HEAT RATE AND SPECIFIC FUEL CONSUMPTION

Heat Rate (HR) - the rate at which heat energy is added per unit time divided by the power output

Btu / kWh

or

(Btu/hph).
HR

Q& Btu
Q& Btu

W& kWh W& hph

Let th be the thermal efficiency of the device in question. If we input (3414) Btu /h, we will produce (1)
th kW of power; similarly, (2545) Btu/h will produce (1) th hp of power; therefore, the heat rate may be
expressed as:

HR

3414
th

Btu 2545 Btu

kWh
th hph

Specific Fuel Consumption (SFC) - the mass of fuel required per hour per kilowatt or per horsepower.

SFC
Let

m& lbm
m& lbm

W& kWh W& hph

hc absolute value of the heat of combustion or the lower heating value (LHV) of the fuel (kJ/kg) or

(Btu/lbm ). We can then divide the HR by

SFC

hc to get SFC; thus:

3414

2545 lbm
lbm

th hc kWh th hc hph