Review of Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics of Turbomachinery, 5th Edition, by S. L. DixonFluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics of TurbomachineryElsevier Butterworth Heinemann0-7506-7870-4$49.95

Abstract

Turbomachinery is encountered in numerous applications of modern technology, playing a dominant role in electric power generation steam and gas turbines, hydraulic turbines ; constituting the core of the jet engine, the most widely used aircraft propulsor today; and being employed in numerous other applications in the form of pumps, blowers, and compressors. This book provides a good overview of the design and operational characteristics of all types of turbomachinery. It mainly deals with the fluid mechanics and thermodynamic aspects of turbomachinery operation, while it provides basic information on technological issues, with glimpses of structural elements, control, and materials. This book, the fifth edition of a book that was first published about 40 years ago, has undergone substantial revision to bring the text up-to-date and give the reader a view of not only the standard principles but also state-of-the-art developments and problems. The present edition goes further from the traditional “closed” turbomachines by including a chapter on wind turbines, a type of device that is employed today in environmentally friendly electrical power generation. The book is divided into 10 chapters. Chapter 1 gives an introduction to turbomachinery and the derivation of the basic performance parameters by using dimensional analysis. Chapter 2 briefly reviews the basic fluid dynamic and thermodynamics laws that govern turbomachinery operation. The key concept of efficiency is introduced; and its different expressions for compressors, turbines, and nozzles are presented. Diffuser performance is also discussed. Compressor and turbine cascades are analyzed in Chapter 3, including semiempirical correlations for blade design and analysis. Axial flow turbine operation theory is given in Chapter 4. Basic design features are discussed, and the discussion goes further into some more specialized subjects, such as blade stresses and blade cooling. A substantial discussion is devoted to the Wells turbine, a special turbine used for renewable energy applications. Axial-flow compressor design features and operation are covered in Chapter 5, including a discussion on stall and surge phenomena and their control. Some basic notions of threedimensional flows in axial turbomachines are given in Chapter 6.