OpenPinch Documentation

OpenPinch is a Python toolkit for advanced pinch analysis, direct and indirect heat integration targeting, Total Site utility studies, graph generation, Heat Pump and refrigeration screening, and cogeneration post-processing.

The codebase exposes one shared analysis engine through three primary public surfaces:

  • OpenPinch.PinchProblem for one case at a time

  • OpenPinch.PinchWorkspace for named multi-case studies and bundle persistence

  • OpenPinch.main.pinch_analysis_service() for typed request/response integration

The published CLI is intentionally narrow: openpinch notebook copies the packaged notebook series, while solving, validation, graph export, Excel export, and advanced targeting all happen in Python.

This documentation is organized to answer three different kinds of questions:

  • What thermodynamic and workflow model does the package implement?

  • Which user-facing workflow should I use for my study?

  • Which exact API surface, schema, or class should I call in code?

Start with the overview if you need the package map, the fundamentals if you need the technical grounding, or the guides if you want a runnable workflow immediately.

What OpenPinch Covers

  • classical direct pinch targeting for process zones

  • indirect, Total Process, and Total Site targeting through utility systems

  • multi-utility studies and graph generation

  • hierarchical zone modeling from unit operation to site scope

  • integrated Heat Pump and refrigeration screening workflows

  • above Pinch and below Pinch turbine cogeneration analysis

  • Excel, JSON, CSV-bundle, notebook, and programmatic Python workflows