1.The heat engine, the prime movers and the modern closed energy conversion systems -- 2.The thermodynamic properties of the working fluids -- 3.The Organic Rankine Cycle -- 4.The real gas closed cycles -- 5.The binary cycles -- App A.The fluid machines and the balance equations -- App B.The Exergy or the Available Energy function -- App C.Irreversibilities in the thermodynamic cycles and in the thermal machines.

With the growing attention to the exploitation of renewable energies and heat recovery from industrial processes, the traditional steam and gas cycles are showing themselves often inadequate. The inadequacy is due to the great assortment of the required sizes power and of the large kind of heat sources. Closed Power Cycles: Thermodynamic Fundamentals and Applications offers an organized discussion about the strong interaction between working fluids, the thermodynamic behavior of the cycle using them and the technological design aspects of the machines. A precise treatment of thermal engines operating in accordance with closed cycles is provided to develop ideas and discussions strictly founded on the basic thermodynamic facts that control the closed cycles operation and design. Closed Power Cycles: Thermodynamic Fundamentals and Applications also contains  numerous examples which have been carried out with the help of the Aspen Plus®R program. Including chapters on binary cycles, the organic Rankine cycle and real closed gas cycles, Closed Power Cycles: Thermodynamic Fundamentals and Applications acts a solid introduction and reference for post-graduate students and researchers working in applied thermodynamics and energy conversion with thermodynamic engines.