DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF ASME BOILER & PRESSURE VESSEL COMPONENTS IN THE CREEP RANGE
Maan H. Jawad and Robert I. Jetter. ASME Press, Three Park Avenue, New York, NY 10016-5990. 2009. 240 pages. Hardcover and digital book. ASME members, $72; list, $90. ISBN 978-0-7918-0284-7.

This book examines the design of ASME-compliant pressure vessels that are exposed to high temperatures—components ranging from turbine blades to hydrocrackers. Although creep, the continuous deformation of metals under sustained load, probably occurs at all stress levels and temperatures, the authors say, it becomes a serious consideration for the designer of equipment found in such places as power stations, chemical plants, and refineries. The book provides an introduction to the general principles of its subject and cites references for further in-depth study. Recent changes in the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code give a timeliness to the book. The allowable stress values have increased in recent editions of Divisions 1 and 2 of Section VIII. According to the authors, both long-time volunteers on ASME Codes & Standards Committees, the information in their book can guide design engineers in using the new stress levels to upgrade older equipment.

MODELING INDOOR AIR POLLUTION
Darrell W. Pepper and David Carrington. Imperial College Press, 57 Shelton St., Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9HE. 2009. 360 pages. $98. ISBN: 978-1-84816-324-9.

Darrell Pepper of the University of Nevada at Las Vegas and David Carrington of Los Alamos National Laboratory tell us in their preface that the awareness of such phenomena as sick-building syndrome and also the rising concern over terrorist threats have increased interest in better understanding how airborne substances disperse indoors and the risks they pose. The authors say their intention is to give a reader enough information to begin using various modeling tools to study indoor air pollution. Chapter one deals with the nature of pollution, ventilation systems, and numerical modeling of indoor air flow. Chapter two includes discussion of conservation equations, turbulence, and species transport. Later chapters, including one on advanced techniques in numerical modeling, explore such concepts as the boundary element method, molecular modeling, and boundary conditions for mass transport analysis. A chapter at the end is devoted to Homeland Security issues.

INTRODUCTION TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE
Jeff C. Bryan. CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group, 6000 Broken Sound Parkway, Suite 300, Boca Raton, FL 33487-2742. 2009. 260 pages. $89.95. ISBN: 978-1-4200-6164-2.

This is a treatment of nuclear science for non-engineers. It was specifically intended to be used in a nuclear chemistry course that the author teaches at the University of Wisconsin—La Crosse. The class, he tells us in his preface, “is almost entirely populated by nuclear medicine technology majors who need a solid background in fundamental nuclear science, but have not studied math beyond college algebra and statistics.” The author also sees it as “a general primer in all things nuclear” that could inform the general public on the science of nuclear technology. He begins with basics—defining radiation, for instance, and discussing atomic structure—and proceeds to mathematics, radioactive decay, and other topics. He includes chapters on nuclear reactions and types of reactors, which he says are useful for people entering the nuclear workforce.

BUILDING SCIENTIFIC APPARATUS, FOURTH EDITION
John H. Moore, Christopher C. Davis, and Michael A. Coplan. Cambridge University Press, 32 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10013. 2009. 662 pages. $80. ISBN 978-0-521-87858-6.

This book offers an overview of the physical principles that a designer needs to understand in order to make appropriate decisions in the creation of scientific tools and instruments. Chapter one, “Mechanical Design and Fabrication,” includes sections on tools and shop processes, materials, physical principles of mechanical design, and constrained motion. Chapter two covers “Working With Glass.” Chapters are devoted to various classes of apparatus: vacuum technology, optical systems, detectors, thermal measurement devices, and so on. The fourth edition contains new sections on detectors, low-temperature-measurement, and high-pressure devices. It also has updated engineering specifications. The authors recommend the text to practitioners and students of engineering and of the physical, chemical, and biological sciences.

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES MARKETING
Mike Schultz and John E. Doerr. John Wiley & Sons, 11 River St., Hoboken, NJ 07030. 2009. 352 pages. $27.95. ISBN 978-0-470-43899-2.

The authors—co-presidents of a management consulting firm, Wellesley Hills Group in Framingham, Mass.—say the ideas they offer in this book are applicable to firms in engineering, architecture, accounting, law, and all professional services. They sum up their aim in the long sub-title to Professional Services Marketing: “How the best firms build premier brands, thriving lead generation engines, and cultures of business development success.” Chapters deal with such topics as marketing planning, fees and pricing, branding, marketing communications, and lead generation. The marketing planning chapter follows an outline of a seven-step method for developing a plan. The method begins with defining a firm’s goals. The chapter also includes templates of questions to ask about a company’s revenue and marketing performance, and the book offers the reader tips for the other steps, as well. Chapter 16 takes a close look at various methods of generating leads. Tables list the effectiveness of different methods in a study and then the authors take a look at several major methods—direct mail, e-mail, cold calling—and suggest ways to use each one to contact potential customers.

MAINTENANCE AND RELIABILITY BEST PRACTICES
Ramesh Gulati, with contributions by Ricky Smith. Industrial Press Inc., 989 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10018. 430 pages. $49.95. ISBN 978-0-8311-3311-5.

The purpose of this book, its author tells us in Chapter 1, is “to provide knowledge of best practices in the areas of maintenance and reliability, and to implement best practices effectively.” The author, who is the asset management and reliability planning manager at Arnold Engineering Development Center at Arnold Air Force Base, Tenn., begins with basic terms and benchmarks. He introduces the various methods of maintenance—predictive, preventive, operator-based, run-to-failure, and so on. He discusses many of them in detail in later chapters. In a chapter called “PM Optimization,” he argues that many maintenance professionals do not know the origins of their maintenance programs. Many rely on OEM recommendations, he says, or are continuing prior practices. In some cases, according to the author, maintenance has followed the idea that “more is better,” which can lead to overlubrication and replacement of perfectly functioning parts.