 |
|
| THERMOFLOW | |
|
|
Customer Support>FAQ
- KEYS & INSTALLATION
-
GENERAL
-
GT PRO
-
GT MASTER
- Newer gas turbine vendor performance figures – how do I use them in GT MASTER?
- Can I impose degradation on the gas turbine’s performance?
- Can I part load just one of my two gas turbines, keeping the other at full power?
- Can I model auto-extraction in a steam turbine to maintain a constant extraction pressure?
- How can I make the model produce a particular amount of net power without iterating on gas turbine loading or duct firing?
-
STEAM PRO
-
STEAM MASTER
-
THERMOFLEX
FAQ - KEYS & INSTALLATION
Our experience with the keys we use to enable our programs has proven them to be quite reliable. Occasionally, but rarely, they fail. Far more frequently, they appear to have failed because of some other reason. Some of the more common causes are:
Installation of new software with an old Site ID Files disk. The Version identified on the Site ID Files diskette must match the Version identified on the CD-ROM. Recent versions and their release dates: Thermoflow 11 is the March, 2003 Version, Thermoflow 12 is the August, 2003 Version, and Thermoflow 13 is the March, 2004 Version.
Use of the wrong Site ID disk or the wrong key when more than one Site ID is managed from a central location.
Installation of other software that unfortunately over-writes some portion of the key supporting software.
Installation for the first time on a new computer (particularly without Administrative Privileges on Win NT, Win 2000, or Win XP Professional), or installation of a licensed version after having installed a demonstration version without installing the key's device driver.
Attempting to use two Thermoflow keys simultaneously, which will not work. In general, the keys can be "stacked" with keys of other origins, but the Thermoflow programs will only be able to read that Thermoflow key which is closest to the parallel port of the computer.
In all cases above other than the last, the solution is to install the software once again, carefully.
The program runs in DEMO mode only, even with the hardware key attached.
This may happen in either of two ways:
(a) If the program starts in DEMO mode with little hesitation and with no message that a key can not be found, then the program found only the default or demo Site ID file, assumed that the program is supposed to run only in DEMO mode, and didn’t even search for a key. If this is your experience immediately after installing the software, it is because the Site ID file didn’t get properly installed. The solution is to install again, being careful to ensure that the Site ID file diskette gets used as directed. (A quick shortcut that may work is to copy the current Site ID file from the Site ID floppy disk to the C:\TFLOWXX\ folder, where XX is the version number.)
(b) If a message appears shortly after the identifying “splash” screen, indicating that a key can not be found, it displays a code with the message, beginning with the capital letter “K”. When such a message appears, it will persist until you acknowledge it by clicking on one of its buttons to dismiss it. Before you dismiss it, take note of the “K” code, which has the appearance:
K, aaaa, bbbb, c, d, e, S, ff, N, gg
where the upper case letters are shown as is, and the lower case letters will all be numerical characters. Please relay the code to us at Thermoflow and advise us of any other symptoms or conditions you think may have an influence.
The installation seems to be complete, but some things aren’t working.
Please re-install. We recommend the following steps:
1. Ensure that you have a Site ID File floppy disk consistent in version with your installation CD, and consistent in Site ID number with the key you will use. The key may be, but does not need to be, attached at the time of the software installation.
2. If your computer is a laptop that cannot support both a floppy drive and a CD drive at the same time, install the floppy drive and copy the <tf.id> file from the Site ID Files disk to a temporary location on your hard drive (NOT the C:\TFLOWXX\ folder, however).
3. Before you install, re-start the computer.
4. If your operating system is Windows NT, Windows 2000, or Windows XP Professional, you will need to log on to the computer as the System Administrator, or ask your IT staff to do this for you.
5. After re-starting, but before you begin the installation, look to see if there are unnecessary tasks running in the background. Use Ctrl+Alt+Delete to summon the Task Manager or Close Program utility, which will show which tasks are running. Turn off virus protection programs, internet connections, and others such as Lotus Notes and Microsoft Outlook to avoid conflicts during the installation.
6. Insert the CD in the drive. It should auto-start after a short interval. If it does not, browse to the root directory of the CD and launch the file named <TFSetup.EXE>. If that fails, then launch the file named <SETUPEX.EXE>.
