Saving & Loading
Skarstrom stores an entire simulation in a single .json file. Everything you configure is saved together, so a file is a complete, portable, self-contained case. The web workspace and the skarstrom Python package read and write the same files.
The File menu
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| New | Start a fresh, empty simulation. |
| Open… | Choose a .json simulation file from your computer and load it. |
| Save… | Save the current simulation as a .json file. In Chrome, Edge and other Chromium browsers a save dialog lets you choose the folder and file name; Firefox and Safari download it to your downloads folder instead. |
| Exit | Leave the workspace (with a confirmation prompt). |
The workspace keeps nothing on a server: your deck lives in the browser tab until you save it. Edit → Undo and Redo step back and forth through your edits.
The simulation's name
A simulation is named by its Title in the Info section of the System Information panel. The title is shown at the right of the menu bar and is the file name the save dialog suggests (characters that are not allowed in file names are replaced by -). Renaming the file in the save dialog renames the simulation, so the title and the file name stay the same thing. A file opened with a blank title takes its file name as its title.
What is saved
A saved file captures the whole model:
- System information (title, description, author)
- The fluid package (selected components and their properties)
- The adsorbent library of the deck (all materials, isotherms, kinetics, heats of adsorption)
- The column (geometry, wall, voids, energy-balance settings and all packed layers)
- The cycle (every step, its boundary conditions, timing, connections and energy sources)
- The initial conditions
- The solver settings and CSS configuration
- The KPI configuration and global variables
- The cost-estimator inputs
- Any experimental data
Simulation results are not stored in the file: run the solver again after loading to regenerate them.
Examples
The Examples menu loads the bundled cases, grouped by source: Arora (2021), Casas (2012), Ferre (2026), Nguyen (2022), Nguyen (2023), Perez (2019), Streb (2021), Vysyaraju (2024), Ward (2022) and Ward (2024). They are ordinary simulation files: open one, inspect how it is set up, adapt it, and save your own copy. See Examples for what each deck is and the guided walk-throughs.
Notes
- There is no autosave. Save your work regularly, and before running long jobs.
- Files are forward-compatible across versions: older simulation files load into newer builds, with any new settings taking sensible defaults. For example a deck saved before the Ergun momentum model existed still loads with the Darcy (Kozeny–Carman) model it was solved with.
- Because a case is a single JSON file, it is easy to version-control, share with a colleague, or archive alongside a report.