Book Description
In the
past several decades, combustion has evolved from a scientific
discipline that was largely empirical to one that is quantitative
and predictive. These advances are characterized by the canonical
formulation of the theoretical foundation, the strong interplay
between theory, experiment, and computation, and the unified
description of the roles of fluid mechanics and chemical kinetics.
This graduate-level text incorporates these advances in a
comprehensive treatment of the fundamental principles of combustion
physics. The presentation emphasizes analytical proficiency and
physical insight, with the former achieved through complete, though
abbreviated, derivations at different levels of rigor, and the
latter through physical interpretations of analytical solutions,
experimental observations, and computational simulations. Exercises
are mostly derivative in nature in order to further strengthen the
student's mastery of the theory. Implications of the fundamental
knowledge gained herein on practical phenomena are discussed
whenever appropriate. These distinguishing features provide a solid
foundation for an academic program in combustion science and
engineering.
About the Author
Chung K. Law received a B.S.
in Physics from the University of Alberta in 1968, an M.A.Sc. in
Aerospace Studies from the University of Toronto in 1970, and a
Ph.D. in Engineering Physics from the University of California at
San Diego in 1973. He was on the faculties of Northwestern
University from 1976 to 1984 and the University of California at
Davis from 1984 to 1988. In 1988 he joined Princeton University,
where he has been the Robert H. Goddard Professor of Mechanical and
Aerospace Engineering since 1995.
Chung K. Law's research interests are in combustion, propulsion,
heat and mass transfer, energy, and the environment. He has
published over 300 journal-class articles in these areas. For his
research accomplishments he was honored with the Curtis W. McGraw
Research Award of the American Society for Engineering Education
(ASEE) in 1984, a Silver Medal and the Egerton Gold Medal of the
Combustion Institute in 1990 and 2006 respectively, the Propellants
and Combustion Award, the Energy Systems Award, and the Pendray
Aerospace Literature Award of the American Institute of Aeronautics
and Astronautics (AIAA) in 1994, 1999, and 2004 respectively, the
Heat Transfer Memorial Award, in Science, of the American Society
of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) in 1997, an Outstanding Alumnus
Award from the University of California at San Diego in 2000 and
from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in 2007, and several best
conference paper awards. He is a Fellow of the AIAA, ASME, and the
American Physical Society (APS), a member of the U.S. National
Academy of Engineering, and a past president (2000-2004) of the
Combustion Institute.