Online guided explorations

The Thermoptim simulator

The Thermoptim simulator is part of an educational approach that seeks to teach differently thermodynamics applied to energy systems.

This new approach aims to overcome the difficulties confronting the classical teaching of this discipline and to train engineers, technicians and more broadly scientists capable of facing the energy challenges of the future.

This simulator allows graphical and intuitive modeling of a very large number of thermodynamic cycles, from the simplest to the most complex.

A tool like Thermoptim makes it possible to complete a classic teaching of thermodynamics with a great diversity of educational activities, which can be grouped into two main categories:

those of discovery and initiation, in particular by exploration of predefined models,
and those of model construction, which concern students seeking to learn how to model energy systems by themselves.

Guided explorations

These pages bring together more than 30 activities falling under the first category. To be able to take full advantage of these guided explorations, all you need to do is download the demo version of Thermoptim which has all the corresponding project and diagram files.

The scenarios for these guided explorations of energy system models are described in html 5 files.

They can guide a learner using the simulator in a way that is both rich and detailed.

The scenario is presented in a browser which successively displays the various explanations and activities to be performed.

It thus offers to find values in the simulator screens, to reconfigure it to perform sensitivity analyzes, to display cycles in the thermodynamic diagrams, etc.

The learner therefore does not have to build the models of the cycles that interest him by himself, so that he does not waste time on handling errors that are not of educational interest.

This greatly reduces the risk of errors, and if they do occur, all you have to do is reset the browser and Thermoptim.

The icon at the top left of the screen gives you access to the different explorations available. Choose the one that interests you and follow the instructions given to you. In particular, to open Thermoptim projects, it is possible to use the catalog of examples accessible from the simulator Files menu (Ctrl E).

The Thermoptim browser

A specific browser capable of emulating Thermoptim has been developed. Its advantage is that you just need to click on a button from the html page for the different Thermoptim screens to be loaded and set.

However, in this online version, you will not use this browser, which must be installed on your computer in order to work. If you wish to use it, however, you can download the offline version of these explorations which includes this browser.

Let us clarify two important points:

first of all, the direct emulation of Thermoptim from the browser is nothing but a secondary facility which simplifies your life a little, but is absolutely not imperative to follow these guided explorations. Each time an action on the software must be carried out, precise indications on how to operate are given to you.
then, the Thermoptim browser uses specific Java libraries, which unfortunately are not available in all operating systems, so that, under Linux and Mac, the browser can sometimes not be used.

As a result, you can derive the same educational benefit from these guided explorations whether or not you use the Thermoptim browser. Studying them in a standard browser will allow you to work as well.

Ultimately, you will gain a better command of the software package if you follow the instructions for opening its various windows than if you just click a button to do so.

Good work!

List of Thermoptim guided explorations

Here is the list of guided explorations proposed in the browser menu. They are sorted in the order of chapters of the second edition of the book Energy Systems.

Chapter 3: Modeling of simple cycles in thermodynamic charts and Thermoptim

S-M4-V1: Discovery of Thermoptim

S-M3-V7: Exploration of a simple steam power plant

S-M3-V8: Exploration of a simple gas turbine

Chapter 4: Combustion and heat exchangers

GT-2: Setting the combustion of a gas turbine

DTNN-1: Technological sizing of an air-water exchanger

STEAM-2: Design of a steam plant condenser

Chapter 6: Second law, entropy, exergy

C-M4-V8: Exploration of a steam plant in the entropy chart

C-M4-V9: Simple gas turbine in the entropy chart

C-M4-V10: Refrigeration installation in the entropy chart

BESP-1: Exergy balance and productive structure of a simple steam cycle

BESP-2: Exergy balances and productive structures of different cycles

Chapter 7: Optimization by systems integration (pinch method)

OPT-1: Optimization of a heating network by the pinch method

OPT-2: Optimization of a combined cycle by the pinch method

Chapter 8: Variants of steam power plants

C-M1-V3: Steam power plants with reheat

C-M1-V5: Regenerative reheat steam power plant

C-M1-V8: Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) nuclear power plant

C-M1-V9: OTEC closed ORC ammonia cycle

C-M4-V3: Single flash geothermal power plant

Chapter 9: Conventional internal combustion engines

C-M2-V2: Regeneration gas turbine

C-M2-V3: Staged compression gas turbine

C-M2-V4: Exploration of a turbojet

C-M2-V5-b: Exploration of an industrial gas engine

Chapter 10: Combined cycles, cogeneration

C-M3-V1: Single pressure combined cycle

C-M3-V2: Exploration of an industrial gas engine used in cogeneration

OPT-2: Optimization of a combined cycle by the pinch method

Chapter 11: Compression refrigeration cycles

C-M3-V3: Exploration of a total injection refrigeration installation

C-M3-V4: Exploration of an ejector refrigeration installation

Chapter 12: Thermodynamics of moist mixtures and air conditioning

CLIM 1: Guided exploration of a summer air conditioning cycle

CLIM 2: Guided exploration of a winter air conditioning cycle

Chapter 15: Stirling, future nuclear reactor and oxyfuel cycles

C-M4-V4: High temperature nuclear cycle

C-M4-V5: Oxycombustion cycle

Chapter 16: New and renewable thermal energy cycles

C-M4-V1: Exploration of a micro-turbine solar concentrator

C-M4-V3: Single flash geothermal power plant

Chapter 19: General conclusion

DTNN-2: Sizing of heat exchangers and exergy balances of a heat network

DTNN-3: Sizing of a displacement air compressor