Thermal Design

Discover a new window to thermal engineering and thermodynamics through the study of thermal design

Thermal engineering is a specialized sub-discipline of mechanical engineering that focuses on the movement and transfer of heat energy between two mediums or altered into other forms of energy. Thermal engineers must have a strong knowledge of thermodynamics and the processes that convert generated energy from thermal sources into chemical, mechanical, or electrical energy — as such, thermal engineers can be employed in many industries, particularly in automotive manufacturing, commercial construction, and the HVAC industry. As part of their job, thermal engineers often have to improve a current system to make it more efficient, and so must be aware of a wide array of variables and familiar with a broad sweep of systems to ensure the work they do is economically viable.

In this significantly updated new edition, Thermal Design details the physical mechanisms of standard thermal devices while integrating essential formulas and detailed derivations to give a practical understanding of the field to students. The textbook examines the design of thermal devices through mathematical modeling, graphical optimization, and occasionally computational-fluid-dynamic (CFD) simulation. Moreover, it presents information on significant thermal devices such as heat sinks, thermoelectric generators and coolers, heat pipes, and heat exchangers as design components in larger systems — all of which are increasingly important and fundamental to numerous fields such as microelectronic cooling, green or thermal energy conversion, and thermal control and management in space.

Readers of the Second Edition of Thermal Design will also find:

• A new chapter on thermoelectrics that reflects the latest modern technology that has recently been developed
• More problems and examples to help clarify points throughout the book
• A range of appendices, including new additions, that include more specifics on topicscovered in the book, tutorials for applications, and computational work
• A solutions manual provided on a companion website

Thermal Design is a useful reference for engineers and researchers in me chanical engineering, as well as senior undergraduate and graduate students in mechanical engineering.

HoSung Lee, PhD at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in 1993, is Emeritus Professor in the department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Western Michigan University, USA. His other areas of research include optimal design of thermoelectric generators and coolers and thermoelectric materials.