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Since 1987, Thermoflow has been a leading developer of thermal engineering software for the power and cogeneration industries.  Thermoflow's first product, GT PRO, has grown to become the world’s most popular program for designing gas turbine-based plants.  By the end of 2003, about 1500 users, at 750 sites in over fifty countries were using GT PRO, making an estimated one million runs per year.  Indeed, it may be reasonably assumed that virtually any gas turbine combined-cycle plant built anywhere in the world in the 1990’s has been modeled by GT PRO, whether by the owner, developer, financier, consultant, engineer, equipment manufacturer, constructor or operator.

By the end of 2003, Thermoflow had invested over 160,000 man-hours of technical excellence in expanding its line of software products, making it the most mature and comprehensive in the industry.

A philosophy of excellence

Thermoflow’s success has been derived from a philosophy of technical excellence in all aspects of its products, services and people.  The excellence of a manufactured product in the power industry is tangible.  For example, it can be demonstrated that a turbine has met its claimed power output, heat consumption and reliability.  The accuracy of a software model, on the other hand, is much harder to discern.  Whereas gross errors are obvious, subtle modeling inaccuracies that produce no violations of heat and mass balances generally go unnoticed.  This is especially true in predictive off-design simulation of components and systems, where unsatisfactory modeling techniques can remain undetected by the typical user for years.  It is all too easy to concentrate on the visible facade of attractive graphics and sales hype, rather than the unseen core of knowledge that only an expert can perceive.  Thermoflow’s philosophy, however, has always been to relentlessly pursue engineering excellence and integrity by concentrating on the difficult but critical core of technical details, despite the fact that many users and potential customers never perceive this extra effort.

Thermoflow’s philosophy of excellence is firmly rooted in our people.  All our engineers who do any programming on our models hold Ph.D. degrees in Mechanical Engineering, many from MIT.  The senior staff have all been carefully selected and trained by the founder.  Advanced engineering talent is not just used to derive the models and direct program development, but to actually write the programs, and then only after an extensive period of training and observation at Thermoflow.  This has minimized errors or oversights, all too common in large engineering models, and ensured that all modeling approximations are fully analyzed and understood before being carefully incorporated into the programs.

Success and stability, based on performance

Thermoflow has never sought nor received funding from sponsoring agencies or outside investors.  For seventeen years the company has been independent, successful, and profitable because Thermoflow has provided reliable, high quality software products which truly enhance its customers’ productivity.  The continuing growth and development of Thermoflow’s products is assured by a stable, broad, growing base of satisfied customers.

Repeat business indicates customer satisfaction.  Most of Thermoflow’s larger customers have ordered more and more copies of its software over the years, and most users of one Thermoflow program have ordered its newer programs.  Indeed, many have ordered new Thermoflow products sight unseen, without asking for demos or trials, based on the confidence developed over years of customer satisfaction with other Thermoflow products.