Sankey Charts: Visualizing Energy and Material Flows

Introduction

Sankey charts, also known as flowcharts or Sankey diagrams, are a type of visual representation that are used to show the flow of energy or material between different components of a system. They were first introduced by Scottish statistician Charles Sankey in the early 20th century. Sankey charts are widely used in fields such as energy, transportation, and waste management to help identify opportunities for reducing energy consumption or waste generation.

Creating a Sankey Chart

There are several software programs that can be used to create Sankey charts. Some of the most popular include:

  1. Visio: Visio is a Microsoft Office application that includes a Sankey chart template. To create a Sankey chart in Visio, simply follow the steps below:
  • Open Visio and create a new document.
  • Insert a rectangle in the center of the page to represent the start of the flow.
  • Add a second rectangle to represent the end of the flow and an arrow pointing from the first rectangle to the second.
  • Assign values to each rectangle to represent the amounts of energy or material flowing between them.
  • Customize the appearance of the chart as desired.
  1. EcoMap: EcoMap is a web-based software program that can be used to create Sankey charts and other types of flowcharts. To use EcoMap, simply follow the steps below:
  • Go to the EcoMap website and sign up for a free account.
  • Create a new chart by selecting the type of chart you want to create (e.g. Sankey chart) and the data you want to visualize.
  • Customize the appearance of the chart as desired.
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Applications of Sankey Charts

Sankey charts are used in a variety of applications to help identify opportunities for reducing energy consumption or waste generation. Some examples of the types of systems that can benefit from the use of Sankey charts include:

  1. Energy systems: Sankey charts can be used to visualize the flow of energy between different components of an energy system, such as the production of electricity from fossil fuels or the distribution of electricity to homes and businesses.
  2. Transportation systems: Sankey charts can be used to visualize the flow of material (such as fuel or cargo) between different components of a transportation system, such as the production of fuel from crude oil and the distribution of fuel to vehicles.
  3. Waste management systems: Sankey charts can be used to visualize the flow of material (such as food or packaging materials) between different components of a waste management system, such as the production of food from agricultural land and the distribution of food to consumers.

Conclusion

Sankey charts are a useful visual representation of energy and material flows in complex systems. They can be used to identify opportunities for reducing energy consumption or waste generation and can be created using a variety of software programs. Examples of systems that can benefit from the use of Sankey charts include energy systems, transportation systems, and waste management systems.

SankeyMaster

SankeyMaster is your go-to tool for creating complex Sankey charts . Easily enter data and create Sankey charts that accurately reveal intricate data relationships.

SankeyMaster - Unleash the Power of Sankey Diagrams on iOS and macOS.
SankeyMaster is your essential tool for crafting sophisticated Sankey diagrams on both iOS and macOS. Effortlessly input data and create intricate Sankey diagrams that unveil complex data relationships with precision.
SankeyMaster - Unleash the Power of Sankey Diagrams on iOS and macOS.
SankeyMaster is your essential tool for crafting sophisticated Sankey diagrams on both iOS and macOS. Effortlessly input data and create intricate Sankey diagrams that unveil complex data relationships with precision.