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ConversionsandFormulas

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AirDispersionModelingConversionsandFormulas
Clickintablebelowondesireditem:
Converting
Converting
mg/m3toppmv
ppmvtomg/m3
CalculationOf
StandardConditions
GasDensities
ForGasVolumes
DefinitionOfThe
Pressure
PasquillStabilityClasses
Conversions
ConvertingMassFlowRates
Windspeed
ToVolumetricFlowRates
ConversionFactors
ExhaustGasGenerated
FromCombustionofFuels

ConversionFactorsand
DimensionalAnalysis

EffectOfAltitudeOn
PollutantConcentration
GasVolume
Conversions
EffectOfAltitude
OnWindspeeds
CorrectingConcentrations
ToReferenceConditions
AppendixA
ConcentrationUnits(ppm,
mg/m3)

ConvertingAtmosphericPollutantConcentrations:frommg/m3toppmv
Theconversionfactordependsonthetemperatureatwhichyouwanttheconversion(usually
about20to25degreesCentigrade).Atanambientpressureof1atmosphere,thegeneral
equationis:

ppmv=(mg/m3)(273.15+C)/(12.187)(MW)
where:
ppmv = ppmbyvolume(i.e.,volumeofgaseouspollutantper106volumesofambientair)
mg/m3 = milligramsofgaseouspollutantpercubicmeterofambientair
MW = molecularweightofthegaseouspollutant
C = ambientairtemperatureindegreesCentigrade
Asanexample,forgaseouspollutantNOx,convert20mg/m3toppmvat25C:
ppmv=(20)(273.15+25)/(12.187)(46.01)=10.6
where:46.01=molecularweightofNO2(i.e.,NOxexpressedasnitrogendioxide)
NOTES:
(1)ThepollutionlawsandregulationsintheUnitedStatestypicallyreferencetheirpollutant
limitstoanambienttemperatureof20to25Casnotedabove.However,inothernations,the
referenceambienttemperatureforpollutantlimitsmaybe0Corothervalues.
(2)1percentbyvolume=10,000ppmv(i.e.,partspermillionbyvolume).
(3)Forallpracticalpurposes,degreesCentigradeanddegreesCelsiusaresynonymous.
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ConvertingAtmosphericPollutantConcentrations:fromppmvtomg/m3
Theconversionfactordependsonthetemperatureatwhichyouwanttheconversion(usually
about20to25degreesCentigrade).Atanambientpressureof1atmosphere,thegeneral
equationis:

mg/m3=(ppmv)(12.187)(MW)/(273.15+C)
where:
mg/m3 = milligramsofgaseouspollutantpercubicmeterofambientair
ppmv = ppmbyvolume(i.e.,volumeofgaseouspollutantper106volumesofambientair)
MW = molecularweightofthegaseouspollutant
C = ambientairtemperatureindegreesCentigrade
Asanexample,forgaseouspollutantNOx,convert20ppmvtomg/m3at25C:
mg/m3=(20)(12.187)(46.01)/(273.15+25)=37.6
where:46.01=molecularweightofNO2(i.e.,NOxexpressedasnitrogendioxide)
NOTES:
(1)ThepollutionlawsandregulationsintheUnitedStatestypicallyreferencetheirpollutant
limitstoanambienttemperatureof20to25Casnotedabove.However,inothernations,the
referenceambienttemperatureforpollutantlimitsmaybe0Corothervalues.
(2)1percentbyvolume=10,000ppmv(i.e.,partspermillionbyvolume).
(3)Forallpracticalpurposes,degreesCentigradeanddegreesCelsiusaresynonymous.
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EffectofAltitudeonAtmosphericPollutantConcentrations:
Atmosphericpollutantconcentrationsexpressedasmassperunitvolumeofatmosphericair
(e.g.,mg/m3,ug/m3,etc.)atsealevelwilldecreasewithincreasingaltitudebecausethe
atmosphericpressuredecreaseswithincreasingaltitude.
Thechangeofatmosphericpressurewithaltitudecanbeobtainedfromthisequation:

Pa=0.9877a
Givenanatmosphericpollutantconcentrationatanatmosphericpressureof1atmosphere
(i.e.,atsealevelaltitude),theconcentrationatotheraltitudescanbeobtainedfromthis
equation:

