Specific Fuel Consumption

What is this formula?

Specific Fuel Consumption (SFC) measures the amount of fuel required to produce a unit of useful energy output.

It is one of the most common indicators used to evaluate the performance of power plants, engines, turbines, generators, and industrial energy systems.

Lower SFC values indicate better fuel utilization because less fuel is needed to produce the same amount of energy.

When to use it

Use this formula when evaluating:

- Thermal power plants

- Gas turbines

- Diesel generators

- Internal combustion engines

- Industrial boilers

- Energy conversion systems

Example

A power plant consumes 450,000 kg of coal during a month and produces 1,500 MWh of electricity.

Data:

mf = 450,000 kg

Eo = 1,500 MWh

Formula:

SFC = mf / Eo

Substitution:

SFC = 450,000 / 1,500

Result:

SFC = 300 kg/MWh

The plant requires 300 kg of coal to generate each MWh of electricity.

Applications

- Power plant benchmarking

- Fuel cost estimation

- Energy efficiency studies

- Operational optimization

- Equipment performance monitoring

- Sustainability assessments

Note

Specific Fuel Consumption depends on fuel quality, equipment condition, operating load, ambient conditions, and technology type. Different industries may express SFC using alternative units such as kg/kWh, g/kWh, kg/MWh, or lb/MWh. Comparisons should only be made when equivalent units and operating conditions are used.