2. Release Notes

EINSTEIN is available as

  • free version (latest stable release: V3.0)
  • commercial “plus” version (latest stable release: V3.0plus)

See http://www.einstein-energy.net/index.php/software/download for a comparison of the available versions.

2.1. Version 3.0plus

(04.10.2019)

Includes all changes from Version 3.0, and in addition:

  • New GUI (see Version 3.0). Additional elements: - editor of HX network - editor of system mass flows,
  • Heat recovery and Pinch analysis - graphical representation of hot and cold streams and heat exchanger network - improved algorithm for automatic HX-network design (2 additional modes for exergy optimisation and for minimum heat exchanger size) - possibility to select/unselect streams for analysis
  • Monitoring data - Import and automatic processing of monitoring data - Use of monitoring data as boundary conditions in system simulations
  • Mass and material flows (production flow chart / mass flow network):
    • connections of mass flows between process in- and outflows and with raw materials and product data
    • graphical editor for mass flow network

2.2. Version 3.0

(04.10.2019)

New features:

  • New graphical user interface (GUI): - graphical system editor - improved editors for system components and data bases - plot of hourly simulation results in the GUI
  • Variable parameters for electricity grid: hourly profile for tariff and environmental parameters
  • Economic analysis module: New editor and user interface
  • Translation into Finnish (included since update V3.0.03 from September 2020)

2.3. Version 2.5plus

(06.07.2017)

The version 2.5plus, developed by energyXperts.NET with own resources and cofinanced by the European H2020 project I-THERM (itherm-project.eu, Grant Agreement No. 680599), contains the following new features and improvements with respect to V2.4plus:

  • Automatic processing of monitoring data
  • Use of monitoring data as boundary conditions in system simulations
  • Mass flow network:
    • connections of mass flows between process in- and outflows and with raw materials and product data
    • graphical editor for mass flow network
  • Auto-Design of heat exchanger networks: improvement of EXERGY and FLOWRATE modes and introduction of new MINSIZE mode.

2.4. Version 2.4.02

(02.12.2016)

The version 2.4.02, developed by energyXperts.NET with own resources and cofinanced by the European H2020 project I-THERM (itherm-project.eu, Grant Agreement No. 680599), and released in December 2016 is the free equivalent to the version 2.4plus. With respect to the last release Version 2.2. the following major changes are introduced:

  • New modules for heat to power conversion equipment (steam turbines, ORC turbines, trilateral flash cycle, …)
  • New editor for process time schedules
  • Improved graphical editor (block scheme of the system)
  • Robustness: Additional testing, lots of bug-fixes and stability improvement.
  • Catalan translation of EINSTEIN Audit Report master document
  • Pinch analysis and heat exchanger network design:
    • Improved data entry for configuration of heat exchanger networks
    • Improved algorithm for automatic HX-network design
  • Robustness:Improved robustness of code and reliability of results by additional systematic testing procedure (large set of standard test cases).
  • Substitution of MySQL data base server by SQLite (more easy installation and less configuration problems).

2.5. Version 2.4plus

(15.10.2016)

The version 2.4plus, developed by energyXperts.NET with own resources and cofinanced by the European H2020 project I-THERM (itherm-project.eu, Grant Agreement No. 680599), and released in October 2016 contains the following new features and improvements with respect to V2.3plus:

  • New modules for heat to power conversion equipment (steam turbines, ORC turbines, trilateral flash cycle, …)
  • Master control time schedules for all type of equipment
  • New editor for process and equipment time schedules
  • Improved graphical editor (block scheme of the system)
  • Robustness: Additional testing, lots of bug-fixes and stability improvement.
  • Catalan translation of EINSTEIN Audit Report master document

2.6. Version 2.3plus

(30.06.2015)

The version 2.3plus, developed fully with own resources by energyXperts.NET, and released in June 2015 contains a series of substantial improvements:

  • Dynamic system simulation module: Enhanced simulation module with more than 10x improvement in calculation speed
  • Pinch analysis and heat exchanger network design:
    • Improved data entry for configuration of heat exchanger networks
    • Graphical representation of hot and cold streams and heat exchanger network
    • Improved algorithm for automatic HX-network design
  • Robustness:Improved robustness of code and reliability of results by additional systematic testing procedure (large set of standard test cases).
  • Substitution of MySQL data base server by SQLite (more easy installation and less configuration problems).

