Transcript Installing Cantera 1.5.5 for Windows

Installing Cantera 1.7, Python 2.5,
and Python SDToolbox for Windows
J. Ziegler, S. Browne, and J. E. Shepherd
Caltech
Revised August, 2007
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System Requirements
A PC running MS Windows XP with SP2
Python 2.5

Download the Windows installer from
http://www.python.org/ftp/python/2.5/python-2.5.msi
and run it

Cantera uses Python to process input files
numarray site-package for Python

Download the Windows installer (“Old numarray”) from
http://sourceforge.net/projects/numpy/numarray-1.5.2.win32-py2.5.exe
and run it
scipy for python 2.5 (windows)

http://www.scipy.org/Download
numpy for python 2.5 (windows) (needed by scipy)

http://numpy.scipy.org/
(optional download)

matplotlib for python 2.5 (windows)
http://matplotlib.sourceforge.net/
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Cantera 1.7 Installation
Download the Cantera installer

get Cantera1.7.0.msi and run it.
http://sourceforge.net/projects/cantera/
This will create a folder that
looks like the one shown here
Run Cantera-1.7.0.win32-py2.5.exe

This creates the interface between
Cantera and Python
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Add New Environment Variables
Cantera needs to know where to find
the Python interpreter, since it uses
Python to process ‘.cti’ input files
To edit the system search path, select
“System” on the Control Panel to pull
up this dialogue box
Press the ‘Environment Variables’
button
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Add New Environment Variables
•New (user) Environment Variable
• PYTHON_CMD
C:\Python25\python.exe
Note: Check your paths
• Environment Variables are Case Sensitive
• Some installation locations may be different
depending on the user’s choices.
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Cantera Thermo/Reaction Data
Download High Temperature (up to 6000 K) cti Files
http://www.galcit.caltech.edu/EDL/public/cantera/mechs/cti/high_T_cti_files.zip
Put Thermo/Reaction Data Files (.cti) in one of two places


C:\Program Files\Common Files\Cantera\data
NOTE: There is a link ('data‘) to this directory in your Cantera base directory.
Your current working directory
.cti Format Files – Thermo/Reaction Input Files for Cantera
Contain




Description of the Mixture
Thermodynamic Data
Reaction Mechanism (optional)
Transport Data (optional)
Files included with Cantera Distribution


Limited to Low Temperatures (< 3000 K)
Includes GRI3.0 and files used in demos.
Creating New/Converting CHEMKIN Style Files Documented at
http://www.galcit.caltech.edu/EDL/public/cantera/html/SD_Toolbox/Windows/cti.html
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Fix the Mixmaster 1.7 Bug
Mixmaster is a GUI written in Python that can be
used to carry out equilibrium computations, evaluate
thermodynamic properties and post-process reaction
rate files.
The Cantera 1.7 Distribution Mixmaster has a bug
To Fix: Replace
C:\Python25\Lib\site-packages\MixMaster\ThermoFrame.py
with
http://www.galcit.caltech.edu/EDL/public/cantera/html/SD_Toolbox/Windows/ThermoFrame.py
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Testing Cantera/Python Interface
Make sure to restart your computer for the environment
variables to take effect.
Run tut1.py (python tutorial file)

Located in Cantera\tutorials\Python

To Run:
Right click on ‘tut1.py’ and left click on ‘Edit with Idle’
In the tut1.py window enter "F5" (shortcut for Run >
RunModule)

Results
Correct – the comments of the tutorial print in the Python
Shell window
If NOT – Python or Cantera install is incorrect.
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Run Python
Step 1
Step 2
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Download SDToolbox
Toolbox
http://www.galcit.caltech.edu/EDL/public/cantera/1.7/python/lin/sdt/SDToolbox.zip
Demo Scripts
http://www.galcit.caltech.edu/EDL/public/cantera/1.7/python/lin/sdt/demos.zip
Copy SDToolbox.zip and scripts-demos.zip into its own working
directory
(e.g. Desktop\cantera.shock\SDToolbox.zip and
Desktop\cantera.shock\scripts-demos.zip)
Unzip the files (right click, extract all)
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Installing The SDToolbox
Go to C:\Python25\Lib\site-packages and create a directory named
SDToolbox
Copy the unzipped SDToolbox files from above into this newly created
SDToolbox directory.

There should appear; __init__.py, CV.py, PostShock.py & Thermo.py….etc
Go up 1 directory to C:\Python25\Lib\site-packages.
Use any plaintext editor to create the file SDToolbox.pth (not .txt!)
Type inside this file the single line "SDToolbox" (without the quotes).
Note: Using Wordpad or Notepad works for this if you save the file as the all files
type (you can also modify the file extension manually after creating the file)
Go up 1 directory to C:\Python\Lib. Go to the file site.py, right click
and "Edit with IDLE". In the site.py window, go to Menu->Run->Run
Module.
This should initialize the SDToolbox path into Python as shown in the
Python Shell output window.
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Test with SD Toolbox Demo Scripts
Go to the demo scripts directory that you unzipped the demo
files into (Desktop\cantera.shock\demos in our example)
Test the demos by "Edit with IDLE" & Run Module.
Troubleshooting Note : Cantera files are scattered into 3 places:
..\Cantera, ..\Python25\Lib\site-packages\Cantera (Mixmaster & SDToolbox too),
and Program Files\Common Files\Cantera\data (where the mechanisms are put)
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Tips and hints
1. Version Compatibility –Python, Cantera, and packages must
be Compatible
2. numarray –
Numeric
Be sure to install numarray NOT numpy or
3. Python Version –
numarray 2.5
Make sure you have Python 2.5 and
4. Environment Variables
a)
b)
c)
Case Sensitivity – Make sure that all paths specified truly exist.
USER Environment Variables (NOT SYSTEM Environment Variables)
Cantera 1.7.0 – TWO New Variables
– Check that PYTHON_CMD exists and is properly defined
– This is DIFFERENT than the method used for Cantera 1.6
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Tips and hints –
External Documentation
5. Cantera Documentation

Cantera Web Site
(Currently No Windows Documentation)
http://www.cantera.org/ref/index.html

SourceForge Web Site in particular Cantera17-vcf17.pdf
http://downloads.sourceforge.net/cantera/
(NOTE: Page/Slide 9 of Cantera17-vcf17.pdf NOT Necessary for basic
user)

Shock & Detonation Toolbox Site
http://www.galcit.caltech.edu/EDL/public/cantera/html/SD_Toolbox/
6. Yahoo Cantera User Forum
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cantera/
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