This page explains the differences between the Thermoptim versions that are distributed.

Versions are firstly characterized by a label that defines the features, detailed below:

• Demo version

• Education Classroom version (éducation Salle de cours in French)

• Standard version

• Professional version

• Industrial version

and secondly by a serial number (1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7 or 2.5, 2.6 or 2.7), which represents the chronological development of the software.

Numbers 1.3 to 1.7 are Thermoptim versions using old Java libraries (JRE or JDK 1.1.8) while numbers 2.5 to 2.8 are Thermoptim versions requiring Java 2 libraries (JRE or JDK 1.3 and above).

The change in Java environment was indeed a necessity because the old libraries are no longer maintained and are not available for all operating systems. For example, the Mac OS X does not provide them.

Versions officially distributed are 2.52, 2.62, 2.72 and 2.82.

While it is fully compatible with version 2.51 for loading .prj project and .dia schema files, it's important to note that the external class files it utilizes are not backward compatible. Consequently, the extThopt2.zip and extUser2.zip files differ, and adjustments are being made to the external classes of the model library to accommodate this particularity.

Version 2.62 provides access to the editor of productive structures which, among other things, allows one to automate the establishment of exergy balances.

Version 2.72 is the one that includes technological design tools and off-design features.

Version 2.82 :

1. provides access to the editor of productive structures which, among other things, allows one to automate the establishment of exergy balances

2. includes technological design tools and off-design features.

A Thermoptim demo version is freely distributed to allow you to view existing projects and diagrams, and to build small ones in order to familiarize yourelves with the tools. Of course it does not provide access to all the software features.

Although it enables the loading of a project of a size exceeding the limits below, the number of points or processes that can be created is limited to 10 and that of nodes to 5.

The charts can only be used to passively view the cycles constructed in the simulator, because their interactivity and access to the cycle editor are removed.

Diagnostic tools, monitoring of the automatic recalculation (and the set pressures), sensitivity analysis and optimization are not available, and only certain substances are available.

In addition, it does not allow you to save projects or diagrams, nor the output result files.

The new demonstration version 2.82 gives access to certain advanced functionalities of the software package which allow working on subjects hitherto reserved for higher versions:

• technological design of components and study of their behavior in off-design conditions

• exergy balances and productive structures

• pinch method or thermal integration

All Thermoptim users can thus learn how to calculate the area of a heat exchanger, how to establish exergy balances thanks to the productive structures and how to implement the pinch method.

Like the previous one, this demo version does not allow you to save diagrams and projects, but it opens all the working files of the software package.

The Thermoptim Education Classroom version allows you to view existing projects and diagrams, and to build them. It does not give access to all the software features.

Although it enables the loading of a project of a size exceeding the limits below, the number of points or processes that can be created is limited to 20 and that of nodes to 10.

The charts can only be used to passively view the cycles constructed in the simulator, because their interactivity is removed and access to the cycle editor is limited.

Diagnostic tools, monitoring of the automatic recalculation (and the set pressures), sensitivity analysis and optimization are not available, and only certain substances are available (see list below).

Unlike the trial / demo version, it allows you to save the projects, diagrams and output result files.

Vapors

• Water H2O

• Ammonia NH3

• Butane C4H10

• Carbon Dioxide CO2

• Helium He

• Methane CH4

• Propane C3H8

• R11 trichlorofluoromethane CCl3F

• R12 dichlorodifluoromethane CCl2F2

• R13 chlorotrifluoromethane CClF3

• R134a 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane C2H2F4

• R22 chlorodifluoromethane CHClF2

Pure ideal gas

• perfect_air

• Ar

• CO

• CO2

• H2

• H2O

• H2S

• He

• N2

• O2

• SO2

• SO3

• C2H6_`_ethane

• CH4_`_methane

• C3H8_`_propane

• C4H10_`_n-butane

• C7,2H13,42_`carb

Education Classroom Version, with the systemic optimization method

Full version with 100 points and processes, 50 nodes, without the systemic optimization method

Vapors

• Water H2O

• Ammonia NH3

• Nitrogen N2

• Butane C4H10

• Ethane C2H6

• Carbon Dioxide CO2

• Helium He

• Methane CH4

• Propane C3H8

• R11 trichlorofluoromethane CCl3F

• R12 dichlorodifluoromethane CCl2F2

• R123 2,2-dichloro-1,1,1-trifluoroethane CHCl2-CF3

• R13 chlorotrifluoromethane CClF3

• R134a 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane C2H2F4

• R141b 1,1-dichloro-1-fluoroethane CH3Cl2-CF

• R22 chlorodifluoromethane CHClF2

• R245fa 1,1,1,3,3-pentafluoropropane C3H3F5

• R407c "23% R32, 25% R125, 52% R134a (mass)"

Pure ideal gas

• perfect_air

• Ar

• CO

• CO2

• H2

• H2O

• H2S

• He

• N2

• O2

• SO2

• SO3

• C2H6_`_ethane

• CH4_`_methane

• C3H8_`_propane

• C4H10_`_n-butane

• C5H12_`_pentane

• C6H14_`_hexane

• C7H16_`_heptane

• C8H18_`_octane

• C7,2H13,42_`carb

Full version with 100 points and processes, 50 nodes, with the systemic optimization method

Full version with 1000 points and processes, 500 nodes, with the systemic optimization method