Modern Thermodynamics From Heat Engines to Dissipative Structures

Descripción

The context in which thermodynamics is being taught is rapidly changing. Therefore we have added new sections to chapters, which show more applications of the subject. The following is a partial list. In Chapter 2 we have included ‘energy lows’ in turbines and jet engines, and basics of renewable energies such as solar and wind energy. We have also included a description of the hurricane as a heat engine in Chapter 3. Chapter 11 now has sections on nonequilibrium electromagnetic radiation. In Chapter 19, we have included rates of entropy production in dissipative structures. In response to suggestions by users of this text, we have included a chapter on Statistical Thermodynamics, which makes this text self-contained by the inclusion of derivations of heat capacities of solids and Planck’s law of blackbody radiation. Several other changes have been made to improve the presentation of the concepts. Entropy and entropy-producing irreversible processes are generally thought of as agents of disorder. A central message of this book is that, under far-from-equilibrium conditions, irreversible processes are, in fact, the drivers of self-organization and order we see all around us in Nature. These emergent structures, called dissipative structures, are distinct from machines and are a good thermodynamic basis on which we may begin to build a theory of biological organisms. It is an important direction for future developments in thermodynamics. We have included a section on this topic in the inal chapter.

Detalles

Otros Libros de "Energia"