We develop a consistent stochastic thermodynamics for environments composed of thermodynamic reservoirs in an external conservative force field, that is, environments described by the generalized or Gibbs canonical ensemble. We demonstrate that small systems weakly coupled to such reservoirs exchange both heat and work by verifying a local detailed balance relation for the induced stochastic dy...

It is argued that the chemical potential analogy does not provide useful information on the thermodynamics of photosystems, as the thermodynamic efficiency of an absorbed quantum is not considered. Instead, the approach based on either entropy balance or entropy flux considerations does provide this information. At high thermodynamic efficiencies, primary photochemistry can, in principle, viola...

Thermoacoustic (TA) heat engines are engines which convert heat into acoustic power. This relatively new class of heat engines gains commercial interest, because of their low number of moving parts and high potential efficiency [1]. Especially traveling wave thermoacoustic engines are capable of reaching this high efficiency, because traveling wave engines perform a thermodynamic cycle similar ...

In this work, we present the generalization of some thermodynamic properties of the black body radiation (BBR) towards an n-dimensional Euclidean space. For this case, the Planck function and the Stefan–Boltzmann law have already been given by Landsberg and de Vos and some adjustments by Menon and Agrawal. However, since then, not much more has been done on this subject, and we believe there ar...

−− In this paper, a new procedure for the design and analysis of Heat and Power Plants is presented. In this formulation, thermodynamic solutions obtained by maximizing the plant efficiency are used to find the economic design of the plant. In fact, by applying the Karush-Kuhn-Tucker conditions it is possible to relate thermodynamic and economic solutions. A formal context for the use of thermo...

Thermodynamic concepts have been utilized by practitioners in a variety of disciplines with interests in environmental sustainability, including ecology, economics and engineering. Widespread concern about resource depletion and environmental degradation are common to them all. It has been argued that these consequences of human development are reflected in thermodynamic parameters and methods ...