Book excerpt: Summarizes the analysis and design of today’s gas heat engine cycles This book offers readers comprehensive coverage of heat engine cycles. From ideal (theoretical) cycles to practical cycles and real cycles, it gradually increases in degree of complexity so that newcomers can learn and advance at a logical pace, and so instructors can tailor their courses toward each class level. To facilitate the transition from one type of cycle to another, it offers readers additional material covering fundamental engineering science principles in mechanics, fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, and thermochemistry. Fundamentals of Heat Engines: Reciprocating and Gas Turbine Internal-Combustion Engines begins with a review of some fundamental principles of engineering science, before covering a wide range of topics on thermochemistry. It next discusses theoretical aspects of the reciprocating piston engine, starting with simple air-standard cycles, followed by theoretical cycles of forced induction engines, and ending with more realistic cycles that can be used to predict engine performance as a first approximation. Lastly, the book looks at gas turbines and covers cycles with gradually increasing complexity to end with realistic engine design-point and off-design calculations methods. Covers two main heat engines in one single reference Teaches heat engine fundamentals as well as advanced topics Includes comprehensive thermodynamic and thermochemistry data Offers customizable content to suit beginner or advanced undergraduate courses and entry-level postgraduate studies in automotive, mechanical, and aerospace degrees Provides representative problems at the end of most chapters, along with a detailed example of piston-engine design-point calculations Features case studies of design-point calculations of gas turbine engines in two chapters Fundamentals of Heat Engines can be adopted for mechanical, aerospace, and automotive engineering courses at different levels and will also benefit engineering professionals in those fields and beyond.