Objective
This project aims to determine limits on the efficiencies of thermodynamic systems with dissipation. Such systems include heat engines, refrigerators/coolers, gas and liquid separation, and electrochemical processes. The dissipative terms may be heat resistance, heat leak, friction, heat and mass transfer coefficients, vaporization rates, etc. These limits on the thermodynamic efficiencies for irreversible processes are generalizations of the well-known Carnot efficiency for reversible processes, i.e. for processes of either infinite duration or infinitesimal rate of operation. The derived limits permit generalization of the concept of energy to irreversible systems and estimation of the impact of such systems on the environment.
At present a large number of researchers work in this field of finite-time thermodynamics. Most of the limits derived for irreversible systems have been obtained by the use of optimal control theory. It has been shown that the use of average optimisation, while drastically reducing the computational burden, is still adequate for many thermodynamic systems.
The research will use modern methods of optimal control and new computer optimisation algorithms. Questions to be addressed are: conditions for the optimal operation of irreversible processes; optimal operation of heat and mass transfer processes and of separation processes with given overall flow rate; estimation of the ecological impact of thermodynamic processes with given intensity; and a generalised concept of energy for irreversible systems.
Topic(s)
Call for proposal
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2100 København
Denmark