Editorial

Abstract

The first question that springs to many people's minds when they hear of a new journal in the thermal sciences is: Why is another journal being started? Consider this field. The thermal sciences are used in a very wide range of devices and processes, from electronics cooling to heat treatment of metals, from power production to biomedical devices, from chemical processes to alternative energy conversion systems. Different industries and user communities have different needs. Most current journals deal with long-term, basic issues, often largely of academic interest. Frequently, the information in these papers is not presented in a manner that is easy to implement in real applications. Consequently, industrial practitioners and individuals in government labs do not seem to consult many of these journals; rather, they generate the information in-house. There is much duplication of effort, and emerging techniques and technologies discussed in journals often are not translated into practice.