Professor Buchdahl presents a systematic exposition of classical thermodynamics, against a background of general physical theory and on a purely phenomenological (i.e. non-statistical) level. Although particular attention is paid to the meaning of the various concepts introduced, Professor Buchdahl is not afraid of making simplifications where these are likely to enhance the reader's understanding of the subject and the relationships between the principal and ancillary laws. The emphasis throughout is on meaning and physical significance. Specific applications of the general theory are discussed in two final chapters. This book, first published in 1966, is intended for the student who has taken a first course in analytical, though not axiomatic, development of the subject. It will supplement rather than replace, the many familiar introductory treatments of thermodynamics.

Mon but n'a jamais be de m'occuper des ces matieres comme physicien, mais seulement comme /ogicien ... F. REECH, 1856 I do not think it possible to write the history of a science until that science itself shall have been understood, thanks to a clear, explicit, and decent logical structure. The exuberance of dim, involute, and undisciplined his torical essays upon classical thermodynamics reflects the confusion of the theory itself. Thermodynamics, despite its long history, has never had the benefit of a magisterial synthesis like that which EULER gave to hydro dynamics in 1757 or that which MAXWELL gave to electromagnetism in 1873; the expositions in the works of discovery in thermodynamics stand a pole apart from the pellucid directness of the notes in which CAUCHY presented his creation and development of the theory of elasticity from 1822 to 1845. Thermodynamics was born in obscurity and disorder, not to say confusion, and there the common presentations of it have remained. With this tractate I aim to provide a simple logical structure for the classical thermodynamics of homogeneous fluid bodies. Like any logical structure, it is only one of many possible ones. I think it is as simple and pretty as can be.

This textbook facilitates students’ ability to apply fundamental principles and concepts in classical thermodynamics to solve challenging problems relevant to industry and everyday life. It also introduces the reader to the fundamentals of statistical mechanics, including understanding how the microscopic properties of atoms and molecules, and their associated intermolecular interactions, can be accounted for to calculate various average properties of macroscopic systems. The author emphasizes application of the fundamental principles outlined above to the calculation of a variety of thermodynamic properties, to the estimation of conversion efficiencies for work production by heat interactions, and to the solution of practical thermodynamic problems related to the behavior of non-ideal pure fluids and fluid mixtures, including phase equilibria and chemical reaction equilibria. The book contains detailed solutions to many challenging sample problems in classical thermodynamics and statistical mechanics that will help the reader crystallize the material taught. Class-tested and perfected over 30 years of use by nine-time Best Teaching Award recipient Professor Daniel Blankschtein of the Department of Chemical Engineering at MIT, the book is ideal for students of Chemical and Mechanical Engineering, Chemistry, and Materials Science, who will benefit greatly from in-depth discussions and pedagogical explanations of key concepts. Distills critical concepts, methods, and applications from leading full-length textbooks, along with the author’s own deep understanding of the material taught, into a concise yet rigorous graduate and advanced undergraduate text; Enriches the standard curriculum with succinct, problem-based learning strategies derived from the content of 50 lectures given over the years in the Department of Chemical Engineering at MIT; Reinforces concepts covered with detailed solutions to illuminating and challenging homework problems.

This text explores the connections between different thermodynamic subjects related to fluid systems. Emphasis is placed on the clarification of concepts by returning to the conceptual foundation of thermodynamics and special effort is directed to the use of a simple nomenclature and algebra. The book presents the structural elements of classical thermodynamics of fluid systems, covers the treatment of mixtures, and shows via examples and references both the usefulness and the limitations of classical thermodynamics for the treatment of practical problems related to fluid systems. It also includes diverse selected topics of interest to researchers and advanced students and four practical appendices, including an introduction to material balances and step-by-step procedures for using the Virial EOS and the PRSV EOS for fugacities and the ASOG-KT group method for activity coefficients. The Olivera-Fuentes table of PRSV parameters for more than 800 chemical compounds and the Gmehling-Tochigi tables of ASOG interaction parameters for 43 groups are included.

This book is a concise, readable, yet authoritative primer of basic classic thermodynamics. Many students have difficulty with thermodynamics, and find at some stage of their careers in academia or industry that they have forgotten what they learned, or never really understood these fundamental physical laws. As the title of the book suggests, the author has distilled the subject down to its essentials, using many simple and clear illustrations, instructive examples, and key equations and simple derivations to elucidate concepts. Based on many years of teaching experience at the undergraduate and graduate levels, “Essential Classical Thermodynamics” is intended to provide a positive learning experience, and to empower the reader to explore the many possibilities for applying thermodynamics in other fields of science, engineering, and even economics where energy plays a central role. Thermodynamics is fun when you understand it!

Because it is grounded in math, chemical thermodynamics is often perceived as a difficult subject and many students are never fully comfortable with it. The first authoritative textbook presentation of equilibrium chemical and phase thermodynamics in a reformulated geometrical framework, Chemical and Phase Thermodynamics shows how this famously difficult subject can be accurately expressed with only elementary high-school geometry concepts. Featuring numerous suggestions for research-level extensions, this simplified alternative to standard calculus-based thermodynamics expositions is perfect for undergraduate and beginning graduate students as well as researchers.

The laws of thermodynamics are amongst the most assured and wide-ranging of all scientific laws. They do not pretend to explain any observation in molecular terms but, by showing the necessary relationships between different physical properties, they reduce otherwise disconnected results to compact order, and predict new effects. This classic title, first published in 1957, is a systematic exposition of principles, with examples of applications, especially to changes of places and the conditions for stability. In all this entropy is a key concept.