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Equipment Efficiency and Capacity: Objectives

This document discusses the concepts of efficiency and capacity in agricultural operations, emphasizing the importance of evaluating how well machines perform their tasks. It outlines the definitions of efficiency, mechanical efficiency, and performance efficiency, providing formulas for calculating effective field capacity and throughput capacity. The text highlights the financial implications of inefficient operations for farm owners and managers.

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Jecris JxHopeful52
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5 views2 pages

Equipment Efficiency and Capacity: Objectives

This document discusses the concepts of efficiency and capacity in agricultural operations, emphasizing the importance of evaluating how well machines perform their tasks. It outlines the definitions of efficiency, mechanical efficiency, and performance efficiency, providing formulas for calculating effective field capacity and throughput capacity. The text highlights the financial implications of inefficient operations for farm owners and managers.

Uploaded by

Jecris JxHopeful52
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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8

Equipment Efficiency and Capacity

OBJECTIVES

1. Understand the concept of efficiency and be able to


apply it to agricultural operations.
2. Understand the concept of capacity and be able to apply
it to agricultural machines.
3. Be able to calculate effective field capacity.
4. Be able to calculate the throughput capacity of
agricultural machines.

INTRODUCTION

In this chapter we will be concerned with the efficiency and the


capacity of machines. Efficiency is a determination of how well
something is done. In referring to machinery, it is an evaluation
of how well machines do the tasks that they are designed to
perform. Capacity is a measurement of the amount of
performance that has occurred.

EFFICIENCY

In this chapter we will use the concept of efficiency to evaluate


how well a machine performs its designed task in terms of
quantity and/or quality ofperfonnance. Owners and managers of
farm enterprises are deeply concerned with efficient operation of
equipment and other resources because inefficient operation leads
to greater operating expenses and reduced profits.
In the most general tenns, efficiency can be expressed as:

: Output
EffiCIency (E) = Input (8-1)

or, efficiency is the ratio of what we get out of something relative


to what we put in. Because efficiency is a ratio of things having
the same units, the units cancel. The results usually are
multiplied by 100 and expressed as a percentage. If the output is
10 units (pounds, hours, etc.) and the input 10 units, the
efficiency is:

77
L. O. Roth et al., Introduction to Agricultural Engineering
© Aspen Publishers, Inc. 1992
78 AN INTRODUCTION TO AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING

%E =Output 100
Input x

10 units
= 10 units x 100
=1000A>
Or, if the output is 5 units and the input 10 units, the efficiency
is:

%E - Output x 100
- Input

5 units
= 10 units x 100
=50%
MECHANICAL EFFICIENCY
Mechanical efficiency has to do with how well machines convert
energy from one form to another. For example, an engine converts
the chemical or heat energy in fuel into mechanical power, torque,
and rotation of the engine crankshaft. All the energy in fuel is not
converted to torque and shaft rotation (the majority of the heat
produced escapes through the radiator and out the exhaust);
therefore, engines are not 100% effiCient. A typical gasoline engine
is about 35% effiCient; a diesel engine is slightly better. An electric
motor converts electrical energy into shaft rotation and torque
with an efficiency of 95 to 98%.

PERFORMANCE EFFICIENCY

Performance efficiency refers to the quality of work done by a


machine. For a harvesting machine, performance efficiency is a
measure of the actual performance of the machine compared to
the deSired performance. For example, if the machine were a
combine, we could measure the bushels of grain harvested
compared to the total bushels of grain in the field. Combines also
could be evaluated according to the amount of damaged grain.
Other harvesting machines could be evaluated on the basis of the
amount of bruising of fruit or on the number of cracked shells.

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