Questions tagged [energy-efficiency]
The energy-efficiency tag has no usage guidance.
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Are internal combustion engine more efficient than steam turbines
From what i understand the indicated thermal efficiency of an ic engine is measured at the fly wheel and is the measure of the amount of thermal energy being converted to mechanical energy please ...
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Why is there not a large power or performance difference between these two air conditioners?
My parents have these two window air conditioners that are the same brand and look the exact same on the outside. The control interface is the exact same as well. I'm not sure how old they are but I'm ...
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Energy potential of a given quantity of carbon-based fuel directly vs through the grid
I'm a software engineer, but have taken some physics courses and almost went into mechanical engineering, but that was 30 years ago.
I am beginning a deep dive into the efficiency of the grid ...
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Which are the Betz's limits for marine devices such as wave energy converters?
Nowadays, climate change is a relevant topic to reflect on the uses of renewable energies, such as the Sun, wind, oceans, tides, etc. Engineers are trying to design devices to extract the most power ...
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Could a mainspring be used to generate train acceleration during starting-up from the kinetic energy stored during its slowing down?
When waiting for the underground, I've always been wondering why we could not absorb the kinetic energy of the train to slow it down at the station and then to release this energy to help it ...
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What is the lowest energy solution for emptying a drip irrigation water collector : a mono-stable solenoid valve or a bistable coupled to a pump?
I have a water collector I want to empty everyday for drip irrigation. It is controlled by a micro-controller. I have identified three solutions:
Use a bi-stable electro-valve and a pump: advantage ...
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Understanding small DC motor curves (torque, efficiency etc)
I have a small DC motor/gearbox unit and the spec sheets is shown below. All* the units are measured at the gear box output, so 100 RPM would be 3,000 at the motor.
I'm using it as a generator so am ...
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Is it better to charge my electric car on windy days?
There are various dashboards (for example, here) that show the current energy generation mix and the overall CO2 emissions (gCO2/kWh).
In the UK renewables can make up a large proportion of the total, ...
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Heating pump/refrigerator - calculate efficiency
I'm wondering how I can calculate the overall thermal efficiency of my heating/refrigerator pump.
Actually I have this AC/heating pump unit from Samsung (P/N: AR09TXFYBWKNEE).
I've placed a power ...
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How to calculate the actual COP of a compression for a given outdoor temperature?
Given a chiller having a nominal COP value, how can we compute the actual COP for a given outdoor temperature.
In this regard, is there any difference between compression chillers and absorption ...
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How turbo engines increase efficiency if have lower compression ratio than naturally aspirated engines?
I know that efficiency depends on compression ratio(CR), NA engines always has higher CR than turbos,so how turbo engine can have better efficiency?
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Minimizing home heating costs [closed]
I live in an old rental house with 12 foot ceilings and zero ceiling fans. I am trying to conserve as much energy as possible as heating costs are expensive. I have placed plastic on all of my windows ...
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Understanding "total primary energy supply"
I am trying to wrap my head around the diagram and explanation here but can not understand completely how it is computed.
https://energyeducation.ca/encyclopedia/Total_primary_energy_supply
For ...
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Converting between MMBTU and MWh
a quick question:
I want to convert between MMBTU and MWh to get at emission factors from energy.
I have the following information:
I use the data given in 40 CFR 98 (see EPA source here) by the EPA ...
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Dehumidification calculations
I'm looking at options for DIY dehumidification and am hoping to get a sanity check on some calculations, and verification that I'm using the right factors in the right way.
As a reference point, I ...
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How are NASA's mars rovers able to operate with such little energy?
The latest Mars rover being, NASA's Perseverance, uses the Multi-mission radioisotope thermoelectric generator, which has a maximum power output at the beginning of it's operational life of 125 watts, ...
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What is the efficiency of direct electric heating versus water heated via electricity?
I am attempting to keep plants warm in a greenhouse. Therefore, I assume that heating the soil should be most efficient, as that's what plants seem to care about the most (i.e. the temperature of the ...