Ca=(C)(0.9877a)
where:
a = altitude,in100'sofmeters
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Pa = atmosphericpressureataltitudea,inatmospheres
C = concentrationatsealevelaltitude,inmassperunitvolume
Ca = concentrationataltitudea,inmassperunitvolume
Asanexample,givenaconcentrationof260mg/m3atsealevel,calculatetheequivalent
concentrationatanaltitudeof1,800meters:
Ca=(260)(0.987718)=208mg/m3at1,800metersaltitude
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CalculationOfGasDensities:
Thefollowingequationforthedensityofagasinpoundspercubicfootisderivedfromthe
idealgaslawandtheapplicableuniversalgasconstant:

poundspercubicfoot=(1/Z)(MW/10.73)(psia/
R)
Thefollowingequationsforthedensityofagasinkilogramspercubicmeterarealsoderived
fromtheidealgaslawandtheapplicableuniversalgasconstants...oneoftheequationsuses
theabsolutepressureexpressedinatmospheresandtheotherusestheabsolutepressure
expressedinkilopascals:

kilogramspercubicmeter=(1/Z)(MW/0.082057)(atm/
K)
kilogramspercubicmeter=(1/Z)(MW/8.3144)(kPa/
K)
where:
Z =gascompressibilityfactoratthegiventemperatureandpressure(dimensionless)
MW =molecularweightofthegas
psia =absolutepressureinpoundspersquareinch
atm =absolutepressureinatmospheres
kPa =absolutepressureinkilopascals
1atm =14.696psia=101.325kPa
R =absolutetemperatureofthegasindegreesRankine=459.67+F
K =absolutetemperatureofthegasindegreesKelvin=273.15+C
F =degreesFahrenheit=(1.8)(C)+32
C =degreesCentigrade=(F32)/1.8
Thenumbers10.73,0.082057,and8.3144arealltheuniversalgaslawconstantexpressedin
theapplicableunitsforeachoftheaboveequations.Forallpracticalpurposes,degrees
CentigradeanddegreesCelsiusaresynonymous.Also,inmanycases,itmaybeassumed
thattheidealgaslawappliesandthusZmaybetakentobe1.00.
Thetechnicalliteraturecanbeveryconfusingbecausemanyauthorsfailtoexplainwhether
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theyareusingtheuniversalgaslawconstantRwhichappliestoanyidealgasorwhetherthey
areusingthegaslawconstantRswhichonlyappliestoaspecificindividualgas.The
relationshipbetweenthetwoconstantsisRs=R/(MW).
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StandardConditionsForGasVolumes:
Anormalcubicmeter(Nm3)isthemetricexpressionofgasvolumeatstandardconditions
anditisusuallydefinedasbeingmeasuredat0Cand1atmosphereofpressure.
Astandardcubicfoot(scf)istheUSAexpressionofgasvolumeatstandardconditionsandit
isveryoftendefinedasbeingmeasuredat60Fand1atmosphereofpressure.Thereare
otherdefinitionsofstandardgasconditionsusedintheUSAbesides60Fand1atmosphere,
butthatisthemostcommonone...anditisverywidelyusedintheoil,gasandhydrocarbon
processingindustries.
Thatbeingunderstood:

1Nm3ofanygas(measuredat0Cand1atm.pressure)equals37.326scfofthat
gas(measuredat60Fand1atm.pressure)...andthus1Nm3perhourofany
gasequals0.622scfperminuteofthatgas.
1kgmolofanyidealgasequals22.414Nm3ofthatgas...and1lbmolofany
idealgasequals379.482scfofthatgas.
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GasVolumeConversions:
Toconvertairorothergasvolumesfromonepressure(P1)andtemperature(T1)toanother
pressure(P2)andtemperature(T1),usethefollowingequation:

