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A ponderable about thermal efficiency!!?
When I was in school, we were taught that no system could be 100% efficient due to factors such as friction, electrical resistance, heat loss etc etc. Could it be said that an electric heating element (eg in an electric fire, cooker, heat lamp or kettle etc) is the most efficient seeing as the purpose of the appliance is to create that which would be lost (ie heat)??
2 Answers
- Anonymous10 years agoFavorite Answer
Yes, but you have to limit your system down to only that 'radiator'. As soon as you consider the generation or transmission of electricity, you encounter huge power losses, even in the wire from the wall to the appliance. Almost all of this will end up as heat in a relatively short period of time, but for the overwhelming percentage of it, not where you want it.
- Anonymous10 years ago
That is a correct assumption , it is more efficient than say a light bulb - but it would still be well short of 100% as much of the heat generated does not go into the water but into the kettle itself and the surroundings