Tridiagonal Partners
GTT-Technologies
GTT-Technologies
About FactSage
FactSage™, one of the largest fully integrated database computing systems in chemical thermodynamics in the world, was introduced in 2001 and is the fusion of the FACT-Win/F*A*C*T and ChemSage/SOLGASMIX thermochemical packages. FactSage is the result of over 20 years of collaborative efforts between Thermfact/CRCT (Montreal, Canada) and GTT-Technologies (Aachen, Germany). Because of its high degree of user-friendliness, FactSage provides the proverbial fingertip access to Computational Thermochemistry. A regular upgrade schedule ensures that new technical and user friendly interface features are added.
FactSage Product Portfolio and Services
FactSage 8.3 has been released in October/2023 (latest version)
ChemApp for Python is developed by GTT-Technolgies, FactSage is developed by Thermfact/CRCT and GTT-Technologies. Both products are available from GTT-Technologies.
The calculation features of FactSage are used in diverse areas of applications and provide a flexible platform for the solution of complex thermochemical problems. FactSage is extensively used all over the world.
The thermodynamic databases integrated in FactSage are based on CalPhaD (Calculation of Phase Diagrams) assessments and span the entire chemical space from oxides to metallic alloys or aqueous systems.
We regularly conduct training courses for FactSage for both beginners and advanced users.
It is also possible to learn how to use FactSage by the FactSage-Teach self-tuition package.
Applications of FactSage
FactSage has a very broad range of applications, both in the industry and in the academia. It can be used to calculate complex phase equilibria in many systems of interest consisting of a mixture of inorganic substances reacting with each other. This includes oxides and metallic solid phases, aqueous solutions and different types of liquid and gaseous phases. It is the ideal tool for the calculation of high temperature phase equilibria which are relevant for the metallurgical and ceramic industry. In addition to the calculation of phase equilibria and phase diagrams, it is also possible to simulate the dynamics of reactors or processes by using FactSage.
We divide the main application areas for FactSage in four major groups:
It may be that you wish to design a new material with a certain crystallographic structure or possessing specific chemical, physical, mechanical or electromagnetic properties. Once FactSage can predict which phase forms under specific conditions, one is able to design new materials, i.e. to define the proper ranges for the contents of the different chemical elements, by using FactSage.
A material's properties hinge not just on its chemical composition but also on processing conditions, shaping its microstructure details. Even with identical chemical compositions, different microstructures can yield vastly different properties, influenced by kinetic constraints and metastable states. FactSage efficiently aids in optimizing materials through microstructural engineering.
In metallurgical processes, the goal is to extract metals from minerals or refine impure melts using methods such as pyrometallurgical, hydrometallurgical, and electrometallurgical procedures. Similar processes are also used in other industries, like ceramics.These processes involve complex multiphase and multicomponent equilibria with gaseous, liquid, and solid phases. FactSage can simulate these equilibria and account for kinetics using a combination of streams and unit operations within a flow-sheeting approach.
The area of energy generation and conversion has a strong affinity to the broad area of metallurgy, in special to pyrometallurgy. The gasification of all kinds of carbon-containing materials, ranging from coal to biomass can be investigated with FactSage. Also the combustion of different kinds of fuels and of industrial or domestic waste should be optimized for environmental reasons and this optimization can be performed with the help of FactSage.
GTT-Technologies product portfolio
ChemApp – the thermochemistry library for your software
ChemApp provides the powerful calculation capabilities of the ChemSage Gibbs energy minimiser (the same one that powers the FactSage modules Equilib, Phase Diagram and OptiSage) in the form of a programmer’s library. It consists of a rich set of subroutines which provides all the necessary tools for the calculation of complex multicomponent, multiphase chemical equilibria and the determination of the associated thermodynamic properties of the system, its phases, and their constituents. Potential applications for the use of ChemApp are almost limitless and can cover an extremely diverse range of applications. Two distinctly different groups of applications of ChemApp are possible:
- Using it for the development of application-specific programs; for example, for handling repetitive complex equilibrium calculations, for analysis, and for process control in well-defined technological areas,
ChemApp is available for a wide variety of programming languages (e.g. Fortran, C, C++, Visual Basic®, Delphi®) and hardware platforms/operating systems (e.g. Windows, Linux, Unix). ChemApp reads ChemSage (.dat and .cst) thermochemical data files (note, .cst files can be generated by the FactSage Equilib module).
For detailed information on ChemApp features, ChemApp “light” versions available for download, publications and ongoing projects together with an online version of the programmer’s manual, with complete references to all ChemApp subroutines and dozens of code examples in both FORTRAN and C, plus several worked examples, consult the ChemApp section on GTT-Technologies’ web site.
ChemApp – the thermochemistry library for your software
ChemApp provides the powerful calculation capabilities of FactSage in the form of a programmer’s library. ChemApp for Python interfaces this programmer library with Python. Additionally, it contains a set of pythonesque objects and approaches to quickly prototype and implement thermodynamic applications. It opens the dynamic playground of Python and the powerful free tools that come with Python.
