The Process Heating Assessment and Survey Tool (PHAST) introduces methods to improve thermal efficiency of heating equipment. This tool helps industrial users survey process heating equipment that consumes fuel, steam, or electricity, and identifies the most energy-intensive equipment. The tool can be used to perform a heat balance that identifies major areas of energy use under various operating conditions and test "what-if" scenarios for various options to reduce energy use.

Intended Users

This tool is designed for industrial energy coordinators, plant managers and engineers who are interested in identifying potential energy-saving opportunities in process heating equipment.

System Requirements

PHAST 3.0 and version 2.0 will operate on the following PC's:

  • 32-bit computer running Windows 2000, Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows 7.
  • Microsoft Office Suite 2007. PHAST 3.0 and version 2.0 will NOT work with Office 2010. Please download the required Office 2007 program to run concurrently on your computer.

Inputs

Users will need to input the following:

  • General manufacturing plant information
  • Available energy sources for the plant and the fuel heating value and cost
  • Energy use data for furnaces, and heater
  • Energy used by auxiliary equipment associated with the furnace
  • Energy used in various parts of the furnace under given operating conditions
  • Commonly used materials for charge material, fixtures and process atmosphere in process heating applications.

Outputs

Based on input, PHAST will:

  • Compare energy performance of individual pieces of equipment under various operating conditions
  • Report annual energy use of each piece of equipment
  • Construct a detailed heat balance for selected pieces of equipment
  • Suggest methods to save energy in each area where energy is used or wasted.

Release Notes

PHAST 3.0: This version replaces version 2.0. Plant data previously collected using PHAST 2.0 cannot be imported to PHAST 3.0. Note: Before downloading PHAST 3.0, remove previous versions of PHAST using the Add or Remove Programs feature of your PC.

PHAST 3.0 includes a section that allows use of International units. We have noticed that the result for heat loss on the "Opening Losses" tab of the Furnace Analysis – Heat Balance section is given in the units of Watts instead of kilojoule per hour (kJ/hr) units. Please multiply the result given by current version of PHAST (in Watts) by 3.6 to get results in kJ/hr as intended. Note that the loss numbers shown on the report and Sankey Diagram will still remain in Watts units and the total heat requirement given by PHAST is somewhat smaller than actually required. This error will be corrected in the updated version of PHAST. The next upgrade is planned to start in the fall of 2011 and be completed in 2012.

If you are currently using PHAST 2.0, you can install and use PHAST 3.0 on the same machine. However, some users have encountered issues using PHAST 3.0 in Microsoft Access 2000. If you encounter any issues, please contact the AMO Tools Help Desk.

Additional Information

  • Fact Sheet, Aug. 2010
  • User Manuals – There are four available user manuals for PHAST 3.0 depending on how you want to use the tool:
    • Electrotechnology – International Units, Nov. 2010
    • Electrotechnology – U.S. Units, Nov. 2010
    • Fuel Fired Technology – International Units, Nov. 2010
    • Fuel Fired Technology – U.S. Units, Nov. 2010
  • Download Software
PHAST Qualification

DOE recognizes PHAST Qualified Specialists for their ability to apply the PHAST tool with industrial users. Attendees who successfully complete a PHAST qualification workshop receive this designation. A Qualified Specialist can apply PHAST to help you identify opportunities for thermal efficiency of heating equipment. More details on PHAST qualified specialists.