Lessons Learned from the Fukushima Nuclear Accident for Improving Safety of U.S. Nuclear Plants (2014)

Chapter: Appendix N: Conversions and Units

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Suggested Citation: "Appendix N: Conversions and Units." National Research Council. 2014. Lessons Learned from the Fukushima Nuclear Accident for Improving Safety of U.S. Nuclear Plants. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18294.
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Appendix N

Conversions and Units
Distance-Related Conversions
kilometers (km) and miles (mi) 1 km = 0.62 mi 1 mi = 1.6 km
km2 (square kilometers) and mi2 (square miles) 1 km2 = 0.39 mi2 1 mi2 = 2.59 km2
m (meters) and ft (feet) 1 m = 3.28 ft 1 ft = 0.30 m
m3 (cubic meters) and ft3 (cubic feet) 1 m3 = 35.3 ftt3 1 ft3 = 0.03 m3
km/h (kilometers per hour) and mph (miles per hour) 1 km/h = 0.62 mph 1 mph = 1.6 km/hr
Radiation-Related Conversions
mSv (millisieverts), mrem (millirem), and mGya (milligray) 1 mSv = 100 mrem = 1 mGy 1 mrem = 0.01 mSv = 0.01 mGy
Bq (becquerels) and Ci (curies) 1 Bq = 2.7 × 10−11 Ci 1 Ci = 3.7 × 1010 Bq
Other    
MJ (megajoules) and kWh (kilowatt hours) 1 MJ = 0.28 kWh 1 kWhr = 3.6 MJ
MPa (megapascals) and psi (pounds per square inch) 1 MPa = 145 psi 1 psi = 0.007 MPa
Celsius and Fahrenheit °C = (5/9)*(°F − 32°) °F = (9/5)*°C + 32°
metric tons and pounds (lbs) 1 metric ton (tonne) = 2,204 lbs  
Page 370 Cite
Suggested Citation: "Appendix N: Conversions and Units." National Research Council. 2014. Lessons Learned from the Fukushima Nuclear Accident for Improving Safety of U.S. Nuclear Plants. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18294.
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Prefixes
pico- 10-12  
micro- 10-6  
milli- 10-3  
kilo- 103  
mega- 106  
giga- 109  
tera- 1012  
peta- 1015  

a Millisieverts and millirem are units of effective dose, whereas Gray is a unit of absorbed dose. They are numerically equivalent when exposure is from gamma rays and x-rays.
Unit of Measure Abbreviation Type of Measure
Becquerel Bq radiation activity
Celsius C temperature
centimeters cm distance
Fahrenheit F temperature
feet ft distance
gallon gal volume
gallons per minute gpm flow rate
Gray Gy absorbed radiation dose
Joule J energy
kilogram kg mass
kilometers km distance
kilopascals kPa pressure
kilovolts kV electrical potential
kilowatt kW electrical power
kilowatt-hour kWh energy
liters per minute Lpm flow rate
megapascals MPa pressure
megawatts electric MWe electrical power
meters m distance
millimeters mm distance
millirem mrem effective radiation dose
millisievert mSv effective radiation dose
newton N force
pound lb mass
pound-force lbf force
pounds (-force) per square inch psi pressure
volts V electrical potential

Page 369 Cite
Suggested Citation: "Appendix N: Conversions and Units." National Research Council. 2014. Lessons Learned from the Fukushima Nuclear Accident for Improving Safety of U.S. Nuclear Plants. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18294.
Save
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Page 369
Page 370 Cite
Suggested Citation: "Appendix N: Conversions and Units." National Research Council. 2014. Lessons Learned from the Fukushima Nuclear Accident for Improving Safety of U.S. Nuclear Plants. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18294.
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Page 370
Next Chapter: Appendix O: Acronyms
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