Advances in Finite Time Thermodynamics

Book excerpt: Over 170 years ago, Sadi Carnot, a French engineer, published his famous article "Reflections on the motive power of fire" and established a new field of science: classical thermodynamics. Since 1985, the scholars in the Naval University of Engineering (from 1949 to 1998) have been making the research work in the field of finite time thermodynamics. This multi-authored book deals with the recent advances of finite time thermodynamics in the Naval University of Engineering. It illustrates how the gap between thermodynamics, heat transfer, and fluid mechanics is bridged. It also illustrates how the gap between physics and engineering is bridged. The readers should find the papers informative and useful for analysis and design of thermodynamic systems with improved performance. The authors hope that this collection of work devoted to finite thermodynamics will provide encouragement for further research in the field.