Bøker av D James Benton

In this text we will cover how to develop stand-alone applications specifically designed to perform one or more associated tasks. The term software development has been so diluted as to become meaningless. This same term should not be used to describe the process of creating a useful tool such as Microsoft(R) Excel(R) or composing three lines of python, yet so it is every day in countless posts on social media. We will demonstrate in this text what the term truly means and how to go about creating useful software tools. The obvious language for such is clearly C. The software described herein may be found free online and all will run on any version of Windows(R).

Mass transfer is similar to heat transfer in many ways. Some of the same differential equations and solutions will work for either one. There are differences, including the fact that there is often no exchange of matter accompanying an exchange of energy in the form of heat. The topics we consider in this text include: diffusion, dispersion, and sorption. We cover both analytical and numerical solutions.

Contaminant plumes are most often considered, as these have some associated urgency. All of the plumes I have worked with in the past forty years have been either chemical or thermal and in some way impacted the environment. There are two main considerations for such plumes: 1) delineation and 2) transport. The associated questions are: 1) how much of what is present and 2) where is moving to. Combined with possible migration and spreading is the question of how it might be changing, including chemical and nuclear reactions. Whether the plume in consideration is in air, surface water, or ground water determines what calculations are appropriate, but the basic issues are the same in any case. In this text we will be considering all of these aspects with several actual plumes plus a variety of software, some of which is publicly available.

This is a third course on three-dimensional rendering of models, building on my previous books, 3D Rendering in Windows and 3D Models in Motion. In this text we will cover spatial manipulation of objects in order to create the appearance of specific articulation. We also cover finer details, including hair or fur. The Windows(R) operating system and OpenGL(R) rendering engine will be our platform, but the same principles apply equally well to other environments. We assume the reader is familiar with C and programming for the Windows(R) operating system and will not dwell on those details. Many references are available on these foundational subjects, including my book, Version Independent Programming. As in that text, we require that all code function properly on any version and configuration of Windows(R). All of the software and associated files described herein is available free online.

Other girls turn thirteen and sprout hair. Ashley sprouted wings. She learns to fly while adjusting to the idea of being an angel, but Ashley isn't your typical angel. She bursts into flames when upset and is irresistibly attracted to fires. Nuclear vessels draw her to the port. Reactors beckon to her like great ovens baking bread. Sapping their power is exhilarating and her appetite for energy is voracious. Light is energy in purest form. She was Daddy's "Little Star," but only now understood this to be literal. Ashley was born to shine, to command light. The Hebrew word for burner or shiner is seraph. There are other seraphim, but only one born on the Earth. Ashley is unique, a precious gift, a protector and champion. A nuclear warhead, volcano, and tidal wave-these are but practice, preparation for the approaching terror. When it arrives, Ashley will be ready and those relying on her will take heart.Pride comes before a fall and so it will be for the proud invaders. Admiral Raff wagered the survival of a world on his ability to control any situation. When faced with a foe that mistakes his most powerful weapon for a distress signal and antimatter for candy, the Admiral sees only failure. He must face death and a terrifying beast with four heads and six wings before discovering lasting peace.

Anyone could gather a collection of short stories, but I should like to do something different. I might hear a guffaw of jokes, read a bewilderment of mysteries, pull off a mischief of pranks, walk out a pacing of worries, feel a shiver of ghost stories, tell a stretch of tall tales, flee from a stagger of zombies, cast off a compulsion of cares, or make up a squirm of excuses. I hope you find this truly a synergy of short stories!

If you've struggled to understand the finite element method, then you must read this book. I don't cover a lot of theory in this text. It's mostly a compilation of examples. The one theoretical aspect of numerical methods for solving differential equations that I will present is the finite element method. This powerful technique is more often than not buried under a mountain of esoteric details that make it inaccessible to most students of applied mathematics. I aim to reveal, not obfuscate. I trust you will find this book helpful in that respect.Understanding applied mathematics results in a richer appreciation of the world and how it works. Those who see only disconnected objects and forces miss the elegance with which such things can be described in the versatile language we call calculus. Differential equations describe the way objects and forces interact. While there are many analytical techniques for solving such problems, this book deals with numerical methods. You must understand some of the former in order to appreciate the latter. Rather than covering the minutia of every obscure method, this book will focus on what works consistently and efficiently. This is a compilation of examples, not a textbook on theory. I trust you will find it interesting and useful.

