Related papers: Pitfalls of exergy analysis
Exergy is a very important thermodynamic quantity in several fields such as economy, engineering, ecology and yet it has attracted little attention in pure physics. One of the main problems of the currently used definition of exergy is its…
We present an analysis of two thermodynamic techniques for determining equilibria of self-gravitating systems. One is the Lynden-Bell entropy maximization analysis that introduced violent relaxation. Since we do not use the Stirling…
The Carnot engine sets an upper limit to the efficiency of a practical heat engine. An arbitrary irreversible engine is sometimes believed to behave closely as the Curzon-Ahlborn engine. Efficiency of the latter is obtained commonly by…
In a recent Letter [EPL, 118 (2017) 40003], Polettini and Esposito claimed that it is theoretically possible for a thermodynamic machine to achieve Carnot efficiency at divergent power output through the use of infinitely-fast processes. It…
Engineering Thermodynamics has been the core course of many science and engineering majors at home and abroad, including energy and power, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, aerospace, cryogenic refrigeration, food engineering,…
Entropy production rate (EPR) is often effective to describe how a structure is self-organized in a nonequilibrium thermodynamic system. The "minimum EPR principle" is widely applicable to characterizing self-organized structures, but is…
We consider the efficiency of chemical energy extraction from the environment by the growth of a copolymer made of two constituent units in the entropy-driven regime. We show that the thermodynamic nonlinearity associated with the…
We present the relatively less known thermodynamic concept of exergy in the context of ecology and sustainability. To this end, we first very briefly outline thermodynamics as it arose historically via engineering studies. This enables us…
We study the optimal performance of an endoreversible quantum dot heat engine, in which the heat transfer between the system and baths is mediated by qubits, operating under the conditions of a trade-off objective function known as maximum…
Forced convection cooling is important in numerous technologies ranging from microprocessors in data centers to turbines and engines; active cooling is essential in these situations. However, active transfer of heat or thermal energy under…
A unified thermodynamic formalism describing the efficiency of learning is proposed. First, we derive an inequality, which is more strength than Clausius's inequality, revealing the lower bound of the entropy-production rate of a subsystem.…
The second law of thermodynamics can be described as the non-decreasing of the entropy in the irreversible thermodynamic process. Such phenomenon can be quantitatively evaluated with the irreversible entropy generation (IEG), which was…
In the thermodynamic analysis of thermoelectric devices, typical irreversibilities are for the processes of finite-rate heat transfer, heat leak and Joule heating. Approximate analyses often focus on either internal or external…
We discuss the efficiency of a heat engine operating in a nonequilibrium steady state maintained by two heat reservoirs. Within the general framework of linear irreversible thermodynamics we derive a universal upper bound on the efficiency…
The nonequilibrium thermodynamics feature of a Brownian motor operating between two different heat baths is explored as a function of time $t$. Using the Gibbs entropy and Schnakenberg microscopic stochastic approach, we find exact closed…
A major goal of stochastic thermodynamics is to estimate the inevitable dissipation that accompanies particular observable phenomena in an otherwise not fully accessible system. Quantitative results are often formulated as lower bounds on…
Thermodynamics teaches that if a system initially off-equilibrium is coupled to work sources, the maximum work that it may yield is governed by its energy and entropy. For finite systems this bound is usually not reachable. The maximum…
We challenge claims that the principle of maximum entropy production produces physical phenomenological relations between conjugate currents and forces, even beyond the linear regime, and that currents in networks arrange themselves to…
This paper presents an exergy analysis of the whole turbine, turbine cylinders and cylinder parts in four different operating regimes. Analyzed turbine operates in nuclear power plant while three of four operating regimes are obtained by…
We analyze the efficiency of thermal engines (either quantum or classical) working with a single heat reservoir like atmosphere. The engine first gets an energy intake, which can be done in arbitrary non-equilibrium way e.g. combustion of…