Abstract
Thermodynamic is an interesting and important subject for all branches of engineering students. Many industrial complexes depend on a number of devices such as turbines, pumps, compressors, expanders, boilers, heat exchangers, evaporators, condensers, heaters, diffusers, nozzles and expansion valves etc. These devices contribute to an efficient working of the plant based on the laws of thermodynamics. This text is developed on this principle based on my teaching experience in teaching this subject for the last three decades to both chemical and mechanical engineering students at both undergraduate and graduate levels. The text is a collection of examples and end of each chapter practical problem that extracted from different engineering journals, texts and course examinations. The material is organized in a manner that easily followed by students and instructors. First is the application of the first law of thermodynamics as system and processes, and then for flow process under steady state and unsteady state for different devices. Heat of reaction or combustion is the heart of all industrial processes for power plants when using different types of fuels. Fuels heating values and their flame temperatures provide insight to these fuels. Understanding the second law for the above devices and process give a complete picture for better energy utilization through exergy analysis of thermodynamic cycles are deeply discussed through separate chapters in gas power plants, steam and organic power plant and refrigeration cycles including both vapor compression and absorption cycles. In a separate chapter that discusses Maxwell relations and application of equation of state to determine the enthalpy, entropy specific heats and Joule Thomson coefficient. To improve the efficiency many power generation plants nowadays are using combined cycles either gas and vapor cycles or even the new renewable and friendly environment fuel cells. The application of both laws is applied to gas liquefaction an important subject in energy storage, air separation, and natural gas liquefaction.