''Transport Phenomena'' is the first

textbook A textbook is a book containing a comprehensive compilation of content in a branch of study with the intention of explaining it. Textbooks are produced to meet the needs of educators, usually at educational institutions. Schoolbooks are textboo ...

about

transport phenomena In engineering, physics, and chemistry, the study of transport phenomena concerns the exchange of mass, energy, charge, momentum and angular momentum between observed and studied systems. While it draws from fields as diverse as continuum mec ...

. It is specifically designed for

chemical engineering Chemical engineering is an engineering field which deals with the study of operation and design of chemical plants as well as methods of improving production. Chemical engineers develop economical commercial processes to convert raw materials in ...

students. The first edition was published in 1960, two years after having been preliminarily published under the title ''Notes on Transport Phenomena'' based on mimeographed notes prepared for a

course taught at the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which ...

during the academic year 1957-1958. The second edition was published in August 2001. A ''revised'' second edition was published in 2007. This text is often known simply as ''BSL'' after its authors' initials.

History

As the chemical engineering profession developed in the first half of the 20th century, the concept of "

unit operations In chemical engineering and related fields, a unit operation is a basic step in a process. Unit operations involve a physical change or chemical transformation such as separation, crystallization, evaporation, filtration, polymerization, isomerizat ...

" arose as being needed in the education of undergraduate chemical engineers. The theories of mass, momentum and energy transfer were being taught at that time only to the extent necessary for a narrow range of applications. As chemical engineers began moving into a number of new areas, problem definitions and solutions required a deeper knowledge of the fundamentals of

than those provided in the textbooks then available on unit operations. In the 1950s,

R. Byron Bird Robert Byron Bird (February 5, 1924 – November 13, 2020) was an American chemical engineer and professor emeritus in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He was known for his research in transport phe ...

, Warren E. Stewart and

Edwin N. Lightfoot Edwin Niblock Lightfoot, Jr. (September 25, 1925 – October 2, 2017) was an American chemical engineer and Hilldale Professor Emeritus in the department of chemical and biological engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is known ...

stepped forward to develop an undergraduate course at the University of Wisconsin–Madison to integrate the teaching of

fluid flow In physics and engineering, fluid dynamics is a subdiscipline of fluid mechanics that describes the flow of fluids—liquids and gases. It has several subdisciplines, including '' aerodynamics'' (the study of air and other gases in motion) ...

heat transfer Heat transfer is a discipline of thermal engineering that concerns the generation, use, conversion, and exchange of thermal energy (heat) between physical systems. Heat transfer is classified into various mechanisms, such as thermal conduction ...

, and

diffusion Diffusion is the net movement of anything (for example, atoms, ions, molecules, energy) generally from a region of higher concentration to a region of lower concentration. Diffusion is driven by a gradient in Gibbs free energy or chemical p ...

. From this beginning, they prepared their landmark textbook ''Transport Phenomena''.

Subjects covered in the book

The book is divided into three basic sections, named Momentum Transport,

Energy Transport Electric power transmission is the bulk movement of electrical energy from a generating site, such as a power plant, to an electrical substation. The interconnected lines that facilitate this movement form a ''transmission network''. This is d ...

and

Mass Transport Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typical ...

: *Momentum Transport **Viscosity and the Mechanisms of Momentum Transport **Momentum Balances and Velocity Distributions in Laminar Flow **The Equations of Change for Isothermal Systems **Velocity Distributions in Turbulent Flow **Interphase Transport in Isothermal Systems **Macroscopic Balances for Isothermal Flow Systems *Energy Transport **Thermal Conductivity and the Mechanisms of Energy Transport **Energy Balances and Temperature Distributions in Solids and Laminar Flow **The Equations of Change for Nonisothermal Systems **Temperature Distributions in Turbulent Flow **Interphase Transport in Nonisothermal Systems **Macroscopic Balances for Nonisothermal Systems *Mass transport **Diffusivity and the Mechanisms of Mass Transport **Concentration Distributions in Solids and Laminar Flow **Equations of Change for Multicomponent Systems **Concentration Distributions in Turbulent Flow **Interphase Transport in Nonisothermal Mixtures **Macroscopic Balances for Multicomponent Systems **Other Mechanisms for Mass Transport

Word play

''Transport Phenomena'' contains many instances of hidden messages and other word play. For example, the first letters of each sentence of the Preface spell out "This book is dedicated to O. A. Hougen." while in the revised second edition, the first letters of each paragraph spell out "Welcome". The first letters of each paragraph in the Postface spell out "On Wisconsin". In the first printing, in Fig. 9.L (p. 305) "Bird" is typeset safely outside the furnace wall.

Advantages of the first edition over the second edition

According to many chemical engineering professors, the first edition is much better than the second edition. There are many reasons in this regard; The second edition has been revised many times despite the fact that there are still many defects and typographical errors in many parts of the book. On account of revision to defects of the revised second edition book, the authors published "Notes for the 2nd revised edition of TRANSPORT PHENOMENA" on 9 Aug 2011.Notes for the 2nd revised edition of TRANSPORT PHENOMENA
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External links

Publisher's description of this book

References

{{Chemical engg Chemical engineering books Science books Technology books Transport phenomena