To generate 1000 watts of electricity with a diesel generator that has about 35% efficiency, you would use approximately 0.29 liters of diesel fuel per hour. The actual fuel consumption can vary based on the specific efficiency of the generator and the quality of the diesel fuel used.
-Generator Efficiency: Power generators are not 100% efficient. Diesel generators typically have an efficiency of around 30% to 40%. This means that only 30% to 40% of the energy in the fuel is converted into electrical energy.
-Energy Content of Diesel Fuel: Diesel fuel has an energy content of approximately 35.8 megajoules per liter (MJ/L).
-Conversion Factors:
1 watt = 1 joule/second 1 megajoule = 1,000,000 joules
-Calculations:
- Electrical Energy Needed: To produce 1000 watts (1 kilowatt) of power continuously, you need 1000 joules per second or 3600,000 joules per hour (3600 seconds).
- Energy Required from Fuel: If the generator is 35% efficient, you need more energy from the fuel to produce the same amount of electrical power.
- Energy required = Electrical Energy / Efficiency
- Energy required = 3600,000 joules / 0.35 = 10,285,714 joules per hour
- Convert to Diesel Fuel: Diesel fuel's energy content is about 35.8 MJ/L.
- 1 liter of diesel = 35,800,000 joules Diesel needed = Energy required / Energy content per liter Diesel needed = 10,285,714 joules / 35,800,000 joules per liter ≈ 0.29 liters per hour
Just to be more specific to the question, and working out the rest as per prof. Hanasoge Mukunda and using the calculations of Aqeel Mohammad Al-Abed , 1000 W of power would require only around 80 micro litre (80x10^-6)of Diesel fuel in one second.
All other generator fuels also have heating value near the value of Diesel fuel, so nearly every generator would use the same amount of fuel.
Dear Aqeel Mohammad Al-Abed , Hanasoge Mukunda and Afroz Javed
Your answers were very valuable and helpful to me, and I appreciate you.
Could you provide me with references for this calculations that I can cite in my article?
The references you may need for the following
1. Nominal thermal efficiency of a diesel generator plant (around 35%)
2. The heating value of Diesel or any Hydrocarbon fuel (around 36 MJ/litre)
You can find these in any combustion or powerplant text book available on internet, the values may differ a little and you can modify the calculations according to the reference you cite.
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