Heat Engine Efficiency Calculator
Enter Qh and Qc, or W and Qh. Optional hot and cold reservoir temperatures are in kelvin.
A QUICK WALKTHROUGH
How to use this tool
- Enter Qh and Qc, or W and Qh. Optional hot and cold reservoir temperatures are in kelvin.
- η = (Qh − Qc)/Qh or η = W/Qh. Heat quantities use one consistent unit. 0 < Qh; 0 ≤ Qc ≤ Qh; 0 ≤ W ≤ Qh. The optional Carnot limit is 1 − Tc/Th for 0 < Tc < Th, and is a theoretical upper bound, not a guarantee of actual performance.
- Calculate
Formula and scope
η = (Qh − Qc)/Qh or η = W/Qh. Heat quantities use one consistent unit. 0 < Qh; 0 ≤ Qc ≤ Qh; 0 ≤ W ≤ Qh. The optional Carnot limit is 1 − Tc/Th for 0 < Tc < Th, and is a theoretical upper bound, not a guarantee of actual performance.
Inputs stay in this browser.
Inputs stay in this browser.
GOOD TO KNOW
Common questions
How is the result calculated?
η = (Qh − Qc)/Qh or η = W/Qh. Heat quantities use one consistent unit. 0 < Qh; 0 ≤ Qc ≤ Qh; 0 ≤ W ≤ Qh. The optional Carnot limit is 1 − Tc/Th for 0 < Tc < Th, and is a theoretical upper bound, not a guarantee of actual performance.