This book highlights the design of a new type of solar chimney that has lower height and bigger diameter, and discusses its applications. The bigger diameter chimneys are introduced showing cold inflow phenomena that significantly reduced the performance of solar chimney. The cold inflow-free operation of solar chimneys restores the draft losses and enhances the performance of the solar chimneys. Numerical and experimental investigation results will be presented to highlight the performance of cold inflow-free solar chimney performance. In addition, this book covers the important basic design parameters that affect the design of solar chimney for different applications, mainly, solar chimney-assisted ventilation for passive cooling and power generation system.

This book has been written by two experts in ventilation and indoor air quality with vast experience in the field of kitchen ventilation in both Asia and Europe. The authors share their extensive knowledge of the subject and present the results of their research programs as well those of other researchers. Discussing advanced theories of and design approaches for kitchen ventilation, it is a useful reference resource for a wide range of readers, including HVAC researchers, designers and architects.

This book looks at global atmospheric processes from a physical standpoint using available current and past observational data taken from measurements of relevant atmospheric parameters. It describes various aspects of the current atmospheric state and its future evolution, focusing primarily on the energetic balance of the Earth and atmosphere, and taking into consideration the multi-faceted global equilibrium between these two systems, carbon, and water. The analysis presented in this book restricts itself to those objects and processes that allow us to obtain reliable conclusions and numerical estimations, in contrast to current climate models with much larger numbers of parameters for describing the same problems. As a result, in spite of the roughness of numerical parameters, the book unveils a reliable and transparent physical picture of energetic phenomena in the global atmosphere. In particular, it shows that approximately only one-fourth of atmospheric water returns from the atmosphere to the Earth in the form of free molecules. It was shown that the contemporary warming of our planet has an anthropogenic character, and that the average global temperature increases due to an increase of the concentration of atmospheric CO2 molecules, via an increase in atmospheric moisture, as well as an increase in the amount of aerosols in the atmosphere. Accumulation of atmospheric carbon dioxide plays a subsidiary role in this process and gives approximately one-third in a change of the global temperature, while an increase in the amount of atmospheric water by as little as only 0.3% per year explains the observed warming of the Earth. The book shows how the greenhouse instability of the atmosphere evidently has its origins in the Eocene epoch, presenting an analysis of the influence of various types of global energetic processes on the climate that differs from the official stance on these problems.

This is a textbook on thermodynamics of materials for junior/senior undergraduate students and first-year graduate students as well as a reference book for researchers who would like to refresh their understanding of thermodynamics. The textbook employs a plain language to explain the thermodynamic concepts and quantities. It embraces the mathematical beauty and rigor of Gibbs thermodynamics through the fundamental equation of thermodynamics from which all thermodynamic properties of a material can be derived. However, a reader with basic first-year undergraduate calculus skills will be able to get through the book without difficulty. One unique feature of this textbook is the descriptions of the step-by-step procedures for computing all the thermodynamic properties from the fundamental equation of thermodynamics and all the thermodynamic energies from a set of common, experimentally measurable thermodynamic properties, supplemented with ample numerical examples. Another unique feature of this textbook is its emphasis on the concept of chemical potential and its applications to phase equilibria in single component systems and binary solutions, chemical reaction equilibria, and lattice and electronic defects in crystals. The concept of chemical potential is introduced at the very beginning of the book together with temperature and pressure. It avoids or minimizes the use of terms such as molar Gibbs free energy, partial molar Gibbs free energy, or Gibbs potential because molar Gibbs free energy or partial molar Gibbs free energy is precisely the chemical potential of a material or a component. It is the chemical potential that determines the stability of chemical species, compounds, and phases and their tendency to chemically react to form new species, transform to new physical state, and migrate from one spatial location to another. Therefore, it is the chemical potential differences or gradients that drive essentially all materials processes of interest. A reader after finishing reading the book is expected to not only achieve a high-level fundamental understanding of thermodynamics but also acquire the analytical skills of applying thermodynamics to determining materials equilibrium and driving forces for materials processes.