V2/V1=(Z2/Z1)(P1/P2)(T2/
T1)
where:
Z1andZ2 =gascompressibilityfactors(whicharenondimensional)
V1andV2 =gasvolumesinthesamedimensionalunits
P1andP2 =absolutepressuresinthesamedimensionalunits
T1andT2 =absolutetemperaturesinthesameunits(eitherdegreesRordegreesK)
R =absolutetemperatureindegreesRankine=459.67+F
K =absolutetemperatureindegreesKelvin=273.15+C
F =degreesFahrenheit=(1.8)(C)+32
C =degreesCentigrade=(F32)/1.8
Forallpracticalpurposes,degreesCentigradeanddegreesCelsiusaresynonymous.Also,in
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manycases,itmaybeassumedthattheidealgaslawappliesandthusZmaybetakentobe
1.00.
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DefinitionOfThePasquillStabilityClasses:
Theamountofturbulenceintheambientairhasamajoreffectupontheriseanddispersion
ofairpollutantplumes.Theamountofturbulencecanbecategorizedintodefinedincrements
or"stabilityclasses".ThemostcommonlyusedcategoriesarethePasquillstabilityclassesA,
B,C,D,E,andF.ClassAdenotesthemostunstableormostturbulentconditionsandClassF
denotesthemoststableorleastturbulentconditions.
ThePasquillstabilityclassesarepresentedbelowastheyaredefinedbytheprevailing
meteorologicalconditionsof:(a)surfacewindspeedmeasuredat10metersabovegroundlevel
and(b)daytimeincomingsolarradiationorthenighttimepercentageofcloudcover.
Surface
Daytime
Nighttime
Windspeed
IncomingSolarRadiation
CloudCover
m/s
mi/hr
Strong
Moderate
Slight
>50%
<50%
<2
<5
A
AB
B
E
F
23
57
AB
B
C
E
F
35
711
B
BC
C
D
E
56
1113
C
CD
D
D
D
>6
>13
C
D
D
D
D
Note:ClassDappliestoheavilyovercastskies,atanywindspeeddayornight.
NOTES:
(1)m/s=meterspersecond
(2)mi/hr=statutemilesperhour
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PressureConversions:
Atmosphericpressuresmaybeexpressedinanumberofdifferentunits.Thefollowingtable
providestheconversionsbetweensixofthemostcommonlyusedunitsofpressure.Hereare
someexamplesasreadfromthetable:
(1)1atmosphere=14.696psior101.325kPa
(2)1bar=0.986923atmospheresor750.0616mmHg
(3)1psi=6.894733kPaor51.71475mmHg

atm

1atm=
1
1psi= 0.068046
1kPa= 0.009869
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psi

kPa

bar

mmHg

14.696
1

101.325
6.894733

1.01325
0.068947

760
51.71475

kg/cm2
1.033228
0.070307

0.145038

0.010000

7.500617

0.010197
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1bar= 0.986923
1mmHg= 0.001316

14.50382
0.019337

100.0000
0.133322

1
0.001333

750.0616
1

1.019716
0.001360

1kg/cm2= 0.967841

14.22339

98.0665

0.980665

735.559

Althoughnotincludedintheabovetable:
1atmosphereofpressure=33.90feetofwater=10.33metersofwater
1mmHg=1torr
Notes:
atm=absolutepressure,inatmospheres
psi=absolutepressure,inpoundspersquareinch
kPa=absolutepressure,inkilopascals
bar=absolutepressure,inbars
mmHg=absolutepressure,inmillimetersofMercury
kg/cm2=absolutepressure,inkilogramspersquarecentimeter
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EffectofAltitudeonWindspeeds:
Thewindsaloftgenerallyhaveahighervelocitythanthewindsatgroundlevel.Inother
words,atanygiventimeandplace,windspeedusuallyincreaseswithaltitude.Theeffectof
altitudeonwindspeedinvolvestwofactors:
thedegreeofturbulentmixingprevailingintheatmosphereatthegiventimeandplace,
ascharacterizedbythePasquillstabilityclass
theterrain'ssurfacearearoughness,whichinducessurfacefrictionatthegivenplace
Ithasgenerallybeenagreedthattheeffectofaltitudeonwindspeedislogarithmicandcanbe
expressedas:

uz/ug=(hz/hg)n
where:
uz = windvelocityatheightz
ug = windvelocityatgroundstationheight
hz = heightz
hg = groundstationheight(usually10meters):
n = afunctionofthePasquillstabilityclassandtheterraintype(seetablesbelow)
Table1
ForUseInRuralTerrain
Stability
A
B
C
D
E
F
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Exponentn
0.10
0.15
0.20
0.25
0.25
0.30