2.7. Version 2.2

(19.11.2012)

In November 2012 EINSTEIN Version 2.2 has been released. Version 2.2 is the final result of the work in the Framework of the project IEE-EINSTEIN-II. Since the release of V2.1 an intensive testing has been carried out in 72 energy audits carried out by the EINSTEIN developers team and several more energy audits carried out as project work from EINSTEIN trainees.

New features since Version 2.1 (November 2011):

  • Project data entry:
    • possibility of changing process name and description also for checked state (fully or parly finalised projects). distinction between project name and company name
    • possibility of changing alternative names and description
    • addition of project properties, such as responsible author, creation and modification date
    • display of currently active object (process, equipment, …) at the bottom of the active data entry questionnaire panels
    • display of processes in the main tree. possibility to reorder processes
  • Database editors:
    • substitution of codes by explanatory text in all panels of data base editors
  • Consistency and completeness checking:
    • highlighting of paramaters involved in conflicts, missing data and data calculated by EINSTEIN by colours in GUI
      • colour highlighting in data entry questionnaire
      • colour highlighting in graphical block scheme (connection editor)
    • improvement of error tracking:
      • addition of explanatory text to error messages
      • direction to relevant page of data entry questionnaire in case of missing data
      • listing of data that maybe possible causes of conflicts
    • local consistency checking after saving of data for each data block (equipment, processes, etc.)
    • better tracking of convergence and termination criteria: graphical display, tracking of both average and maximum error
  • Graphical interface (block scheme):
    • heat flows from heat exchanger network now added to the plot
  • Process and building optimisation:
    • possibility for changing processes with detailed time schedules and building heating and cooling demands in alternative proposals
    • consideration of actual building occupation hours and building holidays for cooling and hot water demands
  • Heat recovery:
    • heat exchanger calculations (mode ActualHXNet_v2): possibility of serial connections in heat exchangers, improvement of output
    • possibility of use of waste heat in heat distribution (pipes)
    • heat exchanger network auto-design: compatibility with mode ActualHXNet_v2
    • list of streams as additional data output
  • Equipment modules (general):
    • all relevant equipment parameters now can be displayed and modified via the questionnaire
    • data entry (display) for economic parameters (investment, O&M costs) added
  • Chiller module:
    • New chiller type: water cooled chiller with dry cooling tower now possible
    • Automatic calculation and consistency checking of exergetic efficiency
    • New default chiller database: best-available-technology chillers from Eurovent database.
    • Design assistant: possibility to select and add new chillers from database
  • CHP module:
    • Possibility to separately define purchase and sales tariffs and feed-in tariffs / primes for self-generation
  • Solar thermal:
    • Possibility to add solar thermal systems in present state
  • Graphics for quick comparison of energy and economic performance of alternatives
  • Complete version of technical manual
  • Speed-up of iterative calculations in simulation engine (limitation of simulations in iterative cycles to those components with variation in input parameters)

Improvement in existing features:

  • completing of equipment data entry: possibility of entering all relevant data for heat pumps, chillers and CHP equipment via questionnaire, without need for import from equipment data bases
  • buildings: bug-fixes and improved handling of time schedules for building-processes
  • restructuring of GUI: including pinch analysis in energy statistics of present state
  • internationalisation: now all relevant submenus are internationalised (included in translation).
  • automatic input / output data conversion from mass to volume units now active in almost all places where useful
  • full support for british units
  • elimination of many innecessary warning and error messages
  • and a long list of bug fixes and stability improvements

As in previous versions, the release comes in two variants:

EINSTEIN_2.2-Installer.exe
a bundle installer for MS-Windows 7, Vista and XP that contains not only EINSTEIN but the MySQL server, a Python environment and all dependencies in one installer.
EINSTEIN_2.2.zip
is only EINSTEIN. If you’re comfortable with setting up the data base and providing the necessary Python environment by yourself, this variant offers the smallest download size. It is also the most sensible choice for users on a different computing platform than MS-Windows.

EINSTEIN 2.2 can be used as an update to existing Einstein installations of any version.

