Customer Support>Recent Releases>TFLOW 14 update letter

October 20th, 2004

Dear Customer,

We are pleased to enclose a major upgrade to our software suite, Version 14, with the following highlights:

(1) An improved Wizard initialization of design parameters in GT PRO tailors steam conditions to be commensurate with the selected gas turbine’s characteristics expected at the prescribed site conditions.

(2) New tools available in GT MASTER provide a streamlined approach to tuning the performance of your GT MASTER simulation to measured, expected, or vendor-guaranteed data at either a single operating point or several operating conditions.

(3) Multi-Effect Distillation (MED) and Reverse Osmosis (RO) Desalination system models are now included in GT PRO/GT MASTER/PEACE, as well as in THERMOFLEX/PEACE. The Multi-Stage Flash (MSF) desalination system models, introduced in the last version, have been improved.

(4) A Tower Boiler model has been added to STEAM PRO/STEAM MASTER/PEACE as an alternative to the previously assumed two-pass boiler configuration.

(5) A new Package Boiler Component has been added to THERMOFLEX/PEACE, providing hardware details and cost estimation.

(6) The Cooling Tower model used in all of the heat balance programs can now be selected to be a counterflow unit.

These major developments, along with numerous minor improvements, are summarised below. As usual, the enclosed CD will self-install by default in a TFLOW14 directory.

Gas Turbine Data Base Update

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

Gas turbine pricing has also been updated, reflective of most currently available data.

Improvements to Multi-Stage Flash (MSF) Desalination Model

The design mode can now be selected from among three objectives: performance ratio, gain output ratio, or lowest seawater temperature. Selection can now be made for a distinct, higher pressure, steam source to drive the vacuum system, and the blowdown stream can now be selected as the discharge of the last stage, distinct from the recirculated brine.

New Desalination Models: MED and RO

Multi-effect distillation (MED) and reverse osmosis (RO) modes of desalination have been added to the programs, complete with hardware specifications, related auxiliary power consumption, and cost estimates. In GT PRO, selection occurs at the [New Session] topic, while in THERMOFLEX, each desalination mode has its own component icon, selectable from the Engineered (PEACE) component bar.

Counterflow Cooling Tower

Selection to use the counterflow, rather than crossflow, cooling tower can be made at the GT PRO [Cooling System]\Equipment Options tab, the STEAM PRO [Cooling System]\Mechanical Draft Cooling Tower tab, or the Engineering Design ED Main Inputs tab for the Engineered (PEACE) Wet and Wet/Dry Cooling Tower components.

Thermoflow Macro now includes GT PRO & GT MASTER

The Thermoflow Macro, already applicable to STEAM PRO, STEAM MASTER, and THERMOFLEX, now replaces the separate GT PRO Macro and GT MASTER Macro programs available in previous versions. It can be automatically launched from GT PRO or GT MASTER by selecting Multiple Runs, just like its predecessors. This macro program is compatible with the files you may have produced using the individual macros, but has much greater flexibility for selection of input and output variables.

PEACE Costs Revised

Recent increases in steel prices and labor costs have been used to revise the PEACE capital cost estimation. You may consequently notice a change in project cost with no change in project specification if a model computed with Thermoflow 13 is run with no other changes imposed in Thermoflow 14.

Developments in GT PRO / GT MASTER / PEACE

The GT PRO Setup Wizard now automatically uses the selected gas turbine’s performance to better inform the suggested values of steam conditions it initializes for your design. You may notice a short computation taking place as you move from the GT Inputs topic to the ST-HRSG topic, during which the selected engine’s exhaust temperature and mass flow rate are determined so as to provide this guidance. As always, the Wizard selections can be over-ridden as the user desires.

The ability to tune GT MASTER’s HRSG simulation to match measured, expected, or guaranteed performance conditions has been added to GT MASTER. HRSG model tuning can be performed at one or several operating points, exactly matching a single point, or finding a best fit of the tuning parameters for several separate operating conditions. Chapter 19 of the new manual describes these capabilities in detail.

GT MASTER’s cooling system has two new capabilities. One is the ability to import a cooling system from another GT MASTER file, bringing to the cooling system a feature that has been in place for some time now for the HRSG and the steam turbine. The other is the ability to resize the cooling system to a user-specified set of design conditions. Both of these new features are found in the Tools menu of GT MASTER’s menu bar.

The manuals of GT PRO & GT MASTER have been completely re-written to reflect the many new features introduced with this and earlier versions, chiefly the HRSG design details that have evolved since the last revision of the manuals, the Gasification and Desalination features added in Version 13 (March, 2004) and the improved Wizard initialization in this Version. Those who have licenses of GT PRO and GT MASTER will find their new manuals enclosed in shrink-wrapped packages, ready to be inserted in your existing Volume 1 and Volume 2 binders.

Developments in STEAM PRO / STEAM MASTER / PEACE

STEAM PRO now accommodates specification of efficiency or exit enthalpy of each steam turbine group independently.

The boiler model in STEAM PRO can now be configured as a tower boiler, with a continuous upward flow of flue gas from the furnace through the convective heat exchange elements, instead of the default arrangement where the flue gas is redirected after the furnace, ultimately passing downward through the economiser. The tower boiler configuration is increasingly popular in Europe, particularly with the evolution toward higher steam conditions.
Changes made to the boiler’s convective heat exchanger path now better accommodate the design of a split back path (convective pass), where the flue gas is separated into streams passing in parallel through superheaters and reheaters. STEAM MASTER now enables flue gas flow distribution through the split backpass to be controlled to achieve desired IPT inlet (hot reheat) steam temperature.

Developments in THERMOFLEX / PEACE

A new Engineered (PEACE) Package Boiler component has been added, with detailed design criteria producing a hardware design complete with cost estimation. The model includes a radiant furnace section and a convective evaporator, optionally including superheating and economiser sections.

The GT PRO Gas Turbine component’s selection and control screens have been made easier to use, closely resembling the user interface for GT PRO. The GT Template gas turbine specification has been enabled for use within THERMOFLEX with this improvement, and the user-defined gas turbine specification can be selected from within this framework without changing the system model drawing.

The MED and RO desalination systems cited above appear with their own component icons within the Engineered (PEACE) group in the Component bar.

Three new components have been added to the Controllers icon group, and are applicable to any of the THERMOFLOW fluid types. A Balancing Mixer can now be used to modulate the flows drawn from two sources that feed a single receiver, achieving a balance in pressure at the point of mixing. An example is the mixing of steam extracted from two independently governed steam turbine paths to provide heating steam to a feedwater heater. An Inflow Switch can be used to select between two connected supply streams. The selected stream is used and the other is isolated. In a similar way, an Outflow Switch can be employed to select from two connected receivers of a single fluid supply.

Those who have Volume 2 of the Thermoflow manuals will find some manual replacement pages for the THERMOFLEX manual enclosed in a shrink-wrapped package. Please use these to replace all of Chapter 12 and the later pages of Chapters 9, 14, and 20.