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Equations of motion in matrix form and energy consumption
I am working on Lagrangian derived high-dimensional motion equations for a robot in matrix form. The structure of such an equation is known:
$M(q)\ddot{q}+C(q,\dot{q})\dot{q}+G(q)=0$
In here, $M(q)$, $...
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What are some technical problems with generating electricity using a gas turbine or combustible engine at a gas flaring site?
Numerous oil and gas exploration sites practice flaring for safety and disposal of unwanted low calorific gases. However, instead of just standalone burning the gas, why can't a gas turbine or ...
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Are AC generators more efficient than DC generators?
I've been doing some research into AC and DC generators, and I was wondering if AC has any advantages in terms of efficiency.
Given that AC generators are usually brushless while DC generators ...
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What would be a reasonable estimate for the amount of petroleum needed to find, produce and deliver one barrel of petroleum?
A basic "balance sheet" might allocate fuel needed for exploration, well development, production, crude oil transportation, refining, further product transportation and delivery to a ...
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Why is Carnot Factor defined as 1 - (T(cold) / T(hot))
This is the proof I've found for the Carnot Factor:
$$S = \frac{Q}{T} \qquad \qquad (1)$$
$$S_{in} = S_{out}\qquad \qquad (2)$$
Because entropy stays the same when ...
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How does the efficiency curve of a well pump shift with speed?
Well pump manufacturers publish "efficiency curves" for well pumps, such as this one (the curve that is most sharply convex down, whose Y axis is read from the "% EFF" scale on the ...
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More efficient to use LED lighting than to open blinds for light and thereby lose heat when very cold outside?
Currently here it is 9 degrees Farenheit. My home is heated by electric resistance heating (not a heat pump, just plain heating coils). Am I correct in believing that it's more energy efficient to ...
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Which power plant will generate more electricity in the below discussed scenario?
There are two identical power plants(i.e same turbine dimension and same generator configuration). Both have a hot reservoir. Coal is burnt on both power plant to make the temperature of the hot ...
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Optimizing flue gas temp for maple syrup evaporator
I have a simple maple syrup evaporator. Fuel is burned in a firebox located under 1mm stainless steel pans containing maple sap--which becomes syrup once enough water is evaporated. After passing ...
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explaining ohmic loss and understanding inverter efficiency curve
I'm trying to understand an efficiency curve from PVsyst, using this documentation
However, I'm not sure what this sentence means:
This production is penalized by an ohmic loss$^1$ of the internal ...
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Where can I find efficiency metrics for diesel engines?
I am doing long term planning for a small fleet of tugboats. A lot of the engines (propulsion, generators, hydraulics) are Detroit Diesels of various sizes (e.g., 4-71, 6-71, 12V-71). Newer engines ...
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Natural ways for passively cooling/heating a home?
I always think about how there surely must be natural ways to cool/heat a house, rather than using electricity, like solar panels, heaters, and AC. Does anyone have any good examples of houses/...
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Optimization: Most efficient way for multiple people to move boxes
We are moving house in a few weeks and have a couple of people helping moving the boxes. My previous experience from moving is of queues building up in small hallways and people getting tired from ...
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PMDC Motor Characteristic Graph
I am trying create a graph similar to as shown below. However, I am confused as to how the torque is related to the characteristics.
The graph that is to be replicated for certain parameters:
The ...
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Practicality of energy recovery from HVAC systems?
I've been thinking about ways to maximize efficiency in large buildings, and one thing I thought of was to place some sort of turbine in the exhuast vents or smokestacks of factories, power plants, ...
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at what point is increasing pressure ratio diminishing in returns?
piston engines of ww2 planes had pressure ratio of at least 10, while jet engines were still vastly superior with a pressure ratio of only 3.
Certainly pressure ratio of 1 would bring 0% fuel ...
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How much time to melt marshmallow under heat lamp?
Using the Specific Heat Formula, I found that I need to apply 612J of heat to melt 18g of marshmallow. Marshmallow has a specific heat of 2 J/(g*C), melting point of 98.6°F, and a starting room ...