This book serves as an introduction to cryocooler technology and describes the principle applications of cryocoolers across a broad range of fields. It covers the specific requirements of these applications, and describes how the advantages and disadvantages of different cryocooler systems are taken into consideration. For example, Stirling coolers tend to be used only in space applications because of their high coefficient of performance, low weight and proven reliability, whilst Gifford-McMahon coolers are used for ground applications, such as in cryopumps and MRI shield cooling applications. Joule-Thomson cryocoolers are used in missile technology because of the fast cool down requirements. The cryocooler field is fast developing and the number of applications are growing because of the increasing costs of the cryogens such as Helium and Neon. The first chapter of the book introduces the different types of cryocoolers, their classification, working principles, and their design aspects, and briefly mentions some of the applications of these systems. This introductory chapter is followed by a number of contributions from prominent international researchers, each describing a specific field of application, the cooling requirements and the cryocooler systems employed. These areas of application include gas liquefaction, space technology, medical science, dilution refrigerators, missile systems, and physics research including particle accelerators. Each chapter describes the cooling requirements based on the end use, the approximate cooling load calculations, the criteria for cryocooler selection, the arrangement for cryocooler placement, the connection of the cooler to the object to be cooled, and includes genuine case studies. Intended primarily for researchers working on cryocoolers, the book will also serve as an introduction to cryocooler technology for students, and a useful reference for those using cryocooler systems in any area of application.

Rational extended thermodynamics (RET) is the theory that is applicable to nonequilibrium phenomena out of local equilibrium. It is expressed by the hyperbolic system of field equations with local constitutive equations and is strictly related to the kinetic theory with the closure method of the hierarchies of moment equations. The book intends to present, in a systematic way, new results obtained by RET of gases in both classical and relativistic cases, and it is a natural continuation of the book "Rational Extended Thermodynamics beyond the Monatomic Gas" by the same authors published in 2015. However, this book addresses much wider topics than those of the previous book. Its contents are as follows: RET of rarefied monatomic gases and of polyatomic gases; a simplified RET theory with 6 fields being valid far from equilibrium; RET where both molecular rotational and vibrational modes exist; mixture of gases with multi-temperature. The theory is applied to several typical topics (sound waves, shock waves, etc.) and is compared with experimental data. From a mathematical point of view, RET can be regarded as a theory of hyperbolic symmetric systems, of which it is possible to conduct a qualitative analysis. The book represents a valuable resource for applied mathematicians, physicists, and engineers, offering powerful models for many potential applications such as reentering satellites into the atmosphere, semiconductors, and nanoscale phenomena.

This book continues the process of systematization of knowledge about convection. It is important to put the current knowledge on weakly and strongly stratified convection in order, and provide a comprehensive description of the marginal, weakly nonlinear and fully developed stages of convective flow in both cases. The book provides a short compendium of knowledge on the linear and weakly nonlinear limits of the Boussinesq convection, and a review of the theory on fully developed Boussinesq convection. The third chapter is devoted to a detailed derivation and a study of the three aforementioned stages of stratified (anelastic) convection, with a full solution in the marginal stage provided for the first time. Detailed and systematic explanations are given. The book is intended mainly as a textbook for courses on hydrodynamics and convective flows, for the use of lecturers and students; however, it also serves for the entire scientific community as a practical reference.

The nonequilibrium behavior of nanoscopic and biological systems, which are typically strongly fluctuating, is a major focus of current research. Lately, much progress has been made in understanding such systems from a thermodynamic perspective. However, new theoretical challenges emerge when the fluctuating system is additionally subject to time delay, e.g. due to the presence of feedback loops. This thesis advances this young and vibrant research field in several directions. The first main contribution concerns the probabilistic description of time-delayed systems; e.g. by introducing a versatile approximation scheme for nonlinear delay systems. Second, it reveals that delay can induce intriguing thermodynamic properties such as anomalous (reversed) heat flow. More generally, the thesis shows how to treat the thermodynamics of non-Markovian systems by introducing auxiliary variables. It turns out that delayed feedback is inextricably linked to nonreciprocal coupling, information flow, and to net energy input on the fluctuating level.

This book explores applications of computational intelligence in key and emerging fields of engineering, especially with regard to condition monitoring and fault diagnosis, inverse problems, decision support systems and optimization. These applications can be beneficial in a broad range of contexts, including: water distribution networks, manufacturing systems, production and storage of electrical energy, heat transfer, acoustic levitation, uncertainty and robustness of infinite-dimensional objects, fatigue failure prediction, autonomous navigation, nanotechnology, and the analysis of technological development indexes. All applications, mathematical and computational tools, and original results are presented using rigorous mathematical procedures. Further, the book gathers contributions by respected experts from 22 different research centers and eight countries: Brazil, Cuba, France, Hungary, India, Japan, Romania and Spain. The book is intended for use in graduate courses on applied computation, applied mathematics, and engineering, where tools like computational intelligence and numerical methods are applied to the solution of real-world problems in emerging areas of engineering.

