API Reference

hensmith exports six names. HeatExchangerNetwork is the BioSTEAM facility most users need; the functions and classes of hensmith.hxn_synthesis are the pinch analysis and synthesis machinery behind it, usable on their own.

HeatExchangerNetwork([ID, T_min_app, units, ...])	Create a HeatExchangerNetwork object that will perform a pinch analysis on the entire system's heating and cooling utility objects.
problem_table(streams_inlet, ...)	Energy-consistent problem table (temperature-interval heat cascade).
ProblemTable(Ts, interval_H, point_H, ...)	Result of problem_table: the temperature-interval heat cascade of a set of process streams on the shifted temperature scale (hot streams shifted down by the minimum approach temperature, cold streams unshifted).
synthesize_network(hus[, T_min_app, Qmin, ...])	Synthesize a heat exchanger network for the process streams behind a set of utility heat exchangers, with pinch analysis followed by a sequential, heuristic matching of hot and cold streams on each side of the pinch.
StreamLifeCycle(index, cold)	The ordered sequence of heat exchangers one process stream passes through in a synthesized heat exchanger network, from its inlet state to its final utility exchanger.
plot_pinch_diagram(stream_life_cycles, ...)	Draw a pinch diagram of a synthesized heat exchanger network: cold streams (blue, flowing left to right) above hot streams (red, flowing right to left), one vertical connector per process heat exchanger with its duty, a dashed pinch line separating the cold-side from the hot-side exchangers, and circles marking the utility exchangers that bring each stream to its outlet temperature.

• HeatExchangerNetwork
  • HeatExchangerNetwork
  • HeatExchangerNetwork.plot_pinch_diagram()
  • Constructor options
  • Class attributes
  • Attributes set by simulation
• Pinch analysis and synthesis (hensmith.hxn_synthesis)
  • problem_table()
  • ProblemTable
  • synthesize_network()
  • StreamLifeCycle
  • LifeStage
  • plot_pinch_diagram()

Note

Importing hensmith binds the facility into biosteam as bst.HeatExchangerNetwork (and bst.facilities.HeatExchangerNetwork), whichever package is imported first; it is the same class object.