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| 1 | +# MECHANICAL_EFFICIENCY |
| 2 | + |
| 3 | +[MODELS](/about/references/MODELS.md) / |
| 4 | +[SHAFT](/about/references/SHAFT.md) / |
| 5 | +[MECHANICAL_EFFICIENCY](/about/references/MECHANICAL_EFFICIENCY.md) |
| 6 | + |
| 7 | +## Description |
| 8 | + |
| 9 | +`MECHANICAL_EFFICIENCY` defines the ratio of useful mechanical work output to the total mechanical work input for a shaft system. It accounts for power losses in bearings, gearboxes, seals, and couplings. |
| 10 | + |
| 11 | +The mechanical efficiency is used in a [SHAFT](/about/references/SHAFT.md) model to calculate the shaft power required from the driver: |
| 12 | + |
| 13 | +$$ |
| 14 | +P_{shaft} = \frac{P_{gas}}{\eta_{mechanical}} |
| 15 | +$$ |
| 16 | + |
| 17 | +## Format |
| 18 | + |
| 19 | +~~~~yaml |
| 20 | +MODELS: |
| 21 | + - NAME: <shaft name> |
| 22 | + TYPE: SHAFT |
| 23 | + MECHANICAL_EFFICIENCY: <value> |
| 24 | +~~~~ |
| 25 | + |
| 26 | +:::note Simplified trains |
| 27 | +For `SIMPLIFIED_VARIABLE_SPEED_COMPRESSOR_TRAIN`, `MECHANICAL_EFFICIENCY` is set directly on the train model (not via a separate SHAFT). It applies uniformly to all stages and defaults to 1.0 if not specified. |
| 28 | +::: |
| 29 | + |
| 30 | +## Example |
| 31 | + |
| 32 | +~~~~yaml |
| 33 | +MODELS: |
| 34 | + - NAME: compressor_shaft |
| 35 | + TYPE: SHAFT |
| 36 | + MECHANICAL_EFFICIENCY: 0.95 # 95% efficiency, 5% losses |
| 37 | +~~~~ |
| 38 | + |
| 39 | +## Value Range |
| 40 | + |
| 41 | +| Constraint | Value | Description | |
| 42 | +|------------|-------|-------------| |
| 43 | +| Minimum | > 0 | Must be positive (exclusive) | |
| 44 | +| Maximum | ≤ 1.0 | Cannot exceed 100% efficiency | |
| 45 | + |
| 46 | +### Typical Values |
| 47 | + |
| 48 | +| Drive Configuration | Typical Range | Typical Losses | Notes | |
| 49 | +|---------------------|---------------|----------------|-------| |
| 50 | +| Direct drive | 0.96 - 0.98 | 2-4% | Bearings (1-2%) + seals/couplings (1-2%) | |
| 51 | +| With gearbox | 0.93 - 0.96 | 4-7% | Adds gearbox losses (2-3%) | |
| 52 | + |
| 53 | +:::note |
| 54 | +These are approximate ranges for the **total** mechanical efficiency of the drive train. The actual value depends on equipment design, operating conditions, and manufacturer data. A typical default of ~0.95 (5% losses) covers a common configuration with gearbox. |
| 55 | +::: |
| 56 | + |
| 57 | +## Physical Interpretation |
| 58 | + |
| 59 | +The mechanical efficiency accounts for power losses in the drivetrain between |
| 60 | +the driver (motor/turbine) and the compressor, including: |
| 61 | + |
| 62 | +- **Bearing losses**: Friction in shaft support bearings |
| 63 | +- **Gearbox losses**: Friction and churning in gear systems (if present) |
| 64 | +- **Seal and coupling losses**: Minor friction in auxiliary components |
| 65 | + |
| 66 | +:::note Constant efficiency assumption |
| 67 | +In reality, frictional losses scale approximately with the square of rotational speed. |
| 68 | +However, eCalc assumes a **constant** mechanical efficiency across all operating points. |
| 69 | +Choose a representative value for typical operating conditions, or consult vendor data |
| 70 | +for the expected speed range. |
| 71 | +::: |
| 72 | + |
| 73 | +## See Also |
| 74 | + |
| 75 | +- [SHAFT](/about/references/SHAFT.md) |
| 76 | +- [EFFICIENCY](/about/references/EFFICIENCY.md) |
| 77 | +- [POLYTROPIC_EFFICIENCY](/about/references/POLYTROPIC_EFFICIENCY.md) |
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