🧭 Guided Explorations
Guided explorations are interactive simulations that allow learners to explore energy systems step-by-step using Thermoptim. Below are all guided explorations organized by chapter.
Chapter 2: Components, Functions, and Reference Processes
No specific guided explorations in this chapter.
Chapter 3: Modeling of Simple Cycles
B3.5 GUIDED EDUCATIONAL EXPLORATION: Discovery of Thermoptim (exploration S-M4-V1)
The objective of this exploration is to guide you in your first steps of using Thermoptim, by making you discover the main screens and functionalities associated with a simple refrigeration machine model.
You will discover the arrangement of the screens of the points and processes, the way they can be set and calculated, the concepts of useful and purchased energies making it possible to draw up global energy balances and to determine the COP.
You will see the cycle plot in the (h, ln (P)) thermodynamic chart.
Chapter 4: Combustion and Heat Exchangers
B4.3 GUIDED EDUCATIONAL EXPLORATION: Exploration of a gas turbine model with combustion (exploration S-M3-V8-2)
The objective of this exploration is to guide you in your first steps of modelling a combustion in Thermoptim.
B4.5 GUIDED EDUCATIONAL EXPLORATION: Technological sizing of an air-water exchanger (exploration DTNN-1)
In this guided exploration, you will learn how the surface of a heat exchanger can be determined and how its behavior in off-design conditions can be calculated.
B4.7 GUIDED EDUCATIONAL EXPLORATION: Exploration of a simple steam plant condenser (exploration S-M3-V7-2)
The objective of this exploration is to guide you in your first steps of setting a heat exchanger in Thermoptim.
Chapter 6: Second Law, Entropy, Exergy
B6.3 GUIDED EXPLORATION: Exploration of a steam plant in the entropy chart (C-M4-V8)
The objective of this guided exploration is to make you discover the cycle of a steam power plant in the entropy (T, s) thermodynamic chart.
It completes exploration (S-M3-V7), where the cycle was presented, with explanations on its settings and its representation in the (h, ln (P)) chart.
B6.4 GUIDED EXPLORATION: Exploration of a gas turbine in the entropy chart (C-M4-V9)
The objective of this guided exploration is to make you discover the cycle of a gas turbine in the entropy (T, s) thermodynamic chart.
It completes exploration (S-M3-V8), where the cycle was presented, with explanations on its settings and its representation in the (h, ln (P)) chart.
B6.5 GUIDED EXPLORATION: Exploration of a refrigeration installation in the entropy chart (C-M4-V10)
The objective of this guided exploration is to make you discover the cycle of a refrigeration installation in the entropy (T, s) thermodynamic chart.
It completes exploration (S-M3-V9), where the cycle was presented, with explanations on its settings and its representation in the (h, ln (P)) chart.
B6.7 GUIDED EDUCATIONAL EXPLORATION: Exergy balance and productive structure of a simple steam cycle (exploration BESP-1)
In this guided exploration, you will see how the productive structure of a steam plant cycle can be constructed and how it allows one to calculate the exergy balance of the modeled system.
B6.8 GUIDED EDUCATIONAL EXPLORATION: Exergy balances and productive structures of various cycles (exploration BESP-2)
In this guided exploration, you will analyse the productive structures associated with various cycles which have been the subject of guided explorations, with a view to establishing their exergy balances.
Chapter 7: Thermal Systems Integration and Optimization
B7.1 GUIDED EDUCATIONAL EXPLORATION: Optimization of a heating network by the pinch method (OPT-1)
The objective of this exploration is to show you, in a simple example, how the pinch method can be applied to optimize a heat network.
B7.2 GUIDED EDUCATIONAL EXPLORATION: Optimization of a dual pressure combined cycle by the pinch method (OPT-2)
The objective of this exploration is to show you how the pinch method can be applied to optimize a dual pressure combined cycle.
There you will find a detailed presentation of the Thermoptim optimization window and explanations on how to set the fluids that must be taken into account in the optimization process.
Chapter 8: Variants of Steam Power Plants
B8.3 GUIDED EDUCATIONAL EXPLORATION: Steam power plants with reheat (C-M1-V3)
This exploration shows how the simple steam cycle can be improved, the objective being to minimize irreversibilities.
In practice, the modifications of the basic cycles essentially concern:
- on the one hand, on the reduction of temperature differences both outside the system and internally
- and on the other hand on the staging of compressions and expansions
You will learn how to set a compression or expansion process according to a polytropic law.
B8.4 GUIDED EDUCATIONAL EXPLORATION: Steam power plant regenerative and reheat Rankine cycle with open feedwater heater (C-M1-V5)
The steam plant cycle with reheat, by staging the expansion, slightly improves the performance of the simple cycle.
The second area of improvement in power cycles consists in reducing irreversibility by temperature heterogeneity, here thanks to regeneration.
You will learn how to set a mixer and a divider.
