ) ampere ( A )
Thermodynamic Temperature ( T ) kelvin ( K )
Plane anglea( ) radian (rad)
Solid anglea( ) steradian ( sr )
a
Supplementary units

1. CONVERSION FACTORS

Area
1 foot20.0929 in2 Thermal conductivity ( k )
1 in2=6.452 10-4m2
1 m210.764 ft2 1 Btu/(h.ft. F)= 1.731 W/(m.K)
1 m21550.0 in2 1 Btu/(h.ft. F) =0.4132 cal/s.m. C
1 Kcal/(h.m. C) = 1.163 W/(m.K)
Specific Heat
1 Btu/(lbm. F) = 4187 J/(Kg . K) 1 W/(m.K) = 0.57782 Btu/(h.ft) F)
1 J/(Kg . K) = 2.3886 10-4Btu/(lbm. F)
Density
Heat transfer coefficient ( h )
1 Btu/(h.ft)2. F)= 5.678 W/(m2. C) 1 poundm/ft316.018 kg/m3
1 Btu/(h.ft2. F) = 0.000568 W/(cm2. C) 1 lbm/ in 27.680 g/cm3
3

1 Btu/(h.ft2. F) = 4.88 Kcal/(h .m2. C) 1 slug/ft3515.38 kg/m3

1 Btu/(h.ft)2. F)= 0.000394 HP/( ft2. F)
1 kg/m30.06243 lbm/ft3
1 Kcal/(h.m)2. C)= 0.2048 Btu/(h . ft2. F)
1 W/(m2. K)= 0.1761 Btu/(h . ft2. F)

CHAIR: Fundamentals of Industrial Operations

 Appendix A: Conversion Factors

Density of heat flux

Length
1 Btu/(h.ft)2)= 3.1525 W/m2
1 kcal/(h.m)21.163 W/m2 1 ft = 0.3048 m
1 W /m20.3171 Btu/(h.ft2) = 12 in
= mi/5280
Diffusivity (heat, mass, momentum) km/3281

1 foot2s
= 0.0929 m2/s 1 inch = 0.0254 meters

1 ft /h= 2.581 10-5m2/s

2 = 2.54 cm
1 m2s = 10.7639 ft2/s
1 cm2/s= 3.8745 ft2/h 1 m = 3.281 ft
39.97 in
Energy = 100 cm
= 1000 mm
1 Btu = 1055.04 J = 106 m
1055.04 W.s = 1010
1055.04 N.m = km/1000
= 252 cal
= 777.97 ft.lbf 1 Å = 10-8cm
= 3.93 10-4hp.h 1 Å = 10-10m

1 cal = 4.1868 J 1 m = 10-3mm

1 lbf1.3558 J 1 m = 10-4cm
1 hp.h = 2.685 106J 1 m = 10-6m

1 J = 1 N.m = 1 W.s 1 mile = 1609.34 m

1 J = 1 V.C = 107erg 1 mile = 5280 ft
= 9.4787 10-4Btu
0.239 cal 1 light year = 9.46 1015m
= 107erg
6.24 1018eV Mesa

Energy per unit of mass 1 lbm=0.4536 kg

= short ton/2000
1 Btu/lbm=2326 J/kg long ton/2240
1 J/kg = 4.2995 10-4Btu/lbm = 16 oz (avoirdupois)
= slug/32.2
metric ton (t)/2204.63
Strength 14.58 oz (troy)

1 lbf 4.4482 N 1 oz = 28.35 g

32.2 lbm.ft/s2 1 slug = 14.594 kg
32.2 poundal 1 kg = 2.2046 lbm
0.4536 kgf 1 kg = 1000 g

1 N = 1 kg.m/s2 1 ton (metric) = 1000 kg

0.22481 lbf 1 ton (metric) = 2205 lb
= 105dyn 1 ton (short) = 2000 lb
= 1 kgf / 9.81 1 ton (long) = 2240 lb

Heat generation per unit volume Power

1 Btu/(h.ft)3= 10.343 W/m3 1 Btu/h = 0.2931 W

1 Btu/(h.ft)3= 8.9 kcal/h.m3 1 Btu/s = 1055.1 W
1 W/m30.09665 Btu/(h.ft)3) 1 lb.ft/s = 1.3558 W
1 hp = 745.7 W
0.7457 kW
550 ft.lbf

CHAIR: Fundamentals of Industrial Operations

 Appendix A: Conversion Factors

33000 ft.lbf/min
2545 Btu/h
Power (continuation)
Temperature (Differences)
1 W = J/s = N.m/s = VA
= 1.34 10-3hp 1 R=1 F = (5/9) K
0.239 cal/s 1 K = 1 C = 1.8 R
= 3.4123 Btu/h 1 K= 1.8 F
= 9.49 10-4Btu/s
Speed
Pressure and effort
Note: 1 Pa = 1 N/m2 1 ft/s = 0.3048 m/s
1 m/s = 3.2808 ft/s
1 lbf/ ft247.88 N/m2
1 lbf/in2= 1 psi = 6894.8 N/m2 Mass flow rate

