Review of Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics of Turbomachinery, 5th Edition, by S. L. Dixon: Elsevier Butterworth Heinemann; 2005; ISBN 0-7506-7870-4; 412 pp. Price: $49.95.

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 three-dimensional flows in axial turbomachines are given in Chapter 6. Chapter 7 provides the operational characteristics of radial turbomachines, covering the features of pumps, fans, and compressors. Chapter 8 provides rather extensive coverage of radial turbines. The special features of hydraulic turbines, including all the major design types, are presented in Chapter 9. Finally, design features, basic calculations, and operation of wind turbines are covered in Chapter 10. This last chapter has been added in the current edition of the book.

The organization of the book is sound. It is well-presented, with numerous drawings and useful diagrams. The equations are easy to read, and the typesetting and font selection are well-chosen for easy reading. A sufficient number of worked examples is included, and further problems are included at the ends of the chapters, with answers at the end of the book. This feature is particularly useful for students.

A further useful feature is the inclusion of a substantial list of references at the end of the chapters. These references point the interested reader to more advanced sources of information for additional details.

Although I consider this to be a good introductory book on the subject, I believe that it has a few weaknesses for the reader who wants to undertake a deeper study and understanding of the fluid mechanics principles that govern turbomachinery design and operation. The book lacks rigor in some definitions and presentation of fluid mechanics equations, which are introduced in a rather simplistic way (as, for example, the total pressure definition, the presentation of the fundamental equations, and the presentation of radial equilibrium). Another weakness is the use of only equations for a perfect gas with constant properties and the absence of any reference to calculations with variable gas properties. This deficiency limits the usefulness of the book for the practicing engineer who wants to make calculations with an acceptable level of accuracy, mainly in the field of gas and steam turbines. This drawback may give to students the erroneous impression that the use of such a perfect gas relation could be sufficient for practical use. This drawback is alleviated by the inclusion of extensive reference and bibliography lists, pointing to sources that cover these matters appropriately.

The book is mainly intended for mechanical and aeronautical engineering students. Civil engineering students can profit from the information on hydraulic turbines and pumps, and while it can be useful to engineering students from other disciplines for a basic knowledge of turbomachinery, as well as aspects of electrical power generation from renewable sources. Practicing engineers who need to perform turbomachinery calculations should look for other sources; however, this book is suitable for good basic information on turbomachinery principles and basic features.