Endoreversible Thermodynamics of Solar Energy Conversion [Hardcover]

Alexis de Vos (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 27, 1992

This book describes various forms of solar energy conversion techniques in a unified way. The physical framework used to describe the various conversions is endoreversible thermodynamics, a recently developed subset of irreversible thermodynamics . It thus studies situations which are not in equilibrium and in which therefore entropy is continuously created. Nevertheless the mathematics is simple, because the authors consider only stationary situations. Most undergraduate textbooks on thermodynamics emphasize equilibrium thermodynamics and reversible processes. No entropy is created and conversion efficiencies are maximal, equal to the Carnot efficiency. For irreversible conversion processes, the reader learns only that entropy production is positive and that conversion efficiency is lower than the Carnot efficiency. But how great the entropy creation is, and how low the efficiency, is usually not expressed. Endoreversible thermodynamics gives the opportunity to calculate explicit values for a broad class of these processes, including solar energy conversion, which is particularly suited to being described in this way. The book is intended for physicists and engineers interested in renewable energy and irreversible thermodynamics.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 200 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (August 27, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198513925
• ISBN-13: 978-0198513926
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,375,647 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing book on thermodynamics, October 7, 2011

By 

Bill Freeman (Waitsfield, VT USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Endoreversible Thermodynamics of Solar Energy Conversion (Hardcover)

This is an advanced book on thermodynamics, focusing on photo (solar) processes, connecting all to classical thermo theory. This is a difficult subject to write about because both the fields of thermodynamics and solar energy are so broad. The author succeeds in extending the basic concepts of thermo to quite a large number of subjects that involve photons. Emphasis: this is a book on thermodynamics, not device engineering.

Subjects covered include radiative energy transfer theory, PV cells, photochemistry, and some related phenomena. A standard model is used throughout the book, known as the endoreversible heat engine. This is a reversible heat engine connected to the external world through irreversible (dissipative) elements. This model is applied repeatedly to show the congruence between seemingly different subjects. An example of the usefulness of the material is a beautiful derivation of the 44 % theoretical limit on solar cell efficiency (with concentrators, 31 % without).

This book seems to have slipped under the radar of popular literature. I strongly recommend it to anyone wanting a thermodynamic understanding of photoconversion processes. I found that this author has a truly inspiring view of the subject matter, illuminating relationships in ways that I have not previously encountered. The quality of writing is clear and concise, but the subject matter is deep. You will want to re-read sections, not because they are confusing, but because so many different concepts are related it takes awhile to realize the implications.