Table2
ForUseInUrbanTerrain
Stability
A
B
C
D
E
F

Exponentn
0.15
0.15
0.20
0.25
0.40
0.60
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Asanexample,givenawindspeedof5m/smeasuredat10metersabovethegroundanda
stabilityclassofBinruralterrain,calculatethewindspeedat500metersaboveground:
uz=(5)(500/10)0.15=9m/s
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ConvertingMassFlowRatesToVolumetricFlowRates:
Gaseousemissionflowrates(fromprocessvents,combustionfluegasesfromfurnacesor
boilers,accidentalgaseousreleases,etc.)areoftenexpressedinmassflowrates.Toconvert
suchmassflowratestovolumetricflowrates,firstcalculatethegasdensity(asexplainedin
oneofthesectionsabove)usingtheactualtemperatureandpressureofthegaseousemission.
Thenuseeitherofthefollowingequations:

ft3/hr=(lbs/hr)/(lbs/ft3)
where:
ft3/hr = gasvolumetricflowrateincubicfeetperhour
lbs/hr = gasmassflowrateinpoundsperhour
lbs/ft3 = gasdensityinpoundspercubicfoot

m3/hr=(kg/hr)/(kg/m3)
where:
m3/hr = gasvolumetricflowrateincubicmetersperhour
kg/hr = gasmassflowrateinkilogramsperhour
kg/m3 = gasdensityinkilogramspercubicmeter
Note:Whencalculatingthedensityofthegaseousemission,theactualpressureofthegaseous
emissionatthepointwhereitexitsfromthesourceventorfluegasstackistakenas14.696
psiaor1atmospere.
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WindspeedConversionFactors:
Meteorologicaldataincludeswindspeedswhichmaybeexpressedasstatutemilesperhour,
knots,ormeterspersecond.Herearetheconversionfactorsforthosevariousexpressionsof
windspeed:

1knot=1.152statutemi/hr=0.515m/sec
1statutemi/hr=0.868knots=0.447m/sec
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1m/sec=2.237statutemi/hr=1.942knots
Note:
1statutemile=5,280feet=1,609meters
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CorrectingConcentrationstoReferenceConditionsinRegulatedEmissionLimits:
Manyenvironmentalprotectionagencieshaveissuedregulationsthatlimittheconcentration
ofpollutantsingaseousemissionsanddefinethereferenceconditionsapplicabletothose
concentrationlimits.Forexample,sucharegulationmightlimittheconcentrationofNOxto
55ppmvinadrycombustionexhaustgascorrectedto3volumepercentO2.Asanother
example,aregulationmightlimittheconcentrationofparticulatematterto0.1grainper
standardcubicfoot(i.e.,scf)ofdryexhaustgascorrectedto12volumepercentCO2.
Astandardcubicfootofdrygasisoftendenotedas"dscf"oras"scfd".Likewise,astandard
cubicmeterofdrygasisoftendenotedas"dscm"or"scmd"byenvironmentalagenciesin
theUSA.

CorrectingConcentrationstoaDryBasis:
Ifagaseousemissionsampleisanalyzedandfoundtocontainwatervaporandapollutant
concentrationofX,thenXshouldbedesignatedasthe"wetbasis"pollutantconcentration.
Thefollowingequationcanbeusedtocorrectthemeasured"wetbasis"concentrationtoa
"drybasis"concentration:

(1)drybasisconcentration=(wetbasisconcentration)/(1w)
where:
w = fractionoftheemittedexhaustgas,byvolume,whichiswatervapor
Thus,awetbasisconcentrationof40ppmvinanemittedgascontaining10volumepercent
watervaporwouldhaveadrybasisconcentration=(40)/(10.10)=44.44ppmv.

