Why separate programs for combined cycles and conventional steam plants?
We are sometimes asked why we have separate programs for combined cycles and for conventional steam plants. After all, both types of plant can be modeled by a single fully-flexible program, such as THERMOFLEX. The answer is that application-specific programs provide both plant models as well as component models; whereas a fully-flexible program provides component models only, leaving the plant model to be defined by the user. GT PRO and STEAM PRO incorporate a logical design philosophy, respectively, for combined cycles, and for conventional steam cycle plants. GT MASTER and STEAM MASTER incorporate detailed equipment modeling calculations and control logic for each of these plant types. When you are designing a plant (the design phase in our “PRO” programs) there are certain inputs that a reasonable person can assume, which differ between a combined cycle and a conventional steam plant. By knowing what type of plant you are designing, we can help you to create an efficient plant desig
