Customer Support>Recent Releases>TFLOW 11 update letter

March 28^th, 2003

Dear Customer,

The enclosed CD will install by default in a TFLOW11 directory.  Our previous CD was called TFLOW8, so in case you’re wondering if you’ve missed any updates, a little explanation may be helpful.  In the past, each of our programs had its own version number, depending on how many revisions it had undergone.  So GT PRO’s latest version had been 10.9, STEAM PRO’s had been 5.4, and THERMOFLEX’s latest version had been 5.2.  In addition, each TFLOW CD was assigned a historic number, beginning with the time we started putting our software on CD’s, instead of floppies.  This was inconvenient.  Starting with this update, we have decided to assign all our programs and the CD the same version number, avoiding the confusion associated with having different version numbers for the different members of our family of programs.  Since GT PRO, our oldest program, is currently at Version 11, all our other programs and the CD have been designated as Version 11.

The main advance in TFLOW11 deals with the conventional steam cycle programs, STEAM PRO & STEAM MASTER.  These have been integrated with the PEACE (Plant Engineering and Construction Estimator) module, in a manner very similar to its integration with GT PRO and GT MASTER.  This effort has been underway here at Thermoflow for over two years now, and we had initially expected to release this version in January, but the final testing has taken more time than had been anticipated.

In order to come up with a rational model for the cost estimation of a conventional steam power plant, we had to totally revamp our model of the conventional boiler and to introduce robust, fuel-dependent logic to automatically select the boiler’s thermodynamic design parameters, as well as its geometry and materials.  The new boiler model, in addition to providing a basis for size, weight and cost estimates, also provides more accurate heat transfer calculations, both for design and off-design.  The new, improved heat transfer models have been included in both STEAM PRO and STEAM MASTER, but the cost estimate inputs and outputs are available only in STEAM PRO in Version 11.  They will be available in the STEAM MASTER inputs and outputs in another release, within a few months.

The new models of the conventional boiler components, such as furnace, air heater, and convective heat exchangers, have also been included within THERMOFLEX as individual PEACE components.

Additionally, numerous developments have been implemented across our entire software suite, as summarised below.

Features that apply to the Thermoflow Suite as a whole

a)         ASHRAE climate data:  Thermoflow has licensed from ASHRAE the rights to include its extensive national and international climate data base within Thermoflow’s programs.  This is accessible for lookup from the Site inputs screens of GT PRO, STEAM PRO and THERMOFLEX.  This data base helps the user to select summer and winter design conditions for hundreds of locations around the world.

b)         ELINK now runs GT PRO, GT MASTER, STEAM PRO, STEAM MASTER, and THERMOFLEX files.

c)         ELINK now allows the user to replace a heat balance model file with a different one, while preserving all input variables and their values.

d)         A generalised MACRO program is now included with STEAM PRO, STEAM MASTER, and THERMOFLEX.  This can be started from the “Multiple Runs” button from the output mode of each program.

Gas Turbine Data Base Update

The GT data base used by the various Thermoflow products has been updated, as follows:

GT PRO / GT MASTER

a)      Stack Model now includes detailed friction, leaving losses, and buoyancy calculations.

b)      One more option was added to the various methods of boiler sizing, in which the user defines the total static back pressure seen by the gas turbine.  The program then works backwards from the stack outlet and determines the draft loss allowed for the boiler tubing.

c)       One more HRSG design option has been added, allowing the user to select the main tubing design assumptions while the program enforces an integer number of tubes per row and tube rows and computes the water/steam-side pressure drop to correspond to the actual hardware.  Previously, this option was only available in conjunction with the program automatically selecting the tubing design assumptions.

d)      New engineering and cost model for air-cooled condensers with rectangular and oval tubes.  This has been developed in cooperation with one of the major ACC manufacturers.

e)      A graphic output on a psychrometric chart is now available for all cooling systems which reject heat to the atmosphere, such as cooling towers and air-cooled condensers.  The proximity to the saturation line of the mixing line between the cooling tower discharge and the atmosphere should be especially useful in optimising the design of wet-dry (plume-abatement) cooling towers.

f)        The “Help” topic index in GT PRO has been much enhanced.

STEAM PRO / STEAM MASTER

a)      Integration of PEACE into STEAM PRO, similar to GT PRO, with automated conceptual engineering for all components and balance of plant items, and cost and labour estimates for the entire power plant.

b)      New, totally revised boiler model, both for conceptual engineering and heat transfer modelling, in both STEAM PRO and STEAM MASTER.

c)       New STEAM PRO design wizard, with automatic boiler design depending on fuel properties, such as fuel type, heating value, sulphur content, fouling tendency, ash fusion temperature, ash erosivity, etc.

d)      Flue gas cleanup components, such as filters, electrostatic precipitators and flue gas desulphurisation.

e)      New model for concrete stacks.

f)        New model for preliminary engineering of feedwater heaters

g)       New models for preliminary engineering of condensers, both water-cooled and air-cooled.

h)      New models for preliminary engineering of cooling towers of all types.

THERMOFLEX

a)      Air and flue gas properties, such as enthalpy, now include compressibility effects.  In previous versions, the enthalpy of air and flue gases was computed solely as a function of their temperature and composition, and did not depend on their pressure.  This is a very widely used assumption, of sufficient accuracy for the modest pressures and/or high temperatures used in most power plant equipment.  It loses accuracy, however, when steam and air are mixed at high pressures, especially at modest temperatures.  Although the effect on the vast majority of calculations is negligible, we decided to undertake a major effort to include this detail in THERMOFLEX, ensuring its accuracy in the few, uncommon cases where it may be needed.

b)      When THERMOFLEX imports a GT PRO file, the user now has the option to automatically model its boiler within THERMOFLEX using the engineered PEACE components, with all their physical details imported from the GT PRO model.  Previously, the only option was to use the older THERMOFLEX “virtual” components, which had no physical hardware details.

c)       The process of generating a PEACE HRSG assembly has been automated for maximum user convenience.  The text and graphic outputs for the HRSG assembly have been expanded, and now include a temperature profile built up automatically.

d)      New PEACE engineered components for “Parallel Economisers” and “Parallel Superheaters” have been developed.  Previously, these only existed for THERMOFLEX “virtual” components.

e)      The PEACE engineered air-cooled condenser component now allows for rectangular and elliptical tubes.  This component has been developed in cooperation with one of the major ACC manufacturers.  These tube types have also been made available for wet-surface condensers, wet/dry cooling towers and dry cooling towers.

f)        A new PEACE engineered component for a concrete stack has been included.

g)       The PEACE engineered components for economizer, superheater and coil have been enhanced by the inclusion of a “Cross-flow” correction factor, similar to GT MASTER’s.

g)       A psychrometric chart is now available for the outputs of all cooling systems which reject heat to the atmosphere, such as cooling towers and air-cooled condensers.  The proximity to the saturation line of the mixing line between the cooling tower discharge and the atmosphere should be especially useful in optimising the design of wet-dry (plume-abatement) cooling towers.

h)      A new, generalised macro has been included, accessed from the “Multiple Runs …” button.

i)         A flue gas reheater option is now available within the rotary air heater model.