Coefficient of efficiency - is everything right?

No action performed does not pass without loss - they are always there. The result is always less than the effort required to achieve it. About how large the losses are in the performance of work, and indicates the efficiency (EFFICIENCY).

What is hidden behind this abbreviation? In fact, this is the efficiency factor of the mechanism or the indicator of rational energy use. The magnitude of the efficiency does not have any units of measurement, it is expressed as a percentage. This coefficient is defined as the ratio of the useful work of the device to the expenditure on its functioning. To calculate the efficiency, the calculation formula will look like this:

Efficiency = 100 * (useful work done / work wasted)

In different devices, different values are used to calculate this ratio. For electric motors, the efficiency will look like the ratio of the useful work done to the electrical energy received from the grid. For thermal machines, the efficiency will be determined as the ratio of the useful work done to the spent heat quantity.

To determine the efficiency, it is necessary that all different types of energy and work be expressed in one unit. Then it will be possible to compare any objects, for example nuclear power plants, power generators and biological objects, in terms of efficiency.

As already noted, due to the inevitable losses during the operation of the mechanisms, the efficiency is always less than 1. Thus, the efficiency of thermal stations reaches 90%, the efficiency of internal combustion engines is less than 30%, the efficiency of the electrical transformer is 98%. The concept of EFFICIENCY can be applied both to the mechanism as a whole, and to its separate nodes. At the general estimation of efficiency of the mechanism as a whole (its EFFICIENCY) the product of efficiency of separate component parts of this device is taken.

The problem of efficient use of fuel did not appear today. With the continuous increase in the cost of energy resources, the issue of increasing the efficiency of mechanisms is transformed from a purely theoretical to a practical question. If the efficiency of an ordinary car does not exceed 30%, then we simply throw out 70% of our money spent for fueling cars.

Review of the efficiency of the internal combustion engine (ICE) shows that losses occur at all stages of its operation. So, only 75% of the incoming fuel burns in the cylinders of the engine, and 25% is released into the atmosphere. Of all the burned fuel, only 30-35% of the heat released is spent to perform useful work, the rest is either lost or lost with the exhaust gases, or remains in the cooling system of the car. Of the received power, about 80% is used for useful work, the remaining power is spent on overcoming frictional forces and is used by the auxiliary mechanisms of the car.

Even with such a simple example, the analysis of the effectiveness of the mechanism makes it possible to determine the directions in which work is to be carried out to reduce losses. So, one of the priority areas is to ensure complete combustion of fuel. This is achieved by the additional spraying of fuel and increased pressure, so engines with direct injection and turbo-supercharging are so popular. The heat removed from the engine is used to heat the fuel in order to better evaporate it, and the mechanical losses are reduced by using modern types of synthetic oil.

Here we considered such a notion as the efficiency, describes what it is and what it affects. The efficiency of its operation is considered using the ICE as an example, and directions and ways of increasing the capabilities of this device are determined, and, consequently, efficiency.