Ballad of Oski-Ahessi: Two lovers meet and join their hearts; that is how this story starts. Ships set sail from distant ports; pursuing wealth of endless sorts. Seeking life for royal courts; but leaving death by all reports. Into a land in need of rain; one was born who would know pain. Oski-Ahessi what's in a name? Friend of fauna, friend of rain. Trees and grass spring forth again; she would die but not in vain. Love of money and of gold; thirst for riches wealth untold. Endless youth and never old; could anyone be so bold? Should one survive yet be so cold; or for another's life be sold? Driven onward by their greed; obsession's grasp cannot be freed. Lust the poison's only seed; blood the vine must we feed. Life for life can any need? In the end where will this lead? Cruel men with distant ties; spreading death and countless lies. At their hand the gentle dies; angry shouts above the cries. Her soul the grave will not despise; and with the eagle will arise. The sword leaves a bloody trail; robbing life from the frail. As the hawk upon the quail; man takes life against the pale. Hate is strong in deep travail; in the end love will prevail. One life ended with a gun; riches sought and treasure won. In truth the tale has just begun; heaven's plan no man outrun. And so the two again are one; and destiny will be done.

Efficient design, operation, and maintenance of power and process systems require accurate and effective thermodynamic cycle modeling tools. Many such tools exist; however, the logic and programming of these tools vary considerably, making them more or less practical for differing applications. This book is a compilation of what to do and what to avoid, including the details of how to best accomplish the desired end. All of the data and source code are available free online.

Heat recovery steam generators (HRSGs) are an integral part of any modern combined cycle power plant. These heat exchangers are designed to recover the heat from a gas turbine exhaust and convert this to steam, which drives a turbine and ultimately a second generator. Because the gas turbine operates efficiently at high temperatures and heat is removed down to nearly ambient temperature, the overall efficiency of this complex design exceeds that of conventional Rankine cycle coal-, oil-, or gas-fired systems. These systems can also be operated in simple or combined cycle, increasing flexibility and response to load dispatch. HRSG can be complex to analyze and also difficult to effectively test and prove their performance. This text covers both theory and testing in practice with examples.

Azeotrope refers to a mixture of two or more fluids whose proportions cannot be altered by simple distillation. Azeotropes exhibit the same mass fraction of constituents in the vapor and liquid phases; thus, when boiled, the vapor has the same composition as the liquid. This behavior differs from ideal solutions, where one component is typically more volatile than the others. The azeotrope may have a higher or lower boiling point than the constituents. We study these anomalous fluids because they may exhibit properties that are more advantageous than the constituents. A similar motivation accompanies multi-weight lubricants. In this text we will explore thermodynamic and transport properties as well as applications, including: refrigeration and vapor power cycles.

Evaporative cooling is vital for life and industry. Benefiting from this essential process is as natural as sweating. It's the most efficient means of rejecting unwanted heat. The economy of evaporative cooling has made it the first choice of manufacturing and power production. There is rarely time to adequately address this important topic in a course on heat transfer. Many articles and books present the mechanical and even economic aspects of evaporative cooling. This book presents the computational (i.e., mathematical) aspects. All of the software discussed in this book is available free on-line, including considerable source code.

Nonlinear equations are found throughout science and engineering across a wide variety of disciplines. These are a significant part of applied mathematics and much effort has been devoted to their study and solution. We will consider single and multi-variable problems as well as real and complex numbers. Various theories will be presented, but always with a focus on what works best-that is, the most practical approaches. In the literature of applied mathematics, these are known as robust algorithms.

There are many texts and examples devoted to computer simulation of a single process or component. This text focuses on entire systems. From the earliest days of my career, I have developed computer simulations of various sorts. Many of these have been time sequence based; that is, modeling the response of a system to changes over time. Most often, the source of change has been the environment or weather-related. In this book we explore how to build models, acquire, structure, and extend weather data, perform, and analyze the results of complex simulations. We consider rivers and lakes, hydroelectric, conventional and combined cycle power generation, nuclear and, solar plants. All of the examples are based on actual systems and all of the software is available free online.

