Customer Reviews

Fluid Mechanics for Chemical Engineers

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book is bad.

In equation developments, it uses cartesian coordinates in a funky way. It changes them! This might not be a problem, but this book uses coordinate systems that don't follow the right-hand rule. For me this was very disturbing, because throughout my education the right-hand rule for coordinate systems was God's word.

Another thing is the example problems. When the book shows you the solution, it jumps right into numbers, without even showing you the symbolic development, or what numbers represent what variables. It expects you to infer this from the units!

N.B. I've only read the first 50 pages or so of this book, and my frustration led me to write this review. My opinions aren't supported with a complete sense of the book. Then again, the fact that even the elementary, development part of the book frustrates me could show just how bad this book will become in the latter parts.

I bought the 1st ed. (1970) which suprisingly seems identical in much of the content to the 3rd (2004) as a suppliment to a truely horrible book. This book seems to elaborate on many topics, qualitative and quantitative, that either aren't covered or only "covered" in other books. Not sure why its "for Chemical Engineers" as much of the material seems to be general fluid mechanics applicable to many other fields.

This has been my text for several courses for a mixed chemical and mechanical engineering class. Occasionally a civil will also take the class.

The text is, IMHO, very good. The topics are covered well enough for the students to grasp the concepts. The range of concepts offered is more than I can cover in a semester and allows me to pick which ones I like. I usually include compressible flow and flow through porous media from the ones I think are optional. I did potential flow one year, and it worked, but it isn't as important as the other topics for my grads.

I have had several comments from grads out in the field that they refer to this book and it is a useful tool.

Of course I can quibble about how some topics are presented. I can quibble about the order of some topics. I can quibble about ....

But overall, it is a good tool for both the classroom and the working engineer's office.

Now , I study fluid mechanics twice. First time , I didn't know , superficial or detail. But I feel now It is too superficial about fluid mechanics. I am sorry that not many fluid mechanics book for engineers exist. If you have ever listend about other Transport subject , you can feel. But to some people who want truely basic concept about fluid mechanics , this book will be good friend with you.