The development of Thermax123: An educational Excel-based modelling platform for thermo-fluid analyses

An educational Excel-based modelling platform for thermo-fluid analyses

Abstract

This article describes an educational Excel-based modelling platform for computer-aided analyses and optimisation of thermal-fluid systems and highlights its capabilities for conducting fundamental, design-based and research-oriented analyses. The article initially focuses on the two main components of the platform, which are Excel and the Solver add-in, and gives examples of their use for fundamental and design-oriented analyses from fluid-dynamics and heat-transfer. It then shows how VBA could be used to develop a multi-fluid add-in for fluid properties that extends the capabilities of the Excel-based platform to cover thermodynamic analyses. The article also describes a technique for conducting multiobjective optimisation (MOO) analyses by using the TOPSIS decision-making method and Solver that enables the Excel-based platform to be used for MOO analyses without limiting the number of design variables. Finally, the article demonstrates the capabilities of the platform for research applications by giving an example of a combined ORC-TFC cycle for utilising the low-temperature heat sources such as solar energy, geothermal energy, and industrial waste.