Thermal Energy

The book details sources of thermal energy, methods of capture, and applications. It describes the basics of thermal energy, including measuring thermal energy, laws of thermodynamics that govern its use and transformation, modes of thermal energy, conventional processes, devices and materials, and the methods by which it is transferred. It covers 8 sources of thermal energy: combustion, fusion (solar) fission (nuclear), geothermal, microwave, plasma, waste heat, and thermal energy storage. In each case, the methods of production and capture and its uses are described in detail. It also discusses novel processes and devices used to improve transfer and transformation processes.

Yatish T. Shah received his B.Sc in chemical engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA, and MS and Sc.D in chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, USA. He has more than 40 years of academic and industrial experience in energy-related areas. He was chairman of the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA, and Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; chief research officer at Clemson University, South Carolina, USA; and provost at Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, USA, the University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg, USA, and Norfolk State University, Virginia, USA. He was also a visiting scholar at University of Cambridge, UK, and a visiting professor at the University of California, Berkley, USA, and Institut fur Technische Chemie I der Universitat Erlangen, Nurnberg, Germany. Currently, he is a professor of engineering and co-director of the Hodge Institute of Entrepreneurship at Norfolk State University. Dr. Shah has written five books related to energy. He has also published more than 250 refereed reviews, book chapters, and research technical publications in the areas of energy, environment, and reaction engineering. He is an active consultant to numerous industries and government organizations in the energy areas.