Energy, entropy, and the laws of thermodynamics

Thesis/Dissertation · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1984

OSTI ID:5868332

Ricou, M P.O.

Some questions concerning energy and entropy seem impossible to avoid. What are these quantities. Do they exist for all thermal systems and if they do, are they unique. Are energy and entropy always positive, is the energy balance equation always satisified, what is the role of the Clausius-Duhem inequality. Any deductive theory of thermodynamics must provide a framework in which these questions can be posed in a rigorous manner. Once that is done, however, a choice must be made. It is possible to take energy and entropy as primitive notions, and to answer some of these questions axiomatically, probably in the affirmative. That obviously assumes their correct answers were known, and hence may be eiter too optimistic or too restrictive. A more satisfying alternative is to state the laws of thermodynamics without reference to energy or entropy (postponing the problem of their definition) and then obtaining the answers as theorems. This is the choice made here. In Chapter I, the entropy problem is studied with Serrin's Second Law as a starting point. Entropy is defined axiomatically (via the Clausius-Duhem inequality). In Chapter II, both the First and Second Laws are stated for noncyclic processes, and a modified notion of thermal system is introduced. The work-heat and accumulation inequalities are generalized to non-cyclic processes, allowing a constructive definition of energy and entropy.

• OSTI ID: 5868332
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

657006* -- Theoretical Physics-- Statistical Physics & Thermodynamics-- (-1987)
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ANALYTICAL SOLUTION
ENERGY
ENTROPY
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES
THERMODYNAMICS