What is Efficiency: Definition and 947 Discussions

Efficiency is the (often measurable) ability to avoid wasting materials, energy, efforts, money, and time in doing something or in producing a desired result. In a more general sense, it is the ability to do things well, successfully, and without waste. "Efficiency is thus not a goal in itself. It is not something we want for its own sake, but rather because it helps us attain more of the things we value". In more mathematical or scientific terms, signifies the level of performance that uses the least amount of inputs to achieve the highest amount of output. It often specifically comprises the capability of a specific application of effort to produce a specific outcome with a minimum amount or quantity of waste, expense, or unnecessary effort. Efficiency refers to very different inputs and outputs in different fields and industries.

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  1. S

    Proper calculation of the efficiency

    Homework Statement Hello! This is actually a computational-statistics problem in data analysis, and I got a bit stuck. I have several events from a Monte Carlo simulation from 2 particles collision and for each event I have the primary vertex and the tracks associated to it. I wrote an...
  2. Domenico94

    Electric cars -- Does periodic coasting help efficiency?

    Hi. I'm a student of electrical engineering, and I've always been interested in the idea of electrical cars, so I came up with a question: let's suppose we want to have a normal trip with car, and then we're not interested in going so fast with it. When we are driving in this condition, it isn't...
  3. AGiantGolden49er

    Isentropic Efficiency and Entropy Production Rate of Turbine

    Homework Statement Water vapor at 6 MPa, 600C enters a turbine operating at steady state and expands to 10 kPa. The mass flow rate is 2 kg/s, and the power developed is 2626 kW. Stray heat transfer and kinetic and potential energy effects are negligible. Determine (a) the isentropic turbine...
  4. MCTachyon

    Rankine Cycle Efficiency Calculation - Superheated Steam at 40 bar and 500°C

    Homework Statement Superheated steam at a pressure of 40 bar and a temperature of 500°C is supplied to the turbine of a Rankine cycle. If the condenser pressure is 0.03 bar. Find the thermal efficiency of the cycle. (Neglect feed pump work). I used steam tables found...
  5. L

    Simple gear pair: efficiency and output torque

    Hi. I have a question about output torque and efficiency of a simple gear pair as shown on the picture. So, I have a pinion and a gear. I give an input torque Tp in the clockwise direction. Therefore, the pinion will rotate with ωp angular velocity in clockwise and the gear ωg in...
  6. J

    Carnot cycle - Zero Power Extremes

    Hey guys, I ran into this paper talking about the Maximum power you can obtain from a Carnot cycle: http://aapt.scitation.org/doi/abs/10.1119/1.10023 From what I understood, there are two extremes. To achieve maximum efficiency you have to make sure that the temperature of the system is never...
  7. P

    Engine Efficiency: Find ΔW & ΔQh

    Homework Statement An ideal gas with Cv = 5 2R, and γ = 1.4 starts at a volume of 1.5m3 , a pressure of 2.0×105Pa ,and a temperature of 300K. It undergoes an isobaric expansion until the volume is V , then undergoes an adiabatic expansion until the volume is 6.0m3 , and finally undergoes an...
  8. W

    How would you solve the following cuircut problem?

    Homework Statement You are tasked with designing an electrical circuit with a motor, a battery, and several 1ohm and 2ohm resistors. The motor is designed to run at a current of 20A and a voltage of 10V, but your battery supplies 15 V. The motor can then lift a 4kg mass 2.25 meters in...
  9. C

    Electrical Efficiency of Ionized Air?

    Alright It's been over a year since I've posted and received amazing help the last time I did. Now I've a question I cannot seem to find an answer to. Say you have an electrical charge and use a transformer to step up the voltage high enough to where it arcs in air. Then you have a conductive...
  10. J

    Should I avoid using high ratio spur gears?

    So I have been looking into efficiency, My system is high radius with the motor located outside. This motor is small, and thus the gear being driven by the motor, is also small for space requirements. I have wanted to use a ratio of about 22:1 to make this system, and everything seems to work...
  11. Asmaa Mohammad

    The efficiency of a transformer

    Homework Statement A step-down transformer has an efficiency of 90%, the voltage of it primary coil is 200V and its current is 0.5A, and its secondary coil has a voltage of 9V and a current of 10A and its number of turns is 90 turns. Calculate the number of turns of the primary coil. Homework...
  12. A

    How to calculate large DC motor efficiency?

