5 replies to this topic

[process.eng]

I'm an undergraduate Chemical Engineering student

I wish to buy a textbook on Fluid Mechanics for Chemical Engineers but I'm not sure which one to purchase from amongst the following:


1. Fluid Mechanics for Chemical Engineers (3rd Edition)/ Noel De Nevers - McGraw Hill


2. Fluid mechanics for chemical engineers / James O. Wilkes ; with contributions by Stacy G. Birmingham ... [et al.]. - Prentice Hall



My university lecturer says both are good but he prefers the former and says that the latter is relatively more focused on software use.

However, the former has earned very harsh reviews on Amazon.com and the latter has been praised in the Amazon.com Reviews section


I hope someone can guide mas to which one I should purchase ?

I'm not concerned about CFD as I would purchase a separate book for it.

[alfirin]

Hi,

During my undergraduate degree, I had been using this one: http://www.wiley.com...EHEP000685.html

It was really useful for what I had to study. I have no idea about the ones you have mentioned. A good idea, though, would be to visit your University library, borrow them for a short period and see which one fits best to your needs. Then you can buy it online.

Regards

[kkala]

I agree with alfirin, seeing that you need a book to satisfy you. This book for you might be different to a book of good general reputation.
Fluid mechanics need exercises to be understood, as well as working examples. So these should be considered, when you examine the two books.
The fluid Mechanics written at the beginning of Unit Operations books (by McCabe, or Coulson, etc) was enough in our time (1970), when we studied the subject. Of course fluid mechanics is used more than anything else by many Chemical Engineers. It is not a knowledge that will be useless in the future.
I would rather have a good knowledge on basics (with solved problems) than a broad knowledge on the subject. Special topics may come later, according to what is needed (e.g. pressure drop in columns, catalyst beds, etc).

[katmar]

I am not familiar with those books recommended above, except for Coulson and Richardson which I (probably being a similar vintage as kkala) also used as my college introduction.

The most readable book I have used is "Introduction to Fluid Mechanics" by Nakayama and Boucher. It has many little "asides" illustrating the history and day-to-day relevance of fluid mechanics. But still manages to cover a lot of advanced ground while staying interesting.

For best value for money I would recommend "Fluid Mechanics and Hydraulic Machines" by Dr. R.K. Bansal (Laxmi Publications). It covers the fundamentals with many worked examples. If you are in India, or if Laxmi will export to your country then this is worth having. But not the most advanced or in depth book.

A recent book that covers pipe flow quite well is "Chemical Engineering Fluid Mechanics" by Ron Darby (the developer of the 3-K method). A very good book, unfortunately marred by many typographical errors.

And of course there is always the old standby - the Crane 410 manual. Probably the best practical advice for a student who is now faced with the real world of hydraulics.

[Krunal Shah]

I'm an undergraduate Chemical Engineering student

I wish to buy a textbook on Fluid Mechanics for Chemical Engineers but I'm not sure which one to purchase from amongst the following:


1. Fluid Mechanics for Chemical Engineers (3rd Edition)/ Noel De Nevers - McGraw Hill


2. Fluid mechanics for chemical engineers / James O. Wilkes ; with contributions by Stacy G. Birmingham ... [et al.]. - Prentice Hall



My university lecturer says both are good but he prefers the former and says that the latter is relatively more focused on software use.

However, the former has earned very harsh reviews on Amazon.com and the latter has been praised in the Amazon.com Reviews section


I hope someone can guide mas to which one I should purchase ?

I'm not concerned about CFD as I would purchase a separate book for it.

I would prefer you "The Unit Operations of Chemical Engineering, McCabe Smith, McGraw Hill Publication"

here is the link for downloading: http://www.mediafire...e1nhhjc97pjm7uk

[EyMiller245]

I am a student at the University of Michigan and we used the book by Wilkes (he even was so kind to lecture to us one day, a really nice guy).

For our fluids class, we actually purchased two books: the aforemention Wilkes book and The Fundamentals of Momentum, Heat, and Mass transfer by Welky, Wicks, Wilson, and Rorrer. (we also used the latter book in our heat and mass transfer book)

I would highly recommend Wilkes' book, and is definitely not more software orientated. There is a chapter and some reference to COMSOL if i remember correctly, but that is only a small part of it. Wilkes is very good for defining and explaining the principles of fluid mechanics. It is not quite as robust as The Fundamentals of Momentum, Heat, and Mass transfer in terms of equations, but it is actually worth reading.