Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Offering practical methods and data, this comprehensive guide to process and plant design is based on rules and practices of industry, not theory. It describes the factors and constraints that apply to real-life process design and equipment selection, and supplies cost, property, and other data. For chemical engineers.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

Woods has prepared a fascinating set of statements and illustrations concerning the shortcuts and approximations that experienced engineers can make in their work. The authors and publishers of this text tout it as a textbook for undergraduate students in chemical engineering; however, this reviewer has two major problems with that view: (1) although Woods admirably presents the type of shortcut reasoning an experienced engineer may use in this work, the student does not have such experience and should not be taught such methods unless accompanied by a thorough grounding in basic engineering theory from other courses; and (2) many of the examples and illustrations in this book require reference to the author's companion volume Data for Process Design and Engineering Practice (1995). This is an imposition on the student to have to purchase both books for a complete discussion and analysis of a particular problem or example. However, the information presented in the book is interesting and important for an engineer (whether student or experienced) to know. Thus, the book is recommended for the library of an experienced engineer. It will be helpful for the student engineer provided (1) that there is room in the curriculum for an upper-level design and synthesis course after basic scientific and engineering background principles have been presented; and (2) that the purchase of the two required books does not place an undue burden on finances. Upper-division undergraduate; professional. T. J. Williams; Purdue University