Joseph Henry Keenan
Encyclopedia
Joseph Henry Keenan was an American thermodynamicist
and mechanical engineer noted for his work in the calculation of steam tables, research in jet-rocket propulsion, and his work in furthering the development in the understanding of the laws of thermodynamics
in the mid 20th century. His classic 1941 textbook Thermodynamics served as a fundamental teaching tool in various engineering
curricula during the 1940s and 1950s.
He earned a bachelor's degree in naval architecture and marine engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
in 1922. After working as a design engineer on steam turbines for General Electric Company, Keenan became an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at the Stevens Institute of Technology
in 1928. In 1934, he became an associate professor of mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
. He was promoted to professor in 1939. He served as Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering from 1958 to 1961.
A major portion of Keenan’s career was devoted to the development of accurate tables of the properties of steam, which are vital to the electric power industry. In 1929, he was appointed the U.S. delegate to the First International Conference on the Properties of Steam; he served as delegate in all successive conferences on this subject through the eighth in 1974.
In 1965, he published the classic textbook Principles of General Thermodynamics with George Hatsopoulos which was major turning point in thermodynamics since Gilbert N. Lewis
and Merle Randall
with their 1923 Thermodynamics textbook. Their now famous version of the second law of thermodynamics
is:
This shows that the second law of thermodynamics can be stated in terms of the existence of stable equilibrium states.
He was a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
. He was award the ASME Worcester Reed Warner Medal in 1955 for work on thermodynmics and the properties of steam. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering
in 1976.
In 2007, an International Thermodynamics Symposium called “meeting the entropy
challenge” was organized in M.I.T. in Honor and Memory of Professor Joseph Henry Keenan.
http://mit.edu/keenansymposium/aboutjhkeenan/biography/index.html
http://web.mit.edu/hmtl/www/keenan.html
Thermodynamicist
In thermodynamics, a thermodynamicist is one who studies thermodynamic processes and phenomena, i.e. the physics that deals with mechanical action and relations of heat...
and mechanical engineer noted for his work in the calculation of steam tables, research in jet-rocket propulsion, and his work in furthering the development in the understanding of the laws of thermodynamics
Laws of thermodynamics
The four laws of thermodynamics summarize its most important facts. They define fundamental physical quantities, such as temperature, energy, and entropy, in order to describe thermodynamic systems. They also describe the transfer of energy as heat and work in thermodynamic processes...
in the mid 20th century. His classic 1941 textbook Thermodynamics served as a fundamental teaching tool in various engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
curricula during the 1940s and 1950s.
He earned a bachelor's degree in naval architecture and marine engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
in 1922. After working as a design engineer on steam turbines for General Electric Company, Keenan became an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at the Stevens Institute of Technology
Stevens Institute of Technology
Stevens Institute of Technology is a technological university located on a campus in Hoboken, New Jersey, USA – founded in 1870 with an 1868 bequest from Edwin A. Stevens. It is known for its engineering, science, and technological management curricula.The institute has produced leading...
in 1928. In 1934, he became an associate professor of mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
. He was promoted to professor in 1939. He served as Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering from 1958 to 1961.
A major portion of Keenan’s career was devoted to the development of accurate tables of the properties of steam, which are vital to the electric power industry. In 1929, he was appointed the U.S. delegate to the First International Conference on the Properties of Steam; he served as delegate in all successive conferences on this subject through the eighth in 1974.
In 1965, he published the classic textbook Principles of General Thermodynamics with George Hatsopoulos which was major turning point in thermodynamics since Gilbert N. Lewis
Gilbert N. Lewis
Gilbert Newton Lewis was an American physical chemist known for the discovery of the covalent bond , his purification of heavy water, his reformulation of chemical thermodynamics in a mathematically rigorous manner accessible to ordinary chemists, his theory of Lewis acids and...
and Merle Randall
Merle Randall
Merle Randall was an American physical chemist famous for his work, over the period of 25 years, in measuring free energy calculations of compounds with Gilbert N. Lewis...
with their 1923 Thermodynamics textbook. Their now famous version of the second law of thermodynamics
Second law of thermodynamics
The second law of thermodynamics is an expression of the tendency that over time, differences in temperature, pressure, and chemical potential equilibrate in an isolated physical system. From the state of thermodynamic equilibrium, the law deduced the principle of the increase of entropy and...
is:
This shows that the second law of thermodynamics can be stated in terms of the existence of stable equilibrium states.
He was a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
American Society of Mechanical Engineers
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers is a professional body, specifically an engineering society, focused on mechanical engineering....
. He was award the ASME Worcester Reed Warner Medal in 1955 for work on thermodynmics and the properties of steam. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering
National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering is a government-created non-profit institution in the United States, that was founded in 1964 under the same congressional act that led to the founding of the National Academy of Sciences...
in 1976.
In 2007, an International Thermodynamics Symposium called “meeting the entropy
Entropy
Entropy is a thermodynamic property that can be used to determine the energy available for useful work in a thermodynamic process, such as in energy conversion devices, engines, or machines. Such devices can only be driven by convertible energy, and have a theoretical maximum efficiency when...
challenge” was organized in M.I.T. in Honor and Memory of Professor Joseph Henry Keenan.
http://mit.edu/keenansymposium/aboutjhkeenan/biography/index.html
http://web.mit.edu/hmtl/www/keenan.html