1 atm st = 1.0133 105N/m2 1 lbm/h = 0.000126 kg/s

101.3 kPa 1 lbm/s = 0.4536 kg/s
1 atm = 1.013 bar 1 kg/s = 7936.6 lbm/h
14.696 lbf/in2 1 kg/s = 2.2046 lbm /s
33.89 ft of water
29.92 in Hg Heat transfer rate
1.033 kgf /cm2
10.33 m of water 1 Btu/h = 0.2931 W
760 mm of Hg 1 W = 3.412 Btu/h
= 760 Torr
Volumetric flow rate
1 bar = 1 105N/m2
1 ft3/h= 7.8658 10-6m3/s
1 Pa = 1 N/m kg/(m.s )
2 2
1 ft3/s= 2.8317 10-2m3/s
0.02089 lb/ft2 1 m3/s= 35.3134 ft3/s
= 1.4504 10-4lbf/in2 1 m3/s= 1.2713 105ft3/h
4.015 10-3in water
= 2.953 10-4in Hg Dynamic viscosity
= 10-5bar
1 lbm(ft.s)= 1.488 N.s/m2
Thermal resistance 1 lbm /(ft.h)= 4.133 10-4N·s/m2

1 F.h/Btu = 1.896 K / W 1 centipoise = 1 cp

1K/W = 0.52750 F.h/Btu = 0.01P
0.01 g/(cm/s)
Surface Tension = 0.001Kg/(m.s)
0.001 N.s/m2
1 lbf/ft = 14.594 N/m 0.001 Pa . s
1 dyn/cm = 1 10-3N/m = 6.72 10-4lbm/(ft.s)
1 N/m = 0.06852 lbf/ft 2.42 lbm/(ft.h)
= 2.09 10-5lbf.s/ft2
Temperature 0.01 dyn.s/cm2

T( R) = 1.8 T(K) = T( F) + 459.67 1 N.s/m20.672 lbm/(ft.s)

2419.1 lbm(ft.h)
T( F) = 1.8 T( C) + 32
= 1.8[T(K) - 273.15] + 32 Kinematic viscosity
1 ft2/s= 0.0929 m2/s
T(K) = T( C) + 273.15 = T( R)/1.8 1 ft2/h= 2.581 10-5m2/s
1 m2s = 10.7639 ft2/s
F) + 459.67 ]/1.8
1 cSt = 0.01 St
0.01 cm2/s
C) =[ T( F) - 32 ]/1.8 = 10-6m2/s

CHAIR: Fundamentals of Industrial Operations

 Appendix A: Conversion Factors

1 cP/(g/cm3) 1 in31.6387 10-5m3

= 1.08 10-5ft2/s
1 cP/(62.4 lbm/ft3)

REVIEW THE DATA OF THE TABLES

ORIGINALS, IN TERMS OF VOLUME
LITERS (L)
Volume 1 gal (U.S. liquid) = 0.003785 m3
3.785 L
1 foot30.02832 m3 =231 in3
= 28.31 liters
7.48 U.S. gal 1 m335.29 ft3
1000 liters

The definitions of thermal units are based on:

1 Btu = energy required to raise 1 lbm of water, 1 F a 68 F

1 cal = energy required to raise 1 g of water, 1 C a 20 C

2. FACTORS OF MULTIPLICATION FOR SI UNITS

Multiplier Prefix Abbreviation

1012 yours T
109 giga G
106 mega M
103 kilo k
102 hecto h
101 decade yes
10-1 decide d
10-2 centi c
10-3 mili m
10-6 micro
10-9 nano n
10-12 little p
10-18 to a

CHAIR: Fundamentals of Industrial Operations

 Appendix A: Conversion Factors

3. Physical Constants
Universal Gas Constant
R = 8.205 10-2m3. atm/kmol . K
8.314 10-2m3. bar/kmol . K
8.315 kJ/kmol . K
1545 ft . lb/lbmol
f . R
1.986 Btu/lbmol. R
= 1.986 cal/g.mol . K
8.314 Pa.m3/mol.K
Avogadro's number
6.024 1023molecules /mol

Planck's constant
h =6.625 1034J . per molecule

Boltzmann constant
k = 1.380 10-23J /K . molecule

Speed of light in vacuum

c=2.998 108m/s

Stefan-Boltzmann constant
= 5.670 10-8W/m2. K4
0.1714 10-8Btu/h . ft2. R4

Gravitational acceleration (at sea level)

g=9.807 m/s2

Normal atmospheric pressure

p=101325 N/m2

Bibliography
FUNDAMENTALS OF HEAT AND MASS TRANSFER

PRINCIPLES OF HEAT TRANSFER [ Kreith ]

ENGINEERING MANUAL [ John H. Perry and Robert H. Perry ]

HEAT TRANSFER APPLIED TO ENGINEERING [ James Welty ]

BASIC HEAT TRANSFER [ M. Necati Ozisik ]

TRANSPORT PHENOMENA [ Bird, Stewart and Lightfood ]

FUNDAMENTALS OF MOMENT, HEAT, AND MASS TRANSFER [ Welty, Wicks,

Wilson

Fundamentals of Industrial Operations