This book presents a collection of essays that explore the life and works of Tatjana Afanassjewa (1876-1964), a Russian-Dutch physicist-mathematician. Readers will discover a scientist whose work on the foundations of thermodynamics significantly influenced the field itself as well as the philosophy of physics. This book highlights the philosophical consequences of her work in physics and mathematics and discusses historical aspects of her writings on the foundations of physics. In addition, it features English translations and critical reviews of key selections from her texts. First and foremost, the book highlights the numerous contributions that Afanassjewa made to the field. In particular, the authors examine her work on the foundations of thermodynamics and statistical physics, starting in the 1920s and extending to 1956, well after the untimely death of her husband in 1933. They also explore her almost entirely forgotten work on the didactics of mathematics. In addition, they discuss her influential collaboration with her husband, the Austrian physicist Paul Ehrenfest (1880-1933). The portrait that emerges is that of a highly original physicist and mathematician, whose legacy continues to influence scientists and philosophers today and whose lesser-known works deserve more attention than they have received. Readers will find a rich body of work that continues to this day to yield insights into the foundations of physics and mathematics.

This new edition covers contemporary directions of non-equilibrium statistical mechanics as well as classical methods of kinetics. Supplementary material on the non-equilibrium statistical operator (NSO) method for calculating kinetics coefficients describing spintronics is included in this new addition. This book is an easy-to-read text describing the fundamentals of the field.

This book explores water geothermometry, a highly relevant topic in the exploration and exploitation of geothermal energy. Presenting theoretical geothermometers and indicators of CO2 fugacity, it describes a rigorous new approach entirely based on thermodynamics. The book will appeal to geothermal geoscientists, especially those working in research institutions and companies around the globe. It is also of interest to students on advanced courses in applied geochemistry, water-rock interaction and other related areas.

This book provides an overview of advanced prediction and verification technologies for aerodynamics and aerothermodynamics and assesses a number of critical issues in advanced hypersonic vehicle design. Focusing on state-of-the-art theories and promising technologies for engineering applications, it also presents a range of representative practical test cases. Given its scope, the book offers a valuable asset for researchers who are interested in thermodynamics, aircraft design, wind tunnel testing, fluid dynamics and aerothermodynamics research methods, introducing them to inspiring new research topics.

This book covers some fundamental aspects and frontiers in non-equilibrium physics and soft matter research. Apart from the basic knowledge on nonlinear statistic physics, dynamics, computer simulations, and main approaches and emerging systems in soft matter research, particular attention is devoted to new conceptual flexible functional materials and the enriching areas, such as silk meso-molecular materials, molecular gels, liquid crystals, flexible electronics and new types of catalysis, etc. One of the main characteristics of this book is to start with the structure formation dynamics and the correlation between the structures and macroscopic performance. This lays down the foundation for the mesoscopic materials design and functionalization. The book is intended for upper undergraduate students, graduate students, and researchers who are interested in soft matter researches. As one of main references, the basic principles and technologies of computer simulations and experimental methods adopted in soft matter research are also explained. Illustrations and tables are included in this book to improve the readability, and examples and exercises are added to help understanding.

This book presents methodologies for analysing large data sets produced by the direct numerical simulation (DNS) of turbulence and combustion. It describes the development of models that can be used to analyse large eddy simulations, and highlights both the most common techniques and newly emerging ones. The chapters, written by internationally respected experts, invite readers to consider DNS of turbulence and combustion from a formal, data-driven standpoint, rather than one led by experience and intuition. This perspective allows readers to recognise the shortcomings of existing models, with the ultimate goal of quantifying and reducing model-based uncertainty. In addition, recent advances in machine learning and statistical inferences offer new insights on the interpretation of DNS data. The book will especially benefit graduate-level students and researchers in mechanical and aerospace engineering, e.g. those with an interest in general fluid mechanics, applied mathematics, and the environmental and atmospheric sciences.

This book presents mainly studies on the calculation methods of thermal radiative properties of uniaxial anisotropic materials, unidirectional transmission, ultrabroadband perfect absorption, and near-field radiative heat transfer with uniaxial anisotropic materials. The results obtained in this book can not only deepen our understanding of the thermal radiative properties of anisotropic materials, but also have important theoretical guiding significance in energy conversion, energy-saving technology, and design of novel devices.

This book presents different thermodynamic approaches in the area of constitutive theory: thermodynamics of irreversible processes, rational thermodynamics, and extended thermodynamics. These different approaches are analyzed with respect to their presuppositions, as well as to their results, and each method is applied to several important examples. In many cases these examples are archetypes for numerous technologically important materials; i.e. complex materials having an internal structure. Some of the examples dealt with in this book are liquid crystals, colloid suspensions, ans fiber suspensions. The book well serves students and researchers who have basic knowledge in continuum mechanics and thermodynamics. It provides a systematic overview of the vast field of thermodynamic constitutive theory, beginning from a historical perspective and concluding with outstanding questions in recent research.