Nonequilibrium Thermodynamics: Transport and Rate Processes in Physical, Chemical and Biological Systems

Nonequilibrium Thermodynamics: Transport and Rate Processes in Physical, Chemical and Biological Systems, Fourth Edition emphasizes the unifying role of thermodynamics in analyzing natural phenomena. This updated edition expands on the third edition by focusing on the general balance equations for coupled processes of physical, chemical and biological systems. Updates include stochastic approaches, self-organization criticality, ecosystems, mesoscopic thermodynamics, constructual law, quantum thermodynamics, fluctuation theory, information theory, and modeling the coupled biochemical systems. The book also emphasizes nonequilibrium thermodynamics tools, such as fluctuation theories, mesoscopic thermodynamic analysis, information theories, and quantum thermodynamics in describing and designing small scale systems.

• Provides a useful text for seniors and graduate students from diverse engineering and science programs
• Highlights the fundamentals of equilibrium thermodynamics, transport processes and chemical reactions
• Expands the theory of nonequilibrium thermodynamics and its use in coupled transport processes and chemical reactions in physical, chemical and biological systems
• Presents a unified analysis for transport and rate processes in various time and space scales
• Discusses stochastic approaches in thermodynamic analysis, including fluctuation and information theories, mesoscopic nonequilibrium thermodynamics, constructal law and quantum thermodynamics

Dr. Yaşar Demirel earned his PhD degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Birmingham, UK in 1981. He carried out research and scholarly work at the University of Delaware between 1999 and 2001. He worked at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg as a visiting professor between 2002 and 2006. Currently, he is a professor in the Department of Chemical Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. He has accumulated broad teaching and research experience over the years in diverse fields of engineering. Dr. Demirel authored and co-authored 11 books, four book chapters, and more than 170 research papers. The fourth edition of Nonequilibrium Thermodynamics was published in 2019. The third edition of the book titled “Energy: Production, Conversion, Storage, Conservation, and Coupling” was published in 2021. He co-authored the book “Sustainable Engineering” to be published in early 2023 by CRC Press, Taylor & Francis. He has obtained several awards and scholarships and presented invited seminars.

Dr. Vincent Gerbaud obtained a MSc in Chemical Engineering in 1992 from UMASS, USA and earned his PhD degree in Chemical Engineering in 1996 from the Institut National Polytechnique de Toulouse, France. He joined the French National Scientific Research Center CNRS at Laboratoire de Génie Chimique in Toulouse in 1998 where was promoted research director in 2012. He was the Head of the French GDR CNRS Thermodynamic group from 2014 to 2020. His research field concerns modelling and simulation in process system engineering with a special focus on bridging molecular scales to macro and mega scales systems. Building upon Edgar Morin's paradigm of "la pensée complexe" and combining process system and model-driven engineering concepts with equilibrium and nonequilibrium thermodynamic principles, he addresses with a holistic approach the modelling of complex systems in areas related to engineering connected with macro economy, environmental and social sciences. Dr. Gerbaud co-authored the fourth edition of Nonequilibrium Thermodynamics with Dr. Demirel, and 6 book chapters, 100 research papers and his work led to 6 specialized software. He has contributed to promote innovative teaching and learning in engineering classes based on activities of e-learning, writing reflective portfolio and designing mind maps among others tools.