The Joy of Thermodynamics: An Introductory Text for Engineers

Engineering thermodynamics is a very logical subject that is concerned with three fundamental scientific principles. It is not a series of easily memorized, disconnected facts. Nor is it suited to a shallow survey-level treatment. It requires precise usage of scientific principles and mathematics to solve thermodynamics problems correctly. As such, it can be quite challenging to students who are not used to thinking deeply about and developing a thorough understanding of a small number of related concepts. The purpose of this book is to guide students towards that level of understanding by familiarizing them with the principles while reinforcing their understanding through a wide variety of carefully and thoroughly explained problems. The material covered in this book is more than sufficient for a one-semester undergraduate course, and is well-suited as a review for graduate courses. Its principal chapters are devoted to: i) Mass and the Conservation of Mass Principle; ii) Thermodynamic Properties of Matter; iii) Energy and the First Law of Thermodynamics; iv) Examples of Solved Thermodynamics Problems; v) Entropy, Disorder and the Second Law of Thermodynamics; vi) More Examples of Solved Thermodynamics Problems; and vii) Cyclic Processes for Power Generation and Refrigeration. Its appendices describe: i) System and Control-Volume Formulations of the Laws; ii) Properties of Solids, Liquids and Ideal Gases; iii) Thermodynamic Properties of Steam; iv) Thermodynamic Properties of Air; v) Tables of Ideal-Gas Integrals; vi) Property Evaluation and Problem Solving with Python; vii) Answers to Selected Problems; and viii) Constants, Unit Systems and Conversation Factors. Each chapter concludes with a series of conceptual problems and a large selection of homework problems. Unique features of this text include: a thorough treatment of the Conservation of Mass principle (introduced as an afterthought in many books); separate chapters on example problems with their solutions explained thoroughly; an emphasis on the laws as three coupled principles rather than as isolated formulas; coverage of important current topics like the thermodynamics of global warming; and an extensive treatment of property evaluation and problem solution using the open-source Python programming language. The Second Law is presented as an accounting principle for the property Entropy, introduced as a measure of disorder, to provide a physical rationale for understanding this often poorly-explained law. The author received his graduate degrees from Stanford University and is a professor of Mechanical Engineering at Michigan State University, where he teaches and carries out research into thermal-fluid phenomena and particularly fluid turbulence.