The present version of ChemApp for Python (8.2.3) requires Windows OS to be installed and used. The supported Python versions are 3.8, 3.9 and 3.10.
The package is conceptualized into a basic and a friendly layer. The basic layer closely resembles the C interface of ChemApp and should enable most developers knowledgeable about it to jump right into calculations. The friendly module takes the approach of giving a object oriented, convenient way of interacting with calculations with also providing typically multi-command steps of ChemApp calculations into single, user-friendly and readable routine calls. You can have a look at two example Jupyter Notebooks that show the basic module and the elevated functionality of the friendly module in use:
Documentation
Would you like to take a look at the documentation for ChemApp for Python? The full documentation is accessible here.
Light version
ChemApp for Python is available as a free of charge ‘light’ version that is limited to small systems and open databases to get to know the functionality.
You can contact us regarding your inquiry and we will get back to you as soon as possible! Visit our contact page here!
To know more-
ChemSheet – the spreadsheet tool for process simulation
ChemSheet combines the flexibility and practicality of spreadsheet applications with rigorous, multi-phase thermodynamic calculations. Each application is defined as an independent worksheet in Microsoft Excel®, in which the entire simulation can be done.” Nowadays, everybody uses spreadsheet programs like Microsoft Excel to collect information on e.g. process conditions (input, output, temperatures…). The great flexibility of spreadsheet programs allows easy basic physical modelling, e.g. of heat transfer, material transport or reaction kinetics. ChemSheet is an Add-In for Microsoft Excel that adds the ability of thermodynamic calculations by linking to ChemApp. This gives the user the ability to combine physical modelling in Excel with thermodynamic modelling in ChemApp. ChemApp is GTT-Technologies’ programmer’s library for the calculation of multicomponent, multiphase chemical equilibria and their associated energy balances.
The Excel Add-in ChemSheet was originally developed by VTT Chemical Technology, Finland, in cooperation with GTT-Technologies. Check out the various application examples that show how physical modelling and ChemApp calculations can be combined in a single Excel file!
ChemSheet is also available as ChemSheet Light – the free demo version of ChemSheet! Please find the package here
See ChemSheet Model calculation shown as animated gif files to see how easy it is to do different kind of case studies with ChemSheet.
KilnSimu – ROTARY KILN SIMULATION PROGRAM
KilnSimu is a standalone software that can be used for thermodynamic modelling rotary drum furnaces. While it relies on the calculation routines of ChemApp, it is user-friendly and specialized to one specific application.
Database Development and other Consulting Services
GTT-Technologies offers many specific training courses for our whole software family. The training may take place at your location or in our place in Herzogenrath. Please inquire for a cost estimate, if you need a training course for FactSage, ChemApp or ChemSheet.
GTT-Technologies regularly offers an open online FactSage course. More information can be found here.
GTT-Technologies also regularly offers an open course on our own tool for thermochemical database development, Calphad Optimizer. More information can be found here.
Our experts can help you in calculating the thermodynamics for your system of interest. It may be the case that you wish to calculate the phase diagram for a complex system. Or you may just want to calculate the thermodynamic equilibrium for a specific system subject to a set of external imposed conditions e.g. temperature, pressure or the electric potential. We will get thorough advice from us in these respects. This includes also giving advice for the selection of the right thermodynamic database for your system.
If you need to develop a process model for a completely new process or to optimize an already existent process, we can help you with this task. Our experts can develop a computer program by employing a flow sheeting approach which is at the same time based on local total or partial equilibrium calculations. Our application developer SimuSage can tackle this task. In this way, we may even take into account kinetic effects occurring in chemical reactions and also the detailed thermal balance of the system. We have already successfully utilized this approach for many reactors in the areas of process metallurgy and combustion technology.
In some situations, you may need to include a chemical element or a substance in your calculations for your system of interest that is not available in our databases. Or you may have access to new reliable experimental data that should be reproduced by the thermodynamic database. In this situation, our experts may help you in adapting an already existent database or in creating a completely new one.
FactSage-Databases
GTT-Technologies develops its own Factsage thermochemical databases. Presently, the GTT-Technologies databases are the following ones
GTOx
GTOx includes a better description for some combinations of oxides, e.g. high Na2O- and K2O-containing systems like biomasses (2016-2019) or Vanadium oxide-containing systems (2019-). In 2023, the so-called unified liquid phase model (SLIQ) was introduced in GTOx. This describes the liquid sulfide, the liquid oxide and the liquid metallic melt with a single liquid solution model.
Recommended System Requirements:
- Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 or above
- CPU: Intel Core i5 (or an equivalent AMD processor) or better
- RAM: 16 GB or more
- Storage: 7200 RPM or better HDD or SSD
For Software Enquiry
For more information please contact us at: sales@tridiagonal.com
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