The Properties of Gases and Liquids (Hardcover)

~ (Author), John M. Prausnitz (Author), John P. O'Connell (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

thorough and careful presentation of modern methods of estimating…simplicity…sacrificed to accuracy…a useful…vital book for a practicing process engineer; highly recommended… -- Choice, May 2001

Review

Ever since the first edition of this work was published in 1958, it has been a "must have" in the reference library of Chemical Engineers, particularly those engaged in process design. It has long been the primary reference for anyone who must estimate physical or thermodynamic properties required for equipment design knowing little more than the chemical formula of the materials to be handled. The main value of this book over a simple bibliography that can now be generated by a computer search is that the authors continue the practice started in the first edition of publishing tables comparing the results of using the various estimation methods to each other and experimental data when available and then make recommendations as to which method seems to work best under various conditions.

The need for regular updating was succintly stated by Reid and Sherwood in their Preface to the second edition in 1966 when they commented that the half life of estimation correlations seemed to be about four years. Although there are now more fundamentally based properties estimation methods than there were then, the authors note in their Preface to the new edition that "...most estimation methods rely heavily on empiricism..." Thus the need for periodic updating of this work continues.

Space does not permit listing chapter by chapter the significant differences from the previous edition, but they are substantial. The properties data bank in Appendix A has been completed revised.

This new edition should be added to the library of anyone who must estimate physical properties of materials to be processed. (Kunesh, John AIChE Journal )

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 768 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Professional; 5 edition (November 6, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0070116822
• ISBN-13: 978-0070116825
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #691,823 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive, easy to understand, March 27, 2002

By	Leopoldo Farias (Caracas, Venezuela) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I was a bit unconfortable when I bought this book since I was suspicious that this one was one of those unreadable thermodynamic books. Fortunately I was wrong. This book provides you with a complete treatment of the properties of gases and liquids in a plain language stressing the understanding of the basic laws governing the behavior of liquids and gases instead of the mathematic that goes with it. The treatment of the topics is very suitable for engineers since it allows quick understanding of the phenomena and provides a wealth of correlations and methods for estimating properties. The appendixes contain all kind of basic information indeed helpful for applying the correlations showed. Without any hesitation, this book is well worth its price.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Crucial Book for Physical Property Estimation, June 12, 1998

By	[e-mail] (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Properties of Gases and Liquids (Hardcover)

Any engineer working on a problem knows the frustration of having all the equations but no physical properties! This book is the answer. The book is primarily written for those working with organic chemicals. Even if you are working in inorganic chemistry, the book is useful. Equations for mixture properties are difficult to use, but, easy to set up on a spread sheet. There are many equations for physical properties based on single points.

The thermodynamic and phase equilibria sections are excellent. I would recommend this book for those sections alone.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Guide to Workings of ASPEN Process Model, April 21, 2003

By	Dr. William J. Smith (Alameda, CA USA) - See all my reviews

The book is an absolutely practical treatise of applied thermodymamics. The explanations of how to use property estimation methods are excellent, but invaluable are the comments on their accuracy and recommendations as to when to use which method.

The book served as my operating manual for the ASPEN software for modeling chemical processes. The book documented nearly every method used by ASPEN.