SI Whining

["Phil V. Egidi" <7pe@ornl.gov>]

Oh Please let's not go down this road again.  The HP Newsletter spent untold
amounts of ink on this topic last year.  If we are professionals and can't
even agree on what units to work in we are doing nothing to help the image
of our profession.  When publishing in the literature, use the SI units.  If
you are working with stuff every day and are more comfortable with the old
units, use them.  Use a spreadsheet or a calculator to switch between units
in which you are comfortable.  Many of us could probably use the practice.
Maybe it is time to get away from using 3 significant figures with prefixes
(an artifact from slide rule days if I am not mistaken).

As instruments are replaced, you will discover that the newer digital models
will report in either SI or old units.

The idea is to communicate effectively with the intended audiance, not be
xenophobic or whatever.

Please let's move on to significant issues that really cost money, such as
the threads on BEIR VI, LNT and Report 13.

Just my humble opinion,
Phil Egidi
ORNL/GJ
7pe@ornl.gov






Farnam, Robert E. wrote:

>         Concerning "yet more on SI units...
>
> >
> >      "...many of us in the U.S. already have to be conversant in both
> > sets
> >      of units to perform our jobs; standardizing would make our lives
> >      easier and involve no added cost..."
> >
> > Changing the meter faces on 100-200 dose rate instruments costs money.
> > As far as making lives easier, I have this fear that for the first 6
> > months to a year (maybe even more) that I will get the call in the
> > middle of the night saying that we just over exposed someone because
> > we  thought 10 Sv/hour was a "low dose rate." Additionally procedure
> > changes cost money.
> >
> >      "     ...I have yet to run into someone whose life has been
> > disrupted
> >      because of the switch to metric units on beverage containers
> >      (actually, if we could switch from pints of beer to liters, I
> > would be
> >      2.113 times as happy - how about it, Andy?)..."
> >
> > True, but most say "I'm going to by a 6-pack" not "I'm going to the
> > 7-11 to be 72 ounces of beer"
> >
> >      "...most new health physics instruments include readouts in SI
> > units... "
> >
> > I can't even fathom having to spend the money to replace meter faces,
> > much less replace instruments.
> >
> >      "  ...revising procdures and forms to reflect different units
> > would be a
> >      small part of the routine procedure/forms updates that I never
> > get
> >      around to making anyway..."
> >
> > I'll remember to use that the next time I am discussing a procedure
> > violation with my NRC inspector.  I'm sure he'll understand.
> >
> >      While these may fall into excuses for not converting, they are
> > real concerns and have monetary impact.  The Utility industry has
> > enough to work on to be cost competitive without changing to units
> > that have no value added.
> >
> > Bob Farnam, RRPT
> > Supervisor, HP Operations
> > AmerenUE, Callaway Plant
> > mailto:refarnam@cal.ameren.com
> > 573-676-8784  573-676-4484 FAX
> > Visit the NRRPT Web Site at http://www.nrrpt.org
> >