    What are the two methods for calculating large DC motor efficiency ?
  13. TMT

    Overall efficiency of cascaded reverse Carnot engine & a Rankine turbine

    Assuming a reverse Carnot engine (Heat Pump Achieve 353K after compression and 253K after evaporation) is cascaded to Rankine turbine such that heat rejection to a steam boiler and heat is collected from a thermally isolated compartment first (used as condensation by cooling) then from ambient...
  14. grandpa2390

    Calculating the Efficiency of a Heat engine

    Homework Statement I am trying to calculate the efficiency of this heat engine that has two step. an adiabatic compression, followed by a linear expansion back to the original point. I keep getting an efficiency of 1, which I know can't be right... Homework Equations ##e = \frac{W}{Q_H}## The...
  15. C_Pu

    Proving Carnot efficiency is maximum and conditions

    The standard proof to show carnot efficiency cannot be exceeded is to couple a supposedly more efficient engine to a carnot refrigerator, and show that it would violate second law. However, isn't it true that we can make the same argument with any arbitrary efficiency? Some discussions on...
  16. P

    Efficiency, Loss....is there a more specific term?

    Suppose I heat a room directly by lighting a fire in the room, let's say it is a butane gas fire and it takes n BTU to raise the temperature by 10°C. Now, suppose I don't like the smell of burning gas fumes and decide instead to move the same gas fire outside and boil water to generate steam...
  17. SlowThinker

    B Maximum efficiency of a dehumidifier

    There's a youtube channel where someone nicknamed Thunderf00t is making fun of a water source that is supposed to be a wind-powered dehumidifier. He makes some arguments that don't look entirely valid. He argues that the energy needed is the evaporation heat of water, or some 2000 kJ/kg. In...
  18. G

    Definition of efficiency of a thermodynamic cycle

    Hi. Sorting the exchanges of heat and mechanical work in a thermodynamic cycle by the signs and summarizing, I get ##Q_{in}>0##: heat transferred into the system ##Q_{out}<0##: heat transferred to the cold reservoir ##W_{out}<0##: work done by the system ##W_{in}>0##: work done on the system...
  19. E

    Algorithm Efficiency: Analyzing "xyzzy" Operation

    Homework Statement Consider the ##xyzzy## algorithm below. This algorithm takes a linear collection (e.g., a list or array) of size ##n## as an argument (i.e., as the input to the algorithm) and produces no return value (i.e., has no output, but might alter the linear collection). Note that the...
  20. M

    Most efficient temperature to evaporate water?

    Hello, I have a question for you guys and gals. I am working on a Desalination project and am ironing out questions about efficiency. What would be the most efficient temperature to evaporate water? 50, 100, 110 degrees? Does it make a difference, or is the energy required to evaporate a fixed...
  21. S

    Lower microwave absorption efficiency to increase penetration (cooking)

    A problem I encounter when microwaving food is that the centre is no penetrated by the microwaves so remains cool and I have to wait for the heat to be conducted through which takes a long time and undermines one of the advantages of microwaving which is the speed of the process. Would it make...
  22. JLD Co

    Automotive Effect of vibration on engine efficiency

    It has been stated in previous threads that engine inefficiencies are caused by: Pumping losses (induction and exhaust) Frictional losses (in bores, bearings, and ancilliaries) Thermal losses to exhaust, coolant (jacket, charge and oil), and surroundings Does engine vibration have an effect on...
  23. BL4CKB0X97

    I Increased efficiency Antimatter production

    Hi Does anyone know of any papers about Increased efficiency Antimatter production, as I am interested in this area. Apologies if it's in the wrong area. Thanks.
  24. K

    Volume of water required to cool thermal/nuclear plants?

    Homework Statement In the year 2004 the USA produced 1787 TWh of electrical energy in conventional thermal plants and 476 TWh in nuclear plants. Assuming 30% efficiency for nuclear plants and 40% for conventional thermal plants, determine the (annual) volume of cooling water required to cool...
  25. physea

    Automotive Why engine efficiency drops for light loads?

