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Adapted or Adaptable: How to Manage Entropy Production?
Christophe Goupil1, Eric Herbert1
1Université de Paris, Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire des Energies de Demain (LIED), UMR 8236 CNRS, F-75013 Paris, France.
Entropy (Basel, Switzerland)
|December 8, 2020
Summary
Thermodynamics reveals that system adaptability depends on boundary conditions, not just inherent properties. Optimal efficiency often means zero power, while robust systems balance performance and flexibility.
Area of Science:
- Thermodynamics
- Non-equilibrium systems
- Complex systems
Background:
- Matter and energy conversion is central to physical, biological, and economic systems.
- Understanding system adaptability requires a thermodynamic framework.
- Non-equilibrium systems present unique challenges in analysis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose a theoretical framework for system adaptability based on thermodynamics.
- To investigate the role of boundary conditions in system operation.
- To analyze operating points like power maximization and efficiency maximization.
Main Methods:
- Finite time linear thermodynamic approach.
- Application of Novikov-Curzon-Ahlborn derivation to non-endoreversible systems.
- Analysis of deterministic behavior in quasi-static regimes.
Main Results:
- Boundary conditions critically define system operating points and feedback intensity.
- Intrinsically efficient systems exhibit constrained entropy and dissipation production.
- Maximizing a system's figure of merit can lead to zero power output.
Conclusions:
- System adaptability is governed by thermodynamic principles and boundary conditions.
- Robust systems offer a balance between efficiency, power, and operational range.
- Degrees of freedom influence entropy production allocation for optimized system performance.
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