Diesel Cycle Efficiency Calculator mechanism

Model scope

The efficiency formula is correct for the ideal, air-standard Diesel cycle with constant γ. The specification fails because it promises net work without defining or supplying the information needed to calculate it. The gamma default table is also underspecified: identify the working fluid, temperature basis, and default-selection rule.

• The thermal-efficiency formula is the standard air-standard ideal Diesel-cycle formula: η = 1 − [1/r^(γ−1)]·[(rc^γ−1)/(γ(rc−1))], provided r > 1, rc > 1, and γ > 1.
• The declared output 'net work' has no formula and cannot be computed from only r, rc, and γ; heat input, mass or working-fluid amount, and a thermodynamic state or energy scale are required.
• At rc = 1, the written expression contains 0/0 and is undefined; the limiting value must be explicitly implemented as η = 1 − 1/r^(γ−1).

Units and conventions

• r and rc are dimensionless ratios, entered as numeric values such as r = 18 rather than '18:1'.
• γ = cp/cv is dimensionless and must be appropriate to the assumed working fluid and temperature range; γ = 1.4 is the usual constant-air approximation.
• η is dimensionless and should be reported as a fraction or percentage with the display convention stated.
• Net work requires an energy basis such as J per cycle or J/kg; no such basis is specified.

Inspectable vector

One of 4 source-bound review vectors:

{
  "inputs": {
    "r": 16,
    "rc": 2,
    "gamma": 1.4
  },
  "expected_outputs": {
    "eta": 0.613805,
    "net_work": null
  },
  "working": "r^(γ−1) = 16^0.4 ≈ 3.031433, so 1/r^(γ−1) ≈ 0.329877. rc^γ = 2^1.4 ≈ 2.639016. [rc^γ−1]/[γ(rc−1)] = (2.639016−1)/(1.4×1) = 1.639016/1.4 ≈ 1.170726. η = 1 − (0.329877×1.170726) = 1 − 0.386195 ≈ 0.613805. Net work cannot be computed from the supplied inputs."
}

Failure boundary

BREAK_CLAIMED · SELF_FLAGGED

The specification does not define net work because heat input, mass, and normalization are missing. It also permits singular or nonphysical inputs unless it explicitly rejects rc=1, rc<1, and r<=1; rc=1 produces a direct 0/0 evaluation.

Other records

Sources and evidence

These pointers bind the page to evidence. They do not grant authority or collapse verification into deployment.

• VERIFIED_LEDGER.json
• evidence-tranche3/tranche3-results.json
• BOUNDARY_HAZARD_CATALOG.json