7. When instructed, enter the Site ID number.
8. If the Site ID Disk is not available in a floppy drive, you will need to browse to the location where you placed the <tf.id> file in step 2. You will be asked to do this twice, and is important to clearly identify the location as you do this, both times.
9. You may or may not need to re-start the computer after the installation has been completed.
USB key can't be found OR file "aksusb.sys" can't be found
Hardware key not found after installation on new computer
The operating systems of some computers require a newer device driver than the one we automatically have installed to interact with the hardware key.
Visit the website of Aladdin Knowledge Systems, www.aladdin.com, to acquire their latest device driver installation.
At their main page, select "Support & Downloads" from about the middle of the screen. Next, select "HASP" from the drop-down menu labeled 'Please select a product:'. In the next screen you see, select the link "End Users" beneath the lower, 'HASP 4' category.
Within the table of HASP Device Driver Downloads, the uppermost entry available is usually the latest of their easy-to-use HASP Device Driver GUI installation downloads.
As of mid-November, 2005, that latest is named 'HASP 4 Driver Setup.zip', released 11/2005, and the following link may deliver you directly to an opportunity to download that file:
ftp://ftp.aladdin.com/pub/hasp/new_releases/driver/HASP4_driver_setup.zip
Once you have downloaded the file, expand all of its contents to any convenient temporary location, and double-click on the executable file to launch the installation. You can probably accept all of the default settings for any options that are offered.
FAQ - General
Can I export the results of my Thermoflow programs to Excel?
Although Excel, by itself, cannot directly read the files, Thermoflow provides an Excel “Add-In” named E-LINK that lets you connect to an already-computed GT PRO, GT MASTER, STEAM PRO, STEAM MASTER, or THERMOFLEX file. The file’s outputs and also its inputs are accessible from Excel with this feature, and you can use this to drive the Thermoflow program through multiple computations if you choose. See the E-LINK segment of the Volume 4 manual, Applications and Utilities.
FAQ - GT PRO
My gas turbine is not in the GT Selection List.
With over 285 models in place, our GT Selection list is extensive, but it cannot be all-inclusive or prescient. Several responses may apply, depending on circumstances.
1. If the gas turbine is too new to have been included in the list, you’ll need to obtain data from the vendor for your ambient conditions, fuel, expected steam or water injection, and expected inlet and exhaust losses. You can impose their power, heat rate, exhaust flow, and exhaust temperature for any given operating condition in our User-defined gas turbine specification, selected from near the top of the GT Selection list. This specification is useful only at the operating point for which it is defined. Please advise Thermoflow that you are interested in having a model of that engine included, and please also advise the vendor that it would be helpful to you if Thermoflow were provided with enough data to add that model to our list.
2. If the new engine is a minor uprate from an earlier machine, you may be able to ‘tweak’ the model of the earlier engine to represent the performance of the new machine, using the ‘Model Adjustments’ tab of the [GT Inputs] topic. Visit that tab and press the <F1> key of your keyboard to summon HELP.
3. If you have both nominal data and performance correction curves for the engine, then you can use the GT Template program to establish a curve-based model for the engine. When you’ve completed the entries and saved the model, you can select to use that GT Template model from within the [GT Selection] topic of GT PRO or GT MASTER. See the GT Template section of the Volume 4 manual, Applications & Utilities.
GT PRO assumes methane as the fuel, but my natural gas is only partly methane.
Reselect the fuel, at the [GT Inputs] topic. Select ‘User-defined’ from the Fuel Selection entry box, and then click on the ‘Modify Fuel’ button that is enabled. This will bring you to an extensive Fuel Library, which includes the option to specify the fuel yourself by its composition.
Can I preheat the fuel with heat from elsewhere in the plant?
Of course; visit the ‘Fuel Heating and GT Cooling’ tab of the [GT Inputs] topic, and select ‘User-defined’ for the fuel heating model. You’ll be able to specify the desired fuel temperature and direct which hot fluid stream will be tapped to provide heat to the fuel. For further clarification, click <F1> for HELP while in that display. The results will be displayed in a table near the top of the “Gas Turbine” text output.