    It is known that automotive engine efficiency (ie. fuel efficiency) is maximum at a specific range of medium loads. If we go higher than this range, the efficiency drops. If we go lower than these loads, the efficiency drops as well. Do we know the reasons for that? I am particularly interested...
  26. danyull

    Efficient Heat Engine and Final Temperature Calculation

    Homework Statement Two identical bodies of constant heat capacity ##C_p## at temperatures ##T_1## and ##T_2## respectively are used as reservoirs for a heat engine. If the bodies remain at constant pressure, show that the amount of work obtainable is ##W = C_p (T_1 + T_2 − 2T_f)##, where...
  27. P

    Efficiency and Law of conservation for a skateboarder in a skate park

    I have to design a track for a skate boarder that is 50% efficient (friction must be present) from the start of the skater's drop-in, to his furthest point along the track. My skater's mass will be 75kg efficiency=energy output/energy input x100% I am not really sure where to go next and how...
  28. Adam Bourque

    Affinity Law and Efficiency of a Pump Curve

    Homework Statement (Pump Curve given as attachment) [/B] Find the point where the pump is delivering 1,200 gpm at 45 ft of head. I. What is the pump efficiency (read from the pump curve data)? ii. What is the hp delivered to the water? iii. What is the shaft hp required to drive the pump...
  29. P

    Total Battery Mass for Equal Efficiency

    Homework Statement [/B] A 12 Volt lead-acid car battery, engineered for "up to 500 or more charge/discharge cycles," has a rating of 330.0 Ampere-hours. It sells for $ 262.00. Part B: The battery has a mass of 32.7 kg. What total mass of such batteries would be required to deliver the same...
  30. M

    Conditions for optimum isentropic efficiency

    Homework Statement Ive looked through several published journals online trying to find an experiment that I can use as background research for my report, something I can compare my findings to but I am just wasting lots of time that I could be doing the rest of my report so what I am trying to...
  31. I

    I Increasing solar energy conversion efficiency

    You can burn a hole in paper using a magnifying glass and light. What would happen if you applied this large-scale on a solar panel?
  32. T

    What is the efficiency of an accelerometer?

    I 've got a project, and I 've been searching all over to find an answer; what is the efficiency of the accelerometer itself (p.e. in its use in smart-devices as screen-orientation method)? Or do you know, what is the efficiency (approximately of a regular spring (NOT into void)? Thank you...
  33. M

    Calculating isentropic efficiency of a compressor

    Homework Statement We did an experiment which included having an electric motor provide power to drive the compressor and we had instrumentation available to measure the compressor shaft torque and shaft rotational speed and 6 water filled manometer tubes were used as measurements of the...
  34. M

    Interpreting graphs from isentropic efficiency of a compressor lab

    Homework Statement We did a lab experiment for isentropic efficiency of a compressor and was asked to plot the following graphs, change in stagnation pressure across the compressor (∆p0) vs air mass flow rate, and isentropic efficiency vs air mass flow rate. I have plotted the graphs but not...
  35. ZenSerpent

    Setting up the Transformer Efficiency as Objective Function

    Homework Statement To set-up an equation for the efficiency equation of single-phase toroidal transformer given the circuit with the following mesh equations (s*L1+R1)*I1 + (-s*M)*I2 = V1 (-s*M)*I1 + (s*L2+R2+RL)*I2 = 0 Homework Equations Efficiency equation(?), equation derived by The...
  36. I

    Calculate Efficiency of Motor Lifting 0.050kg Block at 0.40m/s

    Homework Statement A motor lifts a block of mass 0.050kg at a constant velocity of 0.40m s-1. The current in the motor ia 85mA and the potential difference across it is 3.0V. Calculate the efficiency of the motor Homework Equations Ek = 1/2 x mv2 Electrical power = VIt The Attempt at a...
  37. rumborak

    Increasing car efficiency by rerouting airflow?

