Internal Engineering Moat · Not For Sale

WinHeat® — the engine behind every Esteem heater.

WinHeat® is our proprietary in-house fired heater simulation and rating engine, in continuous development since the early 1990s. It is the reason our heaters perform — and it is not a product we sell, license, or grant access to. This page exists to explain the engineering depth behind every furnace we deliver, not to invite a purchase.

Looking for a heater design, revamp, or rating? Talk to our engineering team — we use WinHeat® to design it for you.

Since 1994

Long-running in-house analytical platform

In-House Codebase

Direct computational visibility and control

Faster Iteration

Quicker response on new designs, studies, and revamps

Simulation Engine

Precision Through Proprietary Simulation

Code ownership matters because it changes engineering behavior.

WinHeat® rates and simulates direct-fired heaters, convection sections, and HRSGs. Every heater undergoes comprehensive thermal analysis through WinHeat® together with CFD and FEA — so performance, mechanical integrity, and operability stay aligned from first principles through delivery.

API 560 Compliance

Comprehensive Configuration Support

Rapid Engineering Workflow

Workflow

Why owning the code matters commercially

Speed, responsiveness, and transparency

  • Accelerated Design Cycles
  • Optimized Radiant Sections
  • Detailed Convection Modeling
  • Multi-Service Capability
  • Efficiency Built-In
  • Verified Accuracy

Applied analysis for difficult services

  • Precision Tuning
  • Granular Data Visibility
  • Unlimited Configuration Flexibility
  • Complex System Integration
  • Advanced Hybrid Systems
Coverage

Heater configurations we master

From cabin and cylindrical furnaces to specialized convection and CO service, WinHeat® supports the thermal core of an integrated engineering toolchain.

Horizontal Tube Cabin

Vertical Tube Cylindrical

Convection Section Only

Helical Tube Cylindrical

Vertical Wicket Tube

Horizontal Tube Twin Box

Vertical Tube Box

CO Furnace/Boiler

Depth

Technical capabilities

Structured capability across thermal, combustion, process, mechanical, and integration disciplines — all feeding a single rating and documentation path.

Thermal Rating & Sizing

  • Duty-based radiant and convection sizing
  • Film temperature and flux limits
  • Firebox and coil layout optimization
  • Performance curves for operating envelopes

Fuel & Combustion Analysis

  • Fuel gas, liquid, and dual-fuel scenarios
  • Excess air and burner staging studies
  • Flue gas composition and heat release
  • Emissions-oriented combustion checks

Process & Flow Analysis

  • Stream-by-stream heat and material balance
  • Pressure drop and hydraulics alignment
  • Integration with licensor heat duties
  • Turndown and upset case screening

Mechanical Design

  • Tube supports, guides, and expansion
  • Header and coil mechanical feasibility
  • Nozzle and piping interface loads
  • API 560–aligned mechanical checks

Heat Transfer Methods

  • Radiant, convective, and mixed regimes
  • Finned and bare tube correlations
  • Shield and shock tube modeling
  • Cross-checks against field data

System Integration

  • Stack, duct, and damper interactions
  • Air preheat and waste heat recovery
  • Multi-cell and train-level studies
  • Handoff-ready documentation packages
Simulation

CFD + FEA integration

WinHeat® establishes the thermal and hydraulic baseline; CFD refines flow, mixing, and temperature uniformity inside the firebox and convection banks, while FEA validates mechanical response, expansion, and critical component stresses. Together they close the loop between predicted performance and field-proven reliability.

Heritage

Engineering heritage

WinHeat® was originally written by Jack E. Hardie of Conroe, Texas — a mechanical engineer who designed hundreds of waste heat boilers and fired heaters over more than 45 years. A lifetime ASME member, his work embodied rigorous thermal practice and practical field knowledge.

WinHeat® is now owned by Esteem Projects and remains central to how we design, rate, and deliver every heater in our portfolio.

We don't sell the engine. We sell what it builds.

WinHeat® is internal. Every heater, reformer, and cracking furnace Esteem designs, revamps, or rates is run through it. If you have a fired equipment problem, talk to our engineering team — we'll bring WinHeat® and three decades of thermal experience to your project.

Talk to engineers Engineering capabilities