Understanding Sankey Diagrams: A Visual Tool for Process Engineering and Beyond

Sankey is a visualization tool used to represent the flow of materials, energy, or other quantities through a system. It is a type of flow diagram, in which the width of the arrows is shown proportionally to the magnitude of the flow. The tool is named after Captain Matthew Sankey, who first introduced it in 1898.

Sankey diagrams are commonly used in process engineering and other fields to illustrate the flow of materials or energy through a system. They can be used to show the inputs and outputs of a system, as well as the internal flows within the system. Sankey diagrams can be drawn manually or created using software tools such as SankeyMatic or Draw.io.

The benefits of using Sankey diagrams include:

1. Visualization of complex systems: Sankey diagrams can help to simplify complex systems by visualizing the flow of materials or energy through the system.
2. Easy to understand: Sankey diagrams are easy to understand, even for people who are not familiar with the system being represented.
3. Identification of bottlenecks: Sankey diagrams can help to identify bottlenecks in the system, which can be useful for optimizing the system's performance.
4. Communication of information: Sankey diagrams can be used to communicate information about the system to others, such as stakeholders or decision-makers.
5. Education and training: Sankey diagrams can be a useful tool for educating and training people about complex systems and their behavior.