CorrectingConcentrationstoaReferenceO2ContentintheEmittedGas:
Thefollowingequationcanbeusedtocorrectameasuredpollutantconcentrationinan
emittedgas(containingameasuredO2content)toanequivalentpollutantconcentrationinan
emittedgascontainingaspecifiedreferenceamountofO2:

(2)Cr=Cm(20.9r)/(20.9m)
where:
Cr = correctedconcentrationindryemittedgashavingthereferencevolume%O2=r
Cm = measuredconcentrationindryemittedgashavingthemeasuredvolume%O2=m
Thus,ameasurednitrogenoxides(i.e.,NOx)concentrationof45ppmv(drybasis)inan
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emittedgashaving5volume%O2=(45)(20.93)/(20.95)=50.7ppmv(drybasis)
whencorrectedtoanemittedgashavingaspecifiedreferenceO2contentof3volume%.

CorrectingConcentrationstoaReferenceCO2ContentintheEmittedGas:
Thefollowingequationcanbeusedtocorrectameasuredpollutantconcentrationinan
emittedgas(containingameasuredCO2content)toanequivalentpollutantconcentrationin
anemittedgascontainingaspecifiedreferenceamountofCO2:

(3)Cr=Cm(r/m)
where:
Cr = correctedconcentrationindryemittedgashavingthereferencevolume%CO2=r
Cm = measuredconcentrationindryemittedgashavingthemeasuredvolume%CO2=m
Andthus,ameasuredparticulatematterconcentrationof0.1grainperdscfinanemittedgas
thathas8volume%CO2=(0.1)(12/8)=0.15grainperdscfwhencorrectedtoanemitted
gashavingaspecifiedreferenceCO2contentof12volume%.
Notes:
Althoughppmvandgrainsperdscfhavebeenusedintheaboveexamples,youmayuse
otherconcentrationssuchasppbv(i.e.,partsperbillionbyvolume),volumepercent,grams
perdscm,etc.
1percentbyvolume=10,000ppmv(i.e.,partspermillionbyvolume).
Equation(1)aboveisfrom"40CFR,ChapterI,Part60,AppendixA3,TestMethod4".
Equation(2)aboveisfrom"40CFR,ChapterI,Part60,AppendixB,PerformanceSpec.
2".
Equation(3)aboveisfrom"40CFR,ChapterI,Part60".
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ExhaustGasGeneratedFromCombustionofFuels:
Itisoftenusefultohaveagoodestimateoftheamountofexhaustgasorfluegasgeneratedby
thecombustionofafuelandoftheO2andCO2contentofthegas.Herearesometypical
values:
CombustionData:

Fuel
Gas

Higherheatingvalue,Btu/scf
Higherheatingvalue,Btu/gallon
Higherheatingvalue,Btu/pound

1,093

Fuel
Oil

Coal

150,000
8,020

Molecularweight
Gravity,API
Carbon/hydrogenratiobyweight

18
15.5
8.1

Weight%carbon
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Weight%hydrogen
Weight%oxygen
Weight%sulfur
Weight%nitrogen
Weight%ash
Weight%moisture

47.9
3.4
10.8
0.9
0.6
6.0
30.4

Excesscombustionair,%
Amountofwetexhaustgas,scf/MMBtuof
fuel
CO2inwetexhaustgas,volume%
O2inwetexhaustgas,volume%
Molecularweightofwetexhaustgas

12

15

20

11,600
8.8
2.0
27.7

11,930
12.4
2.6
29.0

13,985
13.5
3.3
29.0

9,510
10.8
2.5
29.9

10,600
14.0
2.9
30.4

12,130
15.5
3.8
30.8

Amountofdryexhaustgas,scf/MMBtuof
fuel
CO2indryexhaustgas,volume%
O2indryexhaustgas,volume%
Molecularweightofdryexhaustgas

ConvertingtheExhaustGasAmountstoOtherUnits:
TheamountoffuelcombustedmaybeexpressedinMMBtu,orinMMkcal,orinMWhr...
andtheamountofcombustionexhaustgasmaybeexpressedasstandardcubicfeet(scf)oras
Normalcubicmeters(NcmorNm3).Thesearethedefinitionsandequivalentsinvolvedin
convertingtheexhaustgasamountsfromscf/MMBtutootherunits:
(a)1MMBtu=106Btu
(b)1MMkcal=106kilogramcalories
(c)1MWhr=1megawatthour=106watthours
(d)1MMBtu=0.252MMkcal=0.293MWhr
(e)1MMkcal=3.968MMBtu=1.163MWhr
(f)1MWhr=3.413MMBtu=0.860MMkcal
(g)scf=standardcubicfeetmeasuredat60Fandatmosphericpressure
(h)Nm3=Normalcubicmetersmeasuredat0Candatmosphericpressure
(i)1Nm3=37.326scf
Thesearetheresultingconversionsfromscf/MMBtutootherunits:

1scf/MMBtu=0.1063Nm3/MMkcal=0.0914Nm3/MWhr
Notes:
Referencetemperatures(otherthanthoseabove)areusedtodefinestandardcubicfeetand
Normalcubicmeters,butthosegivenabovearewidelyused.Asanexample,theUSA's
EnvironmentalProtectionAgencyuses68F(20C)asthereferencetemperatureforboth
standardcubicfeet(scf)andstandardcubicmeters(scm)...whereasmostoftheoilandgas
industriesworldwidegenerallyuse60Ftodefinescf,andallofthemetricnationsusethe
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termNormalm3(ratherthanscm)withareferencetemperatureof0C(ratherthan20C)
.
ThedryandwetexhaustgasvolumesgivenabovediffersomewhatfromtheU.S.EPA's
correspondingFFactors(seepublicationEPA454/R95015,Revised)because:(a)the
EPA'sFFactorsareallat0%excesscombustionair,(b)theEPA'sreferencetemperature
forscfis68Fratherthe60Fusedabove,and(c)thefuelcompositionsthatwereusedfor
theEPA'sFFactorsprobablydifferfromthoseusedabove.
InthecaseofMWhr,theMisanabbreviationfor106...whereasinthecaseofMMBtu
andMMkcal,Misanabbreviationfor103.Thisisanunfortunateirregularity,butonewhich
isactuallyinuse.
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ConversionFactorsandDimensionalAnalysis:
Everyphysicalmeasurementconsistsofanumericalquantityandacorresponding
dimensionalunit(forexample:1000kg/m3,50miles/hour,1000Btu/lb,etc).Wheneverit
isnecessarytoconvertaphysicalmeasurementfromonedimensionalunittoanother,
dimensionalanalysis(alsoknownastheunitfactormethodorthefactorlabelmethod)is
quiteuseful.
Butwhatisdimensionalanalysisinthecontextofconvertingdimensionalunits?Itisthe
sequentialusageofvariousconversionfactorsexpressedasfractionsandarrangedsothatany
dimensionalunitappearinginboththenumeratoranddenominatorofanyofthefractions
canbecancelledoutuntilonlythedesiredsetofdimensionalunitsisobtained.Forexample,
letusconvert10milesperhourtometerspersecond:
10mile1609meter1hour4.47meter
=
1hour1mile3600secondsecond
Ascanbeseen,whenthemiledimensionsandthehourdimensionsarecancelledoutandthe
arithmeticisdone,wehaveconverted10milesperhourto4.47meterspersecond.
Asanotherexample,converttheppmvofNOxinanexhaustgas(denotedasC)togramsper
hourofNOx,giventhemolecularweightofNOxas46.01,andtherateofexhaustinscfper
minute(denotedasE):
C,scfE,scfexhaust60minute46.01lb453.6grams1lbmole
grams
=

