Appendix J
Conversion Factors and Constants

SI Units and Conversion Factors

Table J-l shows the basic units and some derived units of the International System of Units (SI).¹ The main advantage of this system is internal coherence; i.e., no conversion factors are needed when using basic or derived SI units.

¹ A guide for using the SI system is given by B. N. Taylor, 1995, MIST Special Publication 811, Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office.

Table J-1 Basic and derived SI units.

In SI, mass is expressed in kilograms, force in newtons, and pressure in newtons per square meter (pascal). Usually, a prefix is attached to SI units. Common prefixes for powers of ten are listed in Table J-2.

Table J-2 SI prefixes.

Because other units remain in common usage, Table J-3 gives conversion factors to SI units for selected quantities.

Table J-3 Conversion factors to SI units for selected quantities.

Some Fundamental Constants in Various Units

Critical Constants and Acentric Factors for Selected Fluids

Table J-4 Critical temperature, pressure and volume and acentric factors for fluids²

² Taken from a more complete list given in R. C. Reid, J. M. Prausnitz, and B. E. Poling, 1987, The Properties of Gases and Liquids, 4^th Ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.