L-1 Efficiency

Wind tunnel efficiency is the ratio of the input energy to the output energy. The kinetic energy in the jet, in kilowatts, is a percentage of the kilowatts used by the motor. The difference is the total tunnel loss. All wind tunnels lose energy, which is a total of the losses produced by the motor, fan, transmission, and wind tunnel itself, because none of these things are 100% efficient. The lost energy is converted to sound or heat. A more efficient wind tunnel produces a given volume of air moving at a particular speed with less energy consumption. This reduces the operational cost.

The L-1 prototype at Appalachian Amusement Center became operational December 11, 2003. In March of 2004 we made some initial efficiency calculations which are published here. Later more detailed measurements will be made and added.