Tools of Finite-time Thermodynamics

Finite-time thermodynamics is the extension of traditional reversible thermodynamics to include the extra requirement that the process in question goes to completion in a specified finite length of time. As such it is by definition a branch of irreversible thermodynamics, but unlike most other versions of irreversible thermodynamics, finite-time thermodynamics does not require or assume any knowledge about the microscopics of the processes, since the irreversibilities are described by macroscopic constants such as friction coefficients, heat conductances, reaction rates and the like. Some concepts of reversible thermodynamics, such as potentials and availability, generalize nicely to finite time, others are completely new, e.g. endoreversibility and thermodynamic length. The basic ideas of finite-time thermodynamics are reviewed and several of its procedures presented, emphasizing the importance of power and rate of entropy production. Finally, its impact on the global optimization algorithm simulated annealing is outlined.