106scfexhaust1minute1hour1lbmole1lb379.48scf
hour
Asshownintheaboveequation,aftercancellingoutanydimensionalunitsthatappearboth
aboveandbelowthedivisionlines,theonlyremainingunitsaregrams/hour.Thus:
grams/hourofNOx=(C,ppmvofNOx)(E,scfofexhaust/minute)/303.05
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Note:Astandardcubicfoot(scf)istheUSAexpressionofgasvolumeat60Fand1atmosphere
ofpressureand,usingthatdefinition,thereare379.48scfperpoundmoleofanygas.Thereare
otherdefinitionsofstandardgasconditionsusedintheUSAbesides60Fand1atmosphere,but
thisisthemostcommonone.
Thesameexample,usingmetricunits:
C,Nm3E,Nm3exhaust60minute46.01grams1gmole
grams
=
106Nm3exhaust1minute1hour1gmole0.02214Nm3
hour
Asshownintheaboveequation,aftercancellingoutanydimensionalunitsthatappearboth
aboveandbelowthedivisionlines,theonlyremainingunitsaregrams/hour.Thus:
grams/hourofNOx=(C,ppmvofNOx)(E,Nm3ofexhaust/minute)/8.12
Note:Anormalcubicmeter(Nm3)istheusualmetricsystemexpressionofgasvolumeat0C
and1atmosphereofpressureand,usingthatdefinition,thereare0.02214Nm3pergrammoleof
anygas.
Dimensionalanalysiscanalsobeusedtocheckthecorrectnessofanymathematicalequation
involvingdimensionalunitsbycheckingtoseethatthedimensionalunitsonthelefthandside
oftheequationarethesameasthedimensionalunitsontherighthandsideoftheequation.
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AppendixA:ConcentrationUnits:(ppmandmg/m3)
(1)Thetermppmisanacronymforpartspermillion.Inthecontextofairbornegaseous
pollutantconcentrations,itstandsforvolumesofgaseouspollutantXpermillionvolumesof
air.Asdiscussedfurtherbelow,itisveryimportanttousethetermsppmvorppmbyvolume
ratherthansimplyppm.
Someairbornegaseouspollutantconcentrationsmaybeexpressedasppbvorppbbyvolume,
meaningvolumesofgaseouspollutantperbillionvolumesofair.
(2)Foranairbornegaseousornongaseouspollutantconcentration,thetermmg/m3stands
formilligramsofsubstanceXpercubicmeterofair.
Someairbornegaseousornongaseouspollutantconcentrationsmaybeexpressedasug/m3,
whichstandsformicrogamsofsubstanceXpercubicmeterofair.
(3)ThehazardousconcentrationlimitssetbyNIOSH,OSHAandACGIHareforthemost
partdirectedatairbornepollutants(i.e.,gases,vapors,dusts,aerosols,andmists).Hazardous
substancesdissolvedinwateroranyotherliquidaregenerallynotwithinthepurviewof
NIOSH,OSHAandACGIH.
(4)Airbornepollutantconcentrationlimitsareusuallyexpressedaspartspermillionby
volume(i.e.,ppmv)forgasesandvapors,andmg/m3fordusts,aerosolsandmists.
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(5)Quiteoftenyouwillfindthehazardousconcentrationlimitofanairbornegaseous
pollutantexpressedaseitherppmvormg/m3orboth.Thereisasimplemathematicalmethod
ofconvertingonetotheotherforgaseoussubstances(asgivenearlierinthisarticle).
However,fornongaseouspollutantssuchasdusts,mistsoraerosols,itwouldbevery
difficult,ifnotimpossible,toconvertmg/m3toppmv.
(6)Whendealingwithhazardoussubstancesdissolvedinwateroranyotherliquid,most
chemistswouldusethetermpartspermillionbyweight(i.e.,ppmw)asmeaningweightof
dissolvedsubstanceXpermillionweightsofliquid...wheretheweightunitsmightbein
milligrams(mg)orgrams(g)orpounds(lb)orkilograms(kg).
Inafewcases,chemistsmightuseppmvasmeaningvolumesofgasorliquiddissolvedinwater
orotherliquidpermillionvolumesofwaterorotherliquid.Forexample,gaseouscarbon
dioxidedissolvedinwater...orliquidacetonedissolvedinwater...orliquidadditivedissolved
ingasoline.
(7)Thenumericaldifferencebetweenaconcentrationexpressedasppmvorppmwcanbevery
large,especiallyforgaseoussubstances.Thus,itismostimportanttobeasspecificaspossible
andtousethetermsppmvorppmwratherthansimplyppm.Confusionastowhetherppm
meansppmvorppmwcanhaveseriousconsequences.Itisalsoimportanttostatewhetheryou
aredealingwithsubstancesintheairorsubstanceswithinwaterorotherliquid.
(8)Finally,keepinmindthatifsomethingcanbemisconstrued,itwillhappen.Beas
specificaspossibleindefiningconcentrationlimits.Ifyoufindanexceptiontowhatissaid
above,itiseithervalidbecauseofsomespecialorunusualreason,ortheexceptionissimply
incorrect.
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