Thermodynamics For Dummies (eBook)

Michael Pauken, PhD, is a senior mechanical engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, an operating division of the California Institute of Technology, where he also teaches courses on thermodynamics and heat transfer.

Introduction 1

Part I: Covering the Basics in Thermodynamics 7

Chapter 1: Thermodynamics in Everyday Life 9

Chapter 2: Laying the Foundation of Thermodynamics 15

Chapter 3: Working with Phases and Properties of Substances 39

Chapter 4: Work and Heat Go Together Like Macaroni and Cheese 57

Part II: Employing the Laws of Thermodynamics 75

Chapter 5: Using the First Law in Closed Systems 77

Chapter 6: Using the First Law in Open Systems 91

Chapter 7: Governing Heat Engines and Refrigerators with the Second Law 111

Chapter 8: Entropy Is the Demise of the Universe 123

Chapter 9: Analyzing Systems Using the Second Law of Thermodynamics 145

Part III: Planes, Trains, and Automobiles: Making Heat Work for You 165

Chapter 10: Working with Carnot and Brayton Cycles 167

Chapter 11: Working with Otto and Diesel Cycles 197

Chapter 12: Working with Rankine Cycles 221

Chapter 13: Cooling Off with Refrigeration Cycles 243

Part IV: Handling Thermodynamic Relationships, Reactions, and Mixtures 265

Chapter 14: Understanding the Behavior of Real Gases 267

Chapter 15: Mixing Gases That Don't React with Each Other 277

Chapter 16: Burning Up with Combustion 303

Part V: The Part of Tens 325

Chapter 17: Ten Famous Names in Thermodynamics 327

Chapter 18: Ten More Cycles of Note 331

Appendix: Thermodynamic Property Tables 341

Index 351