    This is only a semi- serious thread, since I suspect there's a simple back-of-a-napkin calculation that shows this to be infeasible. The idea is the following: a lot of a car's efficiency gets lost in the form of air drag, I.e. forcing the air to go around the car. Could one upscale a...
  38. G

    Efficiency of energy transformation on a slide

    Homework Statement Students used a speed gun to measure the final speed of slider at the bottom of the slide. They measure the height difference between the top and bottom of the slide to be 3.0 m. If the speed of a slider at the bottom of the slide is 5.0 m/s, what is the efficiency of the...
  39. A

    Carnot engine efficiency problem

    Homework Statement A Carnot engine absorbed 1.0 kJ of heat at 300 K, and exhausted 400 J of heat at the end of the cycle. What is the temperature at the end of the cycle? Homework Equations The efficiency of a Carnot engine is given by the formula Efficiency = 1 – Qc/Qh = 1 –...
  40. elixer akm

    Thermal vs Mech. Efficiency of Engines: Petrol vs Diesel

    What is the difference between thermal efficiency and mechanical efficiency of an engine...and which engine is more efficient ..petrol or diesel
  41. yecko

    What is the Thermal Efficiency of an Engine?

    Homework Statement http://i.imgur.com/SQ6jx94.png (sorry for the low resolution~ it's already the best i can make it~) Homework Equations U=Q+W the three variables of isobaric, isochoric, adiabatic process (can i save my effort from typing all of them out?) e=(Qh-Qc)/Qh The Attempt at a...
  42. onargaroberts

    Impact of the engine thermostat temperature setting on engine efficiency

    Will a four cycle, internal combustion engine have greater thermal efficiency with a relatively cool jacket water temperature, say 160 degrees F, or a relatively hot water jacket temperature, say 190 degrees F? These specific numbers are only important in as much as they are commonly available...
  43. D

    Turbine Efficiency with Generator load

    Hi, I have developed a 2KW hydro turbine prototype with a generator connected. Generator Type - Brushless DC Permanent Magnet (16Pol-18Slot) (2000Watts, 2000 RPM, 54VDC) Generator test report (by manufacturer) is given below; RPM Volts Current 1000 29.8...
  44. Nirmal Jayanth

    Can Rankine cycle achieve Carnot efficiency?

    Will a rankine cycle have efficiency equal to the carnot cycle, if the mean temperature of heat addition in rankine cycle is equal to the source temperature of Carnot cycle, and the mean temperature of heat rejection is equal to the sink temperature of carnot cycle. My understanding is that in...
  45. F

    Exploring BLDC Motor Windings & Efficiency

    I learned that brushless DC motor windings have an algorithm for winding depending on several variables... When I google image search BLDC stator, I expect to see this : But I see a lot more of this : Is this second one still a brushless DC? If so, do they just lose efficiency by winding...
  46. Nantes

    I Fans with 3 blades vs. 6 blades (noise, efficiency)?

    I'm Brazilian, and until a few years ago most commercial electric fans sold in the country looked like this: But then one company started making them with 6 blades, claiming it had better wind output and made less noise than the 3-bladed fans (they didn't directly made this claim; it was...
  47. Thermo

    Fuel cell voltage end efficiency

    I know theoretically fuel cell efficiency decreases as temperature increases. But in practice it is vice versa. What is the reason of that? I couldn't find enough sources. Any kind of help is much appreciated.
  48. M

    I Calculating LED Efficiency with Radiant Power and Temperature

    i wonder if it is possible to get the efficiency of an LED just by knowing the radiant power an the outside temperatur. i also know the temperatur of the emmited light. well they say the LED has an efficiency >1 because it takes heat from the out side and turns it into rays. so these two things...
  49. O

    Evaluating my experiment; kettle water boiling efficiency

    Homework Statement Evaluate the experiment below, identifying energy loss and errors, and access their effect on the efficiency? The experiment was 'Determining the efficiency of energy conversion of boiling water in an electric kettle'. The method/system - 1. Weigh accurately 1000g of water...
  50. EddieP

    How does the core size affect an Inductor's efficiency?

    Hello, I am wondering if anyone can help me with the following question. I want to find out how the size of the core in an inductor influences the current induced in the secondary coil, and whether a smaller core is more efficient if efficiency is defined as inducing the highest current in the...
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