2.8. Version 2.1

(November 2011)

we are happy to announce the 2.1 release of EINSTEIN. This release is an intermediate result of ongoing work in the Framework of the project IEE-EINSTEIN-II. It contains stability improvements and improvements to existing features.

Since version 2.0 the following new features were introduced:

  • introduction of thermal chillers as an equipment type
  • a separate treatment of air handling in buildings
  • Bulgarian as a new language for the GUI and the report generation

Since version 2.0 the following improvements were made:

  • differentiation between indoor temperature and heating system temperature
  • differentiation between process temperature and minimum supply temperature to processes in general
  • a flow chart input for process and pipe parameters for an easier understanding of the meaning of the parameters.
  • the possibility to connect heat exchangers as a low temperature heat source to heat pumps.
  • improved consistency checks of process temperatures
  • a speed up of the heat pump simulation code
  • updates of the French translation
  • updated technical documentation
  • several improvements to the GUI
  • fixes for several crash bugs in the simulation code
  • and a lot of the usual small bug fixes

The release comes in two variants:

EINSTEIN_2.1-Installer.exe
a bundle installer for MS-Windows 7, Vista and XP that contains not only EINSTEIN but the MySQL server, a Python environment and all dependencies in one installer.
EINSTEIN_2.1.zip
is only EINSTEIN. If you’re comfortable with setting up the data base and providing the necessary Python environment by yourself, this variant offers the smallest download size. It is also the most sensible choice for users on a different computing platform than MS-Windows.

EINSTEIN 2.1 can be used as an update to existing Einstein installations of any version. An update from 2.1 prereleases is recommended.

2.9. Version 2.0

This major release contains several new fundamental features. This release is an intermediate result of ongoing work in the Framework of the projects IEE-EINSTEIN-II and EINSTEIN in Austria.

Since Version 1.2 the following major features have been introduced:

  • the integration of buildings as entities with energy demands
  • an new, detailed heat recovery model that is implemented in python replacing the old c# based “MS windows only” solution
  • processes with cooling demands and the corresponding equipment to generate cold
  • the possibility to model processes with multiple inflowing and outflowing media

And the following improvements were made:

  • French as a new language for the GUI and the report generation
  • a finer grained simulation of the covering of energy demands that takes the user defined connections between energy sources and sinks into account
  • higher stability by fixing GUI bugs that led to freezes of the whole application
  • a simple overview window to see the interconnections of equipments, pipes and processes
  • and a lot of the usual small bug fixes

2.10. Version 1.2

The 1.2 release of EINSTEIN is an intermediate result of ongoing work in the Framework of the projects IEE-EINSTEIN-II and EINSTEIN in Austria.

Since Version 1.1 the following major changes have been introduced:

  • the possibility to model complex time schedules in processes
  • an improved editor for EINSTEIN data bases
  • better plots in the graphical interface by integration of matplotlib
  • a graphical installer for MS-Windows XP, Vista and 7

2.11. Version 1.1

EINSTEIN Version 1.1 is the final version of EINSTEIN within the European project “EINSTEIN”.

This version has been used and tested in 90 energy audits in 6 European countries from October 2008 to July 2009.

With respect to Version 1.0 a significant increase of stability and bug-fixing has been carried out.

2.12. Version 1.0

EINSTEIN Version 1.0 has been released in October 2008 as first public version of EINSTEIN, mainly for its use within the training courses and the energy audits realized within the EINSTEIN project, although we are happy if also people from outside the EINSTEIN consortium start using and testing this software.

The present version of EINSTEIN is a version that is still under development within the EINSTEIN project and, therefore, is NOT yet a fully tested and reliable version.

Please check all the outcomes and calculations carried out by the tool before delivering results obtained with EINSTEIN to your customers.

2.12.1. Update V1.0.04 (06/04/2009)

  • several bug-fixes with respect to previous versions

2.12.2. Update V1.0.05 (22/04/2009)

  • improvements in heat recovery module
  • bug-fixes in GUI

2.12.3. Update V1.0.06 (14/06/2009)

  • fully operative heat recovery and TCA modules
  • fully operative report generation
  • several minor bug-fixes
  • update of user manual

2.12.4. Update V1.0.07 (10/07/2009)

  • several bug-fixes
  • final version for energy audit campaign within the IEE-EINSTEIN project