B8.5 GUIDED EDUCATIONAL EXPLORATION: Pressured Water Reactor (PWR) nuclear power plant (C-M1-V8)
This example shows how a PWR cycle with moisture separator reheater (MSR) can realistically be modeled with Thermoptim.
This model is rather simple insofar as no extraction or reheat is taken into account, except for the moisture separator reheater.
B8.6 GUIDED EDUCATIONAL EXPLORATION: Closed ammonia ORC cycle (C-M1-V9)
This example shows how can be modeled a closed ORC cycle intended to generate electricity from the thermal gradient of the oceans.
Chapter 9: Conventional Internal Combustion Engines
B9.1 GUIDED EDUCATIONAL EXPLORATION: Exploration of a regenerative gas turbine (exploration C-M2-V2)
In this guided exploration, you will start by studying the configuration of combustion in a simple gas turbine cycle, then you will be interested in the regeneration cycle.
B9.2 GUIDED EDUCATIONAL EXPLORATION: Exploration of a staged compression gas turbine (exploration C-M2-V3)
This guided exploration presents a staged compression gas turbine cycle, which improves the basic cycle.
B9.3 GUIDED EDUCATIONAL EXPLORATION: Exploration of a turbojet (exploration C-M2-V4)
This guided exploration presents the cycle of a single-flow turbojet engine. As the components of the Thermoptim core are not sufficient to make such models, to represent the inlet diffuser and the outlet nozzle, it is necessary to use two external classes, i.e. two extensions of the software package.
B9.4 GUIDED EDUCATIONAL EXPLORATION: Exploration of an industrial gas engine (exploration C-M2-V5b)
This guided exploration presents an industrial gas engine modeled with a so-called Beau de Rochas cycle.
Chapter 10: Combined Cycles
B10.1 GUIDED EDUCATIONAL EXPLORATION: Single pressure combined cycle (exploration C-M3-V1)
This guided exploration presents a single pressure combined cycle. Emphasis is placed on the setting of the internal exchanger which allows the residual enthalpy of gases leaving the turbine to be transferred to the steam cycle, and which is called a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG).
You will learn how to set a triple heat exchanger and study the concept of pinch.
B10.2 GUIDED EDUCATIONAL EXPLORATION: Optimization of a dual pressure combined cycle by the pinch method (OPT-2)
The objective of this exploration is to show you how the pinch method can be applied to optimize a dual pressure combined cycle.
There you will find a detailed presentation of the Thermoptim optimization window and explanations on how to set the fluids that must be taken into account in the optimization process.
B10.3 GUIDED EDUCATIONAL EXPLORATION: Industrial gas engine used in cogeneration (exploration C-M3-V2)
This guided exploration presents a cogeneration installation using the industrial gas engine that we modeled with a Beau de Rochas cycle in another guided exploration (C-M2-V5b).
Emphasis is placed on the calculation of the performance indicators of the cogeneration system.
You will learn how to set a thermocoupler.
Chapter 11: Compression Refrigeration Cycles
B11.1 GUIDED EDUCATIONAL EXPLORATION: Total injection refrigeration installation (exploration C-M3-V3)
In this guided exploration, you will see how a total injection two-stage compression cycle can be modeled.
You will learn how to set a phase separator and a mixer.
B11.3 GUIDED EDUCATIONAL EXPLORATION: Ejector refrigeration installation (exploration C-M3-V4)
This exploration presents an ejector refrigeration cycle with compressor.
You will learn how to set an ejector, a phase separator and a mixer.
Chapter 12: Air Conditioning and Humid Air
B12.1 GUIDED EDUCATIONAL EXPLORATION: Summer air conditioning cycle (exploration CLIM 1)
The objective of this guided exploration is to guide you through your first steps in using Thermoptim to study a building air conditioning cycle.
B12.2 GUIDED EDUCATIONAL EXPLORATION: Winter air conditioning cycle (exploration CLIM 2)
The objective of this guided exploration is to guide you through your first steps in using Thermoptim to study a building air conditioning cycle.
Chapter 15: Advanced Cycles
B15.1 GUIDED EDUCATIONAL EXPLORATION: High temperature nuclear cycle (exploration C-M4-V4)
This exploration presents the model of a high temperature nuclear cycle using gas turbines operating in closed system, and not open system like those studied in previous explorations. It shows in particular how to balance a turbine with a compressor in Thermoptim.
B15.2 GUIDED EDUCATIONAL EXPLORATION: Oxycombustion cycle (exploration C-M3-V5)
This exploration presents the model of an OxyFuel type oxycombustion cycle.
Chapter 16: Solar Energy
B16.1 GUIDED EDUCATIONAL EXPLORATION: Micro-turbine solar concentrator (exploration C-M4-V1)
This exploration presents the cycle of a parabolic solar concentrator with regenerative gas micro-turbine: the hot air solar receiver is placed upstream of the combustion chamber of a regenerative gas micro-turbine, thus reducing consumption of fuel.
Complete Library
🔹 Complete Guided Explorations Library (45+ explorations with models)
© Renaud Gicquel, 2021.2
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