Entropy: Esoteric Concept Or Utility Infielder?

Entropy and the second law of thermodynamics are topics which are generally covered in the undergraduate thermodynamics courses in the chemical engineering curriculum, Heat engines and Carnot cycles are often used as examples and, while beneficial to understanding the overall implications of the second law of thermodynamics, do not serve to connect these important ideas to more realistic problems encountered by chemical engineers in other subject areas. The usefulness of entropy and the second law to aid in understanding chemical engineering unit operations is a topic which is often overlooked in the traditional undergraduate chemical engineering sequence.