Diffusion: Mass Transfer in Fluid Systems [Paperback]

E. L. Cussler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 29, 1985 | ISBN-10: 0521298466 | ISBN-13: 978-0521298469

This textbook provides a clear and complete description of diffusion in fluids, the spontaneous mixing of different states that is fundamental in chemical engineering, chemistry and biology. Earlier textbooks on diffusion have given the subject a reputation for being difficult and have appealed most to students with a background in engineering and mathematics. Dr Cussler's informal style will appeal to all students. He includes numerous simple examples and some numerical exercises that emphasize and apply basic concepts in great detail. The book assumes no prior knowledge of other phenomena and will be a valuable introduction for students of chemistry and biology as well as engineering.

Editorial Reviews

Review

."..I am very impressed with the lucid style, clarity of presentation, quality of the illustrative examples and the large number of very interesting problems appended at the end...I heartily recommend this book to anyone interested in diffusion in fluid systems." Canadian Chemical News

Book Description

This new edition of a highly acclaimed text retains the features that won praise for the first--informal style, emphasis on physical insight and basic concepts, and lots of simple examples. It offers increased coverage of unit operations--with chapters on absorption, distillation, extraction, and adsorption. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 537 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (November 29, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521298466
• ISBN-13: 978-0521298469
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,261,714 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GOOD BOOKS FOR STUDENTS !, September 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Diffusion: Mass Transfer in Fluid Systems (Cambridge Series in Chemical Engineering) (Paperback)

This is an excellent book to learn the basics of Separation Processes. Cussler managed to explain Chemical Engineering concepts in a very easy way to understand by students. I was lucky to get him as my lecturer several years ago to learn Separation processes.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 3rd Edition expands and clarifies several topics, May 15, 2009

By 

Hunter S. Thompson (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Diffusion: Mass Transfer in Fluid Systems (Cambridge Series in Chemical Engineering) (Hardcover)

I feel that this is an excellent book for any student taking their first mass transport and separations course. This is the only science/engineering text book I have ever owned that I actually enjoyed reading. Professor Cussler is a very enthusiastic and brilliant expert on the subject (I am a student in his department, and was lucky enough to have him guest lecture for us) and it really shows in his writing style in this book.

This book manages to present the subject matter clearly starting from the basics and then logically and clearly building up to much more complex material, all while Professor Cussler walks you through the reasons why he is taking the steps he is, and how these steps are justified. This book is very frank and enthusiastic when presenting material (Professor Cussler makes sure to let you know if he is skipping steps, or what steps are common sources of confusion and to pay attention to these steps).

The third edition also separates the sections on differential and staged distillation into two stand-alone chapters, and also incorporates more examples to relate the topics of this book to medicine and biology, helping to broaden the appeal of this book.

That being said, there are still some improvements this book could make for the next revision (not likely to come for a while since the 3rd edition was just released this year). There are some typos/mislabels scattered about the text, but nothing so major as to make the understanding the material impossible. All the typos are pretty minor and would be easily sorted out through a quick comparison to class notes or reading the text as Professor Cussler explains what he is doing. Furthermore, there are also several problems that have answers listed that aren't "exactly" right, meaning they appear to have been rounded off too much.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Something short of justice., December 9, 2010

By 

Garrett - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Diffusion: Mass Transfer in Fluid Systems (Cambridge Series in Chemical Engineering) (Hardcover)

I'm one of Cussler's students at Minnesota. This book is but a mere accessory to CHEN8301: Physical Rate Processes, the graduate course that we take here, and I wish I could share that magical experience with everyone. It really puts this text into perspective as not a go-to handbook, but rather a map for a foray into the world of mass transfer led by one of its greatest navigators. Nevertheless, this text as-read is much less inspiring than the author delivering it in the flesh, so I guess I have high expectations to even give the map 4 stars.

As a theory text, it's often lacking. But, Cussler always preaches the message that theory is only useful if it can be practically applied to industrial process and experiment. Nothing echoes that message louder than Diffusion. So if you came to hear the tale of theory, take the 5 hour trip down the road to Madison and pick up BSL.