The calculator uses two methods to calculate the electrolyser efficiency.
For decimal sign, please use dot "." instead of comma "," !!!
Method 1 (1. Simple) uses the input electric energy (current * voltage * duration). The result is energy in watt-seconds. In the field "Gas volume" type the measured oxyhydrogen gas volume (hydrogen + oxygen volume). We use theoretical value of 10050 joules per liter gas (we know it already). After that we use simple calculation - the ratio of the measured gas energy vs. the input energy.
This method is simpler, and not so accurate, because we don't include several parameters (temperature and pressure). The theoretical value per liter gas is 10050 joules at 1 atm and 15 degrees Celsius. Therefore you will get little error in the result, most because of the temperature.
The simple method is required, because it is highly possible to make a mistake at the data input when using the complex method. Furthermore, when you are doing electrolysis in different ways (like plasma, electromagnetic and so on) it is impossible to use the complex method (in the electromagnetic water electrolysis, for example, there are no electrodes, which you can set as input parameter).
Using the second (2. Complex) method, there is more complex calculation of the electrolysis parameters. The input values are voltage, current, duration, gas volume, number of cells, pressure, temperature.
Here the most common mistake is at the number of cells value. The calculation is correct for series-cell electrolyser. For example, electrolyser with 10 electrodes, where the first and the last plate is connected to the power supply (+nnnnnnnn-) contains 9 cells (the first plate is marked as "+", the latest with "-", and the remaining are neutral (they are not connected with wires)).
The pressure should be normally 1 atm, except if your experiment is different (electrolysis under pressure, vacuum and so on).
Faraday's or electrical efficiency?
With the Faraday's law for electrolysis, to calculate the efficiency, it is needed only the number of coulombs, passing the electrolyte (only the current). Therefore, if we have two plates electrolyser (cathode and anode), we measure the current between them, but the voltage. This way we have picture about the electrochemical process, but the overall efficiency.
In our case we don't have coulombmeter, so we should use amp-meter and measure the duration - 1 coluomb = 1 amper * 1 second
To measure the efficiency of the electrolyser, we need to measure the voltage too. In theory are needed at least 1,23 volts (minimum) (potential difference) between the cathode and the anode. Increasing the voltage above 1,23 volts lead to losses, that is to say, in the most common scenario, the electrical efficiency should be less than the Faraday's one.
There are cases, where it is possible to violate the laws by some way. For example, if you make electrolyser, where the potential difference is below 1,23 volts, and if you have Faraday's efficiency, for example 100%, the electrical efficiency will be greater!
There is another case, when is is possible to violate the Faraday's law and to get more gas, than coulombs are passed through the electrolyte. For example, the prof. Kanarev's low current electrolyser uses very little, or no current at all, but there is gas production, namely, the water molecule is broken because the voltage, but there are no electrons needed (or very little).
The two methods seems to be possible, for example, to reduce the potential difference you can use electrodes from different alloys (only for example: stainless steel and platinium). There is little potential difference about tens of volt, and the process becomes more effective.