FAQ - GT MASTER
Newer gas turbine vendor performance figures – how do I use them in GT MASTER?
As in GT PRO, if you know performance figures at just one or a small number of operating conditions, you can re-select the gas turbine to be a User-defined gas turbine and enter the power, heat rate, exhaust flow rate and exhaust temperature for each of the particular cases. If you have performance correction curves, you may want to produce a GT Template representation of the gas turbine. If the performance has minor changes from the existing model, you may be able to ‘tweak’ the model with the ‘Model Adjustments’ tab of the [GT Inputs] topic.
Can I impose degradation on the gas turbine’s performance?
Three separate entries exist to degrade gas turbine performance. These are a reduction in inlet airflow, a reduction in compressor efficiency, and a reduction in turbine (expander) efficiency. Any one, or all, of these will lead to degraded performance. These three effects constitute the first three entries in the the ‘Model Adjustments’ tab of the [GT Inputs] topic.
Can I part load just one of my two gas turbines, keeping the other at full power?
To help keep GT MASTER quick and robust, multiple gas turbines are treated as identical, so part-loading one will cause both to be equally part-loaded. Only one exception exists, when a gas turbine is completely shut down, as directed in the [Main Inputs] topic. THERMOFLEX, however, will let you operate gas turbines independently. To use THERMOFLEX instead of GT MASTER, return to the precursor GT PRO file, import that file to THERMOFLEX, carry it through the design computations and set it to off-design. You will then be able to manage the gas turbines and their HRSGs quite independently.
Can I model auto-extraction in a steam turbine to maintain a constant extraction pressure?
Certainly, by specifying that the steam turbine section downstream of the extraction will have controlled inlet pressure, either in the GT PRO file used as a precursor to the GT MASTER file, or in the GT MASTER file itself. This is done in the ‘Stage Groups and Controls’ tab of the [ST Inputs] topic.
How can I make the model produce a particular amount of net power without iterating on gas turbine loading or duct firing?
Because the net power is a computed output, dependent upon the parameters you cite, it is a candidate for use as the target value of GT MASTER’s Control Loop, which you can invoke from the menu bar while in the GT MASTER input screens. The computation is still iterative, but it lets the computer drive the iteration for you in an automated way.
FAQ - STEAM PRO
How do I make the boiler a CFB (circulating fluidized bed) boiler?
STEAM PRO lets you select a CFB at the beginning [New Session] topic. Either automatically, or with your direction, a limestone is provided with an appropriate flow rate to serve as a sorbent.
STEAM PRO lets you select the fuel from an extensive Fuel Library at the [Plant Criteria] topic. Select from a large number of fuels within the library or select to specify the fuel as a User-defined fuel.
FAQ - STEAM MASTER
When I part load the plant, the computed reheat temperature changes.
This generally occurs when the user has paid little attention to the design of the boiler. The resulting hardware model may have poor regulation of the reheat temperature at conditions other than the nominal full load. If the boiler’s behavior is important to you, then visit the superheater and reheater hardware inputs to revise them. If the boiler’s behavior is not the focus of your efforts, you may instead want to select ‘Black Box’at the Boiler Model selection on the [Main Inputs] topic.
FAQ - THERMOFLEX
The program warns that the desired process flow isn’t delivered. What can I do?
The Process component lets you specify the flow you want, but the program’s internal hierarchy of “flow dictators” will, in some cases, overrule that component’s specification. Typically, if your process stream is fed directly from an evaporator, whose thermodynamic conditions determine the steam production rate, the evaporator’s flow will dictate the flow to the process. To get a better understanding of the workings of this flow dictator hierarchy, please see Chapter 6 of the THERMOFLEX manual.
Is there some way to minimize the time of building a model with many identical groups of components ?
Yes, for repeating groups of components, you will do well to lay out one such group. Select the group, in the Draw mode, by dragging the mouse to produce a rectangle surrounding the group and then press the <F8> key or select Edit/Copy from the menu bar. To save time entering input values for such repeating groups, advance from the Draw mode to the Edit Inputs mode, and specify input values for the original group, then retreat to the Draw mode to copy. The copies produced will include the input values you imposed.