Software Products
Application-Specific Software
This line includes Thermoflow's most popular programs, GT PRO, GT MASTER & PEACE for gas turbine based cycles, STEAM PRO & STEAM MASTER for pure steam power plants, and RE-MASTER for repowering existing steam plants by adding gas turbines. It also includes the Plant Design Expert (PDE) program for executive-level use of GT PRO , the GASCAN+ program for design of advanced gas turbine engines and cycles, and RECIPRO for evaluating small cogeneration projects.
GT PRO and STEAM PRO are design programs, which create cycle heat balance as well as the physical design of equipment needed to implement it. GT MASTER and STEAM MASTER are simulation programs that predict performance of the plant as a function of its fixed equipment, control set-points, loads, and ambient conditions. RE-MASTER designs the new equipment needed to convert a given pure steam power plant to combined cycle, then proceeds to simulate performance of the repowered plant at off-design. PEACE is a new, highly-detailed program to size all major equipment and balance-of-plant, perform detailed cost estimation for equipment, materials, and labor, and generate a project financial pro forma.
Thermoflow's application-specific programs provide an astonishing wealth of modeling detail, yet are deceptively simple to use. Many new users, without training or time spent reading instructions manuals, can produce professional plant designs within a few hours of installing a program. Experienced users normally design a new plant in a few minutes.
This seemingly contradictory combination of incredible power and detail, with fast, friendly ease of use, is the result of thoughtful software design and tireless improvements that have consumed approximately 40,000 man-hours of talent. All input variables have reasonable defaults. Non-critical inputs are tucked away into side menus, readily accessible to those who want them, but virtually unnoticed by the casual user. Experienced users who chooses to delve into details never cease to be amazed by their depth. Perhaps it is no wonder that one of the world's foremost manufacturers of gas turbines and steam turbines has licensed over 200 copies of GT PRO and over 100 copies of STEAM PRO for use at their main headquarters and worldwide offices.
For managers, developers, or engineers seeking the fastest method of expertly designing a gas turbine plant, Thermoflow provides the Plant Design Expert (PDE) software. This program allows its user to simply input the constraints and requirements for a proposed plant design. It moves the burden of selecting the GT PRO technical inputs from the user to the expert system within PDE. That system creates all necessary technical inputs, runs GT PRO in the background, and provides the plant design that best meets the user's needs.
The GASCAN+ program is used for conceptual design of new gas turbine engines in conjunction with advanced cycles. It is primarily useful to those involved in research and development of advanced gas turbine power systems.
The RECIPRO program is used for evaluating small cogeneration projects such as may be applied at hospitals, hotels and institutional buildings.
GTeye is an easy-to-use, on-line, real-time, user-configurable gas turbine performance monitoring program. This software contains all the features you expect to find in expensive packages, except the high price. GTeye gathers and analyses real-time data from your DCS and provides flexible trending, tabulation, and reporting functions. GTeye continuously predicts the optimium compressor wash frequency, and inlet filter replacement interval.
Fully Flexible Software
The difference between application-specific and fully flexible software is like the difference between building a car from a prefabricated kit or starting from raw steel sheets and sections. The prefabricated kit has already been expertly designed; thus a predictable and acceptable building effort provides a functional, satisfactory result. The user may customize the result, without impairing functionality, by making reasonable variations to the kit parts and instructions. Starting from raw materials is more satisfying to a knowledgeable enthusiast but requires far more time and effort. It enables an infinite variety of end-products, ranging from unique, creative functionality to useless junk.
The majority of plant designs generated by Thermoflow's customers are most efficiently accomplished by the application-specific programs. However, there are cases or customers who need or want complete flexibility. To satisfy that market segment, Thermoflow has created THERMOFLEX, a program which allows its user to graphically construct an arbitrary system of arbitrary components with arbitrary connections. THERMOFLEX can be used to model gas turbine combined cycles, steam power plants, or repowering, in addition to a virtually endless variety of power plant systems, standard or novel. It also presents an economical alternative for users who have a wide range of application interests, but insufficient activity in any one plant type to justify the cost of the application-specific programs.
A drawback inherent in all fully-flexible programs is the amount of time and expertise it takes to set-up a system, especially a new one. A typical power plant that can be designed in 5-30 minutes with the application-specific programs may consume between 45 minutes and many hours with a fully-flexible program. This problem has now been solved by software bridges that jump-start THERMOFLEX from cycle designs created by Thermoflow's application-specific programs.
Utility Software
POWER DRAW is a highly-flexible drawing tool that is solely dedicated to generating presentation-quality heat balance diagrams that can be linked to results from other Thermoflow heat balance calculation programs. This program allows the user to draw any heat balance diagram, quickly and easily, by assembling standard icons. When the drawing is complete, the user may identify drawing streams by serial numbers, then establish logical connections between them and their conjugates in GT PRO, GT MASTER, STEAM PRO or STEAM MASTER.
Thermoflow's QT PRO² program (Quick Thermal Properties and Processes) provides a convenient, user-friendly tool for anyone who frequently performs simple, fundamental calculations involving heat transfer or thermodynamics. With a massive library of substance properties linked to commonly used thermodynamics and heat transfer formulas, it is an invaluable tool for engineers or students in the mechanical, chemical, or process industries.
Services & Custom Software