Heat Rate (Energy Efficiency)

The Heat Rate (Energy Efficiency) calculator computes the efficiency of a power plant based on the heat in and energy out.

INSTRUCTIONS: Choose units and enter the following:

• (H) Heat Supplied to Power Plant for a Period
• (E) Energy Output from Power Plant in same Period

Heat Rate (Energy Efficiency) (φ_hr): The efficiency is returned as a percentage.  However, this can be converted to a real number via the pull-down menu..

The Math / Science

Overall thermal performance or energy efficiency for a power plant for a period can be defined as

`phi_(hr) = H / E`

where

• `phi_(hr)` = heat rate (Btu/kWh, kJ/kWh)
• `H` = heat supplied to the power plant for a period (Btu, kJ)
• `E` = energy output from the power plant in the period (kWh)