Book Description The book discusses processes common in the three major fields of thermal science - Thermodynamics, Thermochemistry, and Gas Dynamics. Chapter topics include heat, work and entropy transfers in physical systems; calculus of multi-variable functions; equations of state of ideal and real gases; heat capacities of the gases and their mixtures; the Gibbs Equations; phase-equilibrium and phase transitions; thermodynamic cycles and their efficiencies; fluxes and flow rates, subsonic and supersonic flows, and gas-dynamic shock waves; chemical equilibrium and rates of chemical reactions; the dissipation of energy in real systems, their exergies, and the available work. Part of the book discusses important systems of units used in science and technology. Scattered through the text are numerous illustrative problems with solutions intended to help readers increase their understanding of the studied concepts and methods. Since thermal processes are important in many areas of science and technology, the book will be useful to students and professionals working in the areas, and to the rapidly increasing number of those who work on multi-disciplinary projects but have no extended training in thermal sciences.About the Author
Joseph A. Kunc has been a professor in departments of Astronautics, Aerospace Engineering, Physics and Astronomy at the University of Southern California. His professional interests included classical and statistical thermodynamics, quantum mechanics, molecular interactions and transport of particles and radiation in gases and plasmas. Most of his research has been published in leading physics journals and presented at domestic and international conferences. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, received awards from both physics and technology communities for his research as well as teaching, and has been a member/chair of various university-, national-, and international-level programs on science and technology issues.