Complex variables are not simply a mathematical curiosity or academic exercise. They are marvelously useful tools that can open up new solutions to a wide variety of practical problems. After all, mathematics is far more like a language of logic than a collection of facts and figures. Complex variables allow us to handle many two-dimensional problems as if they were merely one-dimensional. They also help us to see that problems in differing fields of applied science are similar and may even unfold with the same solution techniques. Lessons learned and solutions found in one field leading to applications in another is like mathematical recycling! Join me on a tour of this fascinating field of applied mathematics.

Before the advent of sophisticated programs capable of performing calculus symbolically, numerical differentiation and integration provided a means of solving seemingly intractable equations. Numerical methods can still be an efficient means of solving many such problems, but the real advantage of Numerical Calculus will always be in solving those problems that have no closed-form solution-and these are legion. This book is filled with practical examples, code, and spreadsheets. I trust you will find it useful. I assume that you already have a command of analytical calculus and so I will jump right in to the numerical.

A friend once told me that he couldn't remember the last time he had used calculus. How sad. I can't remember the last time I didn't use calculus. Mathematics isn't just esoteric busywork. It's the language of cause and effect-a description of why things work the way they do. Mathematics connects the dots in the picture that is the world around us. Understanding the mathematical relationships between objects and events will give you a whole different perspective, like seeing color in a world where others see only black and white. Join me on this adventure, in which I will take you on a tour of Living Math.

Accurate, consistent, and continuous thermodynamic and transport properties are essential to the analysis and design of energy devices of all sorts, from power generation to product manufacturing. Articles and papers abound covering various aspects of this important field. Often these are esoteric and omit details on how the process is accomplished. The end result of property research may be inaccessible to practitioners, who would use the information to create and manage the machines of industry. This text is a step-by-step manual on why and how to develop and implement functions for thermodynamic and transport properties from raw data to Excel(R) Add-Ins.

Orthogonal functions are clever tools that unlock many mathematical puzzles. Once you've seen this done and understand how they work, you will find many more useful applications. This remarkable area of applied mathematics supports a wide range of technologies, ranging from CAT scans to satellite pictures from space to unraveling the sounds of the deep. Join me on a tour of this fascinating topic in which we will explore data sampling and approximation in both temporal and spatial dimensions.

While certainly not unique to the power industry, performance curves are central to design, operation, and testing of modern power generation systems, as well as many similar industrial plants. We will develop and apply these important formulations to several types of such systems. We will also discuss and illustrate when these work well and when they don't. The most common use of these approximations is to correct test results and to predict the operational response of complex systems the environment in which they operate. Examples in the text are based on GateCycle(TM); although they apply equally well to any other heat balance code. A mixture of English (U.S. Customary) and SI units are used throughout this text, as is common in the industry.

Tracking particles through a moving field, such as flowing air, ground, or surface water, is not only a powerful computational method but can also provide insightful visualizations. I have employed this process for a variety of problems from airborne contamination, thermal pollution, and contaminant transport in groundwater. I have even used it to successfully model the mixing of fluorescent dye through the confluence of three pumps in order to distinguish the time of arrival at the destination. While the Lagrangian method (based on time as the independent parameter) is most often used, the Hamiltonian method (based on time as a dependent parameter) can be much faster. Both are developed in this text, which includes many examples. Diffusion (spreading based on material properties) and also dispersion (based on local velocities) are derived, implemented, and illustrated in the text. Flow in factures within porous media, essential to accurately modeling karst formations, is also covered.

Propellers, fans, and pumps are an integral part of many machines of industry, transportation, and modern living. The designs are as diverse as the applications, but the theory behind how these devices work is the same. In this text we will consider nuances of design, such a prop cupping, trailing edge truncation, and blade curling. We will derive and apply the formulas in order to design and evaluate the performance of these fascinating devices. All of the software described herein is available free online.