The 8-volume set contains the Proceedings of the 25th ECOS 2012 International Conference, Perugia, Italy, June 26th to June 29th, 2012. ECOS is an acronym for Efficiency, Cost, Optimization and Simulation (of energy conversion systems and processes), summarizing the topics covered in ECOS: Thermodynamics, Heat and Mass Transfer, Exergy and Second Law Analysis, Process Integration and Heat Exchanger Networks, Fluid Dynamics and Power Plant Components, Fuel Cells, Simulation of Energy Conversion Systems, Renewable Energies, Thermo-Economic Analysis and Optimisation, Combustion, Chemical Reactors, Carbon Capture and Sequestration, Building/Urban/Complex Energy Systems, Water Desalination and Use of Water Resources, Energy Systems- Environmental and Sustainability Issues, System Operation/ Control/Diagnosis and Prognosis, Industrial Ecology.

"This book explores emerging technologies and best practices designed to effectively address concerns inherent in properly optimizing advanced systems, demonstrating applications in areas such as bio-engineering, space exploration, industrial informatics, information security, and nuclear and renewable energies"--Provided by publisher.

Chemical Thermodynamics for Industry presents the latest developments in applied thermodynamics and highlights the role of thermodynamics in the chemical industry. Written by leading experts in the field, Chemical Thermodynamics for Industry covers the latest developments in traditional areas such as calorimetry, microcalorimetry, transport properties, crystallization, adsorption, electrolyte systems and transport fuels, It highlights newly established areas such as multiphase modeling, reactive distillation, non-equilibrium thermodynamics and spectro-calorimetry. It also explores new ways of treating old technologies as well as new and potentially important areas such as ionic liquids, new materials, ab-initia quantum chemistry, nano-particles, polymer recycling, clathrates and the economic value of applied thermodynamics. This book is aimed not only at those working in a specific area of chemical thermodynamics but also at the general chemist, the prospective researcher and those involved in funding chemical research.

As the human population expands and natural resources become depleted, it becomes necessary to explore other sources for energy consumption and usage. Renewable and Alternative Energy: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications provides a comprehensive overview of emerging perspectives and innovations for alternative energy sources. Highlighting relevant concepts on energy efficiency, current technologies, and ongoing industry trends, this is an ideal reference source for academics, practitioners, professionals, and upper-level students interested in the latest research on renewable energy.

Thermodynamic Approaches in Engineering Systems responds to the need for a synthesizing volume that throws light upon the extensive field of thermodynamics from a chemical engineering perspective that applies basic ideas and key results from the field to chemical engineering problems. This book outlines and interprets the most valuable achievements in applied non-equilibrium thermodynamics obtained within the recent fifty years. It synthesizes nontrivial achievements of thermodynamics in important branches of chemical and biochemical engineering. Readers will gain an update on what has been achieved, what new research problems could be stated, and what kind of further studies should be developed within specialized research. - Presents clearly structured chapters beginning with an introduction, elaboration of the process, and results summarized in a conclusion - Written by a first-class expert in the field of advanced methods in thermodynamics - Provides a synthesis of recent thermodynamic developments in practical systems - Presents very elaborate literature discussions from the past fifty years

The field of ecosystem health explores the interactions between natural systems, human health, and social organization. As decision makers require a sound, modular approach to environmental management and sustainable development, ecosystem health assessment indicators are increasingly used across any number of applications. The Handbook of Ecologic

With the Internet, the proliferation of Big Data, and autonomous systems, mankind has entered into an era of 'digital obesity'. In this century, computational intelligence, such as thinking machines, have been brought forth to process complex human problems in a wide scope of areas — from social sciences, economics and biology, medicine and social networks, to cyber security.The Handbook of Computational Intelligence (in two volumes) prompts readers to look at these problems from a non-traditional angle. It takes a step by step approach, supported by case studies, to explore the issues that have arisen in the process. The Handbook covers many classic paradigms, as well as recent achievements and future promising developments to solve some of these very complex problems. Volume one explores the subjects of fuzzy logic and systems, artificial neural networks, and learning systems. Volume two delves into evolutionary computation, hybrid systems, as well as the applications of computational intelligence in decision making, the process industry, robotics, and autonomous systems.This work is a 'one-stop-shop' for beginners, as well as an inspirational source for more advanced researchers. It is a useful resource for lecturers and learners alike.

This book examines ways of assessing the rational management of nonrenewable resources. Integrating numerous methods, it systematically exposes the strengths of exergy analysis in resources management. Divided into two parts, the first section provides the theoretical background to assessment methods, while the second section provides practical application examples. The topics covered in detail include the theory of exergy cost and thermo-ecological cost, cumulative calculus and life cycle evaluation. This book serves as a valuable resource for researchers looking to investigate a range of advanced thermodynamic assessments of the influence of production processes on the depletion of nonrenewable resources.