Closed-loop approach to thermodynamics

Abstract

We present the closed loop approach to linear nonequilibrium thermodynamics considering a generic heat engine dissipatively connected to two temperature baths. The system is usually quite generally characterized by two parameters: the output power $P$ and the conversion efficiency $η$, to which we add a third one, the working frequency $ω$. We establish that a detailed understanding of the effects of the dissipative coupling on the energy conversion process, necessitates the knowledge of only two quantities: the system's feedback factor $β$ and its open-loop gain $A_{0}$, the product of which, $A_{0}β$, characterizes the interplay between the efficiency, the output power and the operating rate of the system. By placing thermodynamics analysis on a higher level of abstraction, the feedback loop approach provides a versatile and economical, hence a very efficient, tool for the study of \emph{any} conversion engine operation for which a feedback factor may be defined.