Apply thermodynamic principles to calculate energy demands in water treatment
Designing energy-efficient water treatment systems requires quantitative methods that most engineering curricula fail to provide. Fundamentals of Energy Analysis of Water Treatment Systems delivers the first dedicated textbook connecting thermodynamic fundamentals to water treatment energy calculations. Charles J. Werth, a recognized authority in environmental engineering with over 170 publications, presents a systematic approach for analyzing energy requirements across treatment technologies.
The book covers the First, Second, and Third Laws of Thermodynamics through the lens of water treatment applications. Engineers learn to calculate internal energy, enthalpy, entropy, and Gibbs free energy for both closed and open systems. Chapters address energy analysis of membrane desalination, thermal distillation, electrodialysis, and electrochemical oxidation processes with worked examples throughout.
Readers will also find:
Energy balance calculations for reverse osmosis, multi-stage flash distillation, and electrodialysis systems with step-by-step worked examples Methods for quantifying thermodynamic efficiency of treatment technologies to improve design decisions and reduce operational costs End-of-chapter problems enabling students to apply principles to realistic water treatment scenarios and energy optimization challenges Modular chapter structure supporting standalone thermodynamics courses or integration into water-energy electives at multiple levels Direct connections between theoretical principles and real-world sustainability goals in water infrastructure design and assessment
Environmental engineers, civil engineering students, and water treatment professionals will find this textbook indispensable for energy-aware design. Whether used in upper-undergraduate thermodynamics courses, a graduate water-energy course, or as a professional reference, this resource provides a quantitative foundation for sustainable treatment system development.
By:
Charles J. Werth (University of Texas at Austin)
Imprint: John Wiley & Sons Inc
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 231mm,
Width: 158mm,
Spine: 25mm
Weight: 590g
ISBN: 9781394377220
ISBN 10: 1394377223
Pages: 416
Publication Date: 29 May 2026
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
List of Figures xiii List of Tables xix Preface xxi Acknowledgments xxiii List of Abbreviations xxv About the Book xxxi 1 Introduction 1 1.1 The Water–Energy Nexus 1 1.2 Systems and Their Properties 4 1.3 Thermodynamic Concentrations, Constants, Units, and Relationships 6 End of Chapter 1 Problems 11 2 The First Law of Thermodynamics and Energy Balances for Closed Systems 13 2.1 Work and Energy Overview 13 2.2 Internal Energy and the First Law 15 2.3 Expansion Work 19 2.4 Heat Exchange at Constant Volume 22 2.5 Nonexpansion Work 26 2.6 Enthalpy 28 2.7 Enthalpy versus Internal Energy for Ideal Gas 32 2.8 Special Case for Ideal Gas with Little Volume Change 34 2.9 Relating Cp to Cv for an Ideal Gas 34 2.10 Adiabatic Changes for Ideal Gas 35 2.11 Standard Enthalpy Changes 37 2.12 Enthalpies of Chemical Change, that is Reactions 40 2.13 Some Other Useful Relationships 42 End of Chapter 2 Problems 42 3 The First Law of Thermodynamics and Energy Balances for Open Systems 49 3.1 Kinetic and Potential Energies of Moving Water 49 3.2 First Law Applied to Steady Flow Devices 56 3.3 First Law Applied to Unsteady Flow Devices 68 3.4 Major Head Losses in Piping 70 3.5 Minor Head Losses in Piping 80 3.6 Pump and Turbine Energy 81 End of Chapter 3 Problems 86 4 Second and Third Laws of Thermodynamics, Entropy, and Free Energy 95 4.1 Defining Entropy 95 4.2 Entropy and the Heat Engine 98 4.3 Clausius Inequality 107 4.4 Examples of Entropy Change for Specific Processes 109 4.5 Entropy Balances 114 4.6 Helmholtz and Gibbs Energies 120 End of Chapter 4 Problems 127 5 Thermodynamics of Simple Mixtures 137 5.1 Chemical Potential 137 5.2 Thermodynamics of Mixing for Ideal Gases 139 5.3 Thermodynamics of Mixing for Liquids 142 5.4 Application of Thermodynamics of Mixing for Water Desalination 149 5.5 What About When We Have More than One Phase at Equilibrium (No Reaction) 153 5.6 What About When We Have Mixtures that Are Reacting in Solution 154 End of Chapter 5 Problems 157 6 Thermal Distillation 163 6.1 Idealized Distillation Occurring in a Batch Reactor 163 6.2 Overview of Multiple Effect and Multistage Flash Distillation 171 6.3 Design of Forward Feed MED System 176 6.4 Defining the Performance of Thermal Desalination Systems 186 6.5 Quantifying Entropy Change During Desalination 189 End of Chapter 6 Problems 200 7 Membrane Desalination 215 7.1 Overview of Water Treatment Using Membranes 215 7.2 Membrane Operational Parameters 221 7.3 Minimum Isothermal Reversible Work of Membrane Separation 228 7.4 Energy Requirements for Desalination Using a Simple One-Stage Reverse Osmosis Module 233 7.5 Energy Requirements for Desalination Using Reverse Osmosis Modules in Series, With or Without Energy Recovery 238 7.6 A More Practical Approach to Design RO Membrane Desalination that Considers the System Pressure Used to Drive Flow 244 7.7 Entropy Losses During Reverse Osmosis 248 End of Chapter 7 Problems 251 8 Electrodialysis 261 8.1 Overview of Water Treatment Using Electrodialysis 261 8.2 Common Terms and Definitions in Electrodialysis 265 8.3 Thermodynamics of a Reversible Electrodialysis Process 267 8.4 Practical Minimum Energy Consumption for Electrodialysis 271 8.5 Designing a Practical Electrodialysis System 273 End of Chapter 8 Problems 292 9 Electrochemical Treatment of Water 301 9.1 Promise of Electrochemistry in Water Treatment 301 9.2 Electrochemical Reactions and Reactors 302 9.3 Anodic Reactions Under Standard Conditions 305 9.4 Cathodic Reactions Under Standard Conditions 305 9.5 Calculating Standard Potentials and Gibbs Free Energy Values for Half Reactions 305 9.6 Full Cell Reactions at Standard Conditions 309 9.7 Full Cell Reactions Under (Standard) Environmental Conditions 312 9.8 Theoretical Current Demand 315 9.9 Actual Current Demand and Current Efficiency 322 9.10 Overpotential and Reaction Kinetics 324 9.11 Energy Consumption for Water Treatment 331 End of Chapter 9 Problems 332 References 336 Appendix A 339 Index 379
Charles J. Werth, PhD, PE, BCEE, is Professor and Bettie Margaret Smith Chair in Environmental Health Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, and at the time this was published is a Program Director at the Department of Energy Advanced Research Project Agency – Energy (ARPA-E). A Fellow of the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors, he served as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Contaminant Hydrology from 2014 to 2023 and has published over 170 peer-reviewed journal articles in environmental chemistry, treatment processes and modeling, and sustainable engineering. He received the NSF CAREER Award, was named a Mercator Fellow of the German Research Society, and served on the U.S. EPA Science Advisory Board.