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Energy Wasted in Electromagnetic Motor Actuator Vs Human Muscle Actuation
I would like to know if the energy utilized by a robotic arm is greater compared to the energy utilized by human arm. Robotic arm is essentially servo motors that use electromagnetic field to create ...
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Why Do Airborne Wind Energy Systems Use Kites And Not Balloons?
Title says it all,
Why are AWE-companies like Makani spending years and millions of dollars developing drones, rather than simply using a balloon-based design?
Wouldn't it be easier and faster to get ...
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Why are some submarines using liquid oxygen for combustion?
I think som submarines like Kockums use liquid oxygen instead of compressed air for driving their combustions engines. Is it more energy efficient to oxygen enrich the air before burning it compared ...
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One dimensional U-Factor Calculation - How to determine indoor / outdoor film resistances
Can someone clarify the ASHRAE Fundamental 2017 (SI Units) (See Below) Indoor and Outdoor film resistances. The manual states that it comes from Table 3 and in the description of table 3 it states &...
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Laser Power vs Efficiency
Is there some kind of graph or relation between laser power and efficiency. What I'm trying to find out is whether the efficiency of a laser decreases with increase in power or is it that there is no ...
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In a diesel engine, does more heat leave the engine through the tailpipe or the radiator?
Diesel exhaust is hot, and there's a lot of it.
Diesel radiators also get pretty hot.
In a typical diesel engine, which one is dissipating more heat?
EDIT: In response to a request for specificity ...
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Relation between engine size and its power to weight ratio
Is there a relation between engine size and its power to weight ratio? For example if you shrink the engine to half the size will it have exactly half the power?
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Three-phase versus single-phase operation of a generator
My generator (a Fermont MEP-803A, 4 cyl diesel, 10kW rated) can run in three distinct modes:
Single-phase 120V, in which one terminal is hot, and another is neutral
Single-phase 120V/240V, in which ...
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How much weight has weight in fuel efficiency?
Comparing the official fuel efficiency figures for several cars, I was surprised to discover that the Smart Fortwo has a weight between 750 to 800 kg and needs 4.3 L/100 km, but the VW Polo with a ...
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Question about flow temperature and storage temperature in a cogeneration plant
Let's assume I have a cogeneration plant that produces heat with a nominal output. The heat is given into a heat storage tank, which is filled from above. The maximum flow temperature of the ...
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Calculation of the specific CO2 emission of a cogeneration plant for the produced electricity
Suppose I have a cogeneration plant that runs on natural gas and produces heat and electricity. The heat effeicieny is $\eta_{th} = 0.4$ and the electricity efficiency is $\eta_{el} = 0.4$.
The ...
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Energy/Efficiency Calculations for Large Multi-stage Package HVAC
I frequently use the Equivalent Full Load Hour (EFLH) estimation method to calculate the expected energy usage for commercial HVAC equipment. While not ideal, it works well enough to given an order ...
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How Much Efficiency is Lost in a Gear Train
I want to get a rough estimate for the transmission efficiency of two different gear trains. One is a one-stage gear train with 11.67:1 ratio (140/12 teeth) and the other is a compound two-stage gear ...
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Most efficient turbine for harnessing energy from bidirectional air flow?
I am currently working on designing an oscillating water column as part of a project. In summary:
OWC are devices with a semi-submerged chamber or hollow open to the
sea below, keeping a trapped ...
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Effect of Pressure on Combustion efficiency (of hydrogen) in excess air
Can somebody explain relation between combustion efficiency and pressure in lean mixtures using any kind of chart or mathematical equations?
At first glance I thought, combustion efficiency increases ...
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Does utilizing exhaust energy to supercharge ("turbocharging") increase the thermal efficiency of a gasoline internal combustion engine?
The work done by a turbocharger increases the inlet charge without much of a burden to the exhaust flow. This increases the amount of air (and fuel) that flows into the engine. How does this affect ...
