Customer Reviews

Analysis of Transport Phenomena (Topics in Chemical Engineering)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Either you will love this book or absolutely despise it. The material in this book is well-suited for use in a graduate chemical engineering curriculum and requires a high level of mathematical ability. The material covered in the text is an excellent example of what should be covered in an integrated transport text; however, I found the methodology often difficult to follow. Most of the explanations of theory derive from illustrative examples rather than general approaches, and solution strategies derive from the general conservation equation approach rather than a shell balance approach. The text only begins to make sense on your second or third reading of the material, and one stands no chance of understanding this book without previous exposure to transport phenomena. End of chapter problems can be a nightmare.

Finally, a worthy successor to the classic "Transport Phenomena" by Bird, etc. (1960). This book combines advanced mathematical techniques with practical insight, a fine balance needed to analyze any real world problems. The forte of a good engineer is to simply a complicated problem without losing its essence. Math has always but the means to an end, yet too many advanced books on transport phenomena have nothing but math. This book has plenty of equations, yet the reader will learn more about why use these methods, not just how. Also, if one thinks the exercises in Bird's book are difficult, try the ones here.

This is easily the best book Ive ever had on transport and fluid mechanics. It smokes everything else. The scaling logic is top notch and so clear. Everything is methodically presented, which I enjoy.

I'd say the weakest point is the finite Fourier transform method for solving linear PDEs, I couldn't pick up the method from the text and had to be taught it from another source. Separation of variables tricks work for most of the the problems in the text anyway. But afterwards it is a great reference for getting the proper basis functions for different situations.

Great introductory stuff on regular and singular perturbation analysis/boundary layers. I was shocked to see it having an average of three stars, are you kidding me? I know it is in use by most professors at both UW Madison and UC Berkeley's transport classes, two of the top ranking research places for chemical engineering to my knowledge. I use it referring to fluid mechanics topics more often than any other book. Just fantastic.

Very good graduate level text. Not an introductory text. Like some of the other reviews say, the author does not spend much time with the basics, however if that is what you are after, look at B-S-L Transport Phenomena.

This book is well organized, well detailed, and well articulated. The lessons are useful and the text approachable for an academic work. I've read / had to use many other textbooks in my pursuit of a chemical engineering education and this is the best. I give it a whole-hearted recommendation for any serious student.

In 2009, 11 years after its publication date (1998), i bought the First Edition book in its 11th printing, new from a local bookshop at a very low price. The errata for the 5th printing, as of April 2006, has been taken account of within my copy. Apparently, this book is a popular, often adopted text for transport phenomena at graduate level. Although i like it (3 stars rating :) as supplementary reading material, i cannot recommend buying it, simply because there are more valuable books to consider acquiring on the book market. For example in comparison.. less referenced, less known, and less adopted, but in my opinion a clear purchase recommendation is John C. Slattery's monograph on Advanced Transport Phenomena (1999). Both texts aim at the student at graduate level. However, Deen's selection of advanced transport topics and examples does not always appear logical but rather arbitrary and confusing so that the book's setup (organization&structure) suffers from lack of coherence, in my humble opinion. About 20% of the text is devoted to a presentation of mathematical methods, including the finite Fourier transform method for solving partial differential equations. In this sense, the presentation and teaching of transport phenomena seems to be out-dated, because since its publication great advances in the area of the computerized calculation, solution and visualization of partial differential equations and/or transport phenomena have been made. Chemical engineering textbooks already integrating the use of such commercial simulation packages for the solution of transport related partial differential equations are, amongst others, the books by Fogler 4/E, Plawsky 2/E, Wilkes 2/E, Finlayson. Let's hope that Deen's Second Edition will incorporate the use of such user-friendly software, too, for the solution of transport related problems. To sum up, keep a library copy on desk but better use your bucks on a different advanced transport text!

I agrees with other reviewers. Be very afraid if your prof uses this book for advanced transport. This is the most difficult Chem E book I've ever suffered through. It leaves gaps in the solutions, and the hw problems are extraordinarily difficult. I hope some professor who is a good teacher answers this book and writes one that students will understand. Take a look at some of the Texts to come out of the University of Michigan (I didn't go there, but have found they are very useful well-written references), maybe one of those profs will write one.

I got so involved with this book that I virtually wrote notes on every single page. The amount of useful information in this book has exceeded the tolerance the binding has for my handling. And I even took good care of it too! After my organic chemistry text, I'd say that I spent more time with this book than any other on my shelf.

Timely delivered. Awesome book! Love it! This book is very good compared to any other book available for transport phenomena.Some of the chapters are hard to follow because of short cut derivations and such!

I used this in a graduate fluid transport class at UM. Excellent textbook, but be forewarned that it contains a mathematically elegant (and also mathematically challenging) presentation of the subject. While good for some, less mathematically inclined students may wish to check out other texts.

The book while mathematically involved also appears to be self-contained (in the sense if you know or once knew freshman calculus and perhaps some basic vector calculus as well) the appendices are sufficient to learn the vector and tensor notation used and required to understand the book.

If you want a good advanced understanding of transport phenomena, look here after you've learned from an undergraduate textbook (such as Transport Phenomena by Bird, Stewart and Lightsfoot; Fundamentals of Heat and Mass by Incropera, or Fluid Mechanics for Chemical Engineers by Wilkes).