What Is OpenPinch?

OpenPinch is a process-integration toolkit for thermal targeting studies. It combines Pinch Analysis, Total Site utility integration, graph interpretation, and advanced screening workflows behind a Python-first interface.

Use OpenPinch when you need to answer questions such as:

  • What are the minimum hot and cold utility targets for this process?

  • How much heat recovery is available under the selected temperature approach?

  • How does a process-level answer differ from a site-level utility-system answer?

  • Which graph explains the remaining heating or cooling demand?

  • Does a Heat Pump, refrigeration, MVR, exergy, cogeneration, or HEN synthesis workflow improve the study decision?

Primary User Surfaces

PinchProblem

One live case with loading, validation, targeting, summaries, graphs, exports, period selection, process-component mutation, and design accessors.

PinchWorkspace

Named baseline-versus-variant studies, bundle persistence, serializable variant views, and comparisons over real PinchProblem cases.

pinch_analysis_service

Typed TargetInput to TargetOutput execution for applications that do not need a live wrapper object.

OpenPinch.resources and openpinch notebook

Packaged sample cases and notebooks for learning, regression examples, and reproducible demonstrations.

Product Shape

TargetInput / JSON / Excel / CSV / sample case
            |
            v
   validation + input normalization
            |
            v
     prepared Zone hierarchy
            |
            +--> direct integration
            +--> indirect / Total Site targeting
            +--> Heat Pump / refrigeration targeting
            +--> exergy and cogeneration post-processing
            +--> heat exchanger network synthesis
            |
            v
   TargetOutput + summaries + graph data + exports

What Is Stable First

The most supported user path is:

  1. load a case with PinchProblem or PinchWorkspace

  2. validate and target it

  3. read summary_frame()

  4. inspect graph families through problem.plot

  5. export Excel or HTML graph artifacts if needed

Advanced workflows are documented, but they assume the base thermal picture is already understood.

What OpenPinch Is Not

OpenPinch is not a CLI-first solver. The CLI copies notebooks only.

OpenPinch is not a detailed exchanger mechanical design tool. HEN synthesis, MVR, HPR, cogeneration, and exergy surfaces are targeting and screening workflows that should be interpreted with the thermodynamic assumptions in the case input and configuration.

Next Steps