Course content

Topics are the entropy production rates for bulk and surface systems, flux equations in systems with gradients in temperature, concentration and pressure and connected issues. Emphasis is made on transport across surfaces, in the absence of equilibrium. The basic premises of the theory is are discussed, and so is the coupling between interacting fluxes. Coupling coefficients can be large at interfaces. The theory is applied to a number of examples according to the interests of the students, evaporation, electrochemistry, fuel cells, impedance measurements.

Learning outcome

To make students able to put up the entropy production rate for their own problem and use it to define dynamic behaviour of their system.

Learning methods and activities

The course is taught every second year, next time in the spring 2011 (in English if wanted by participants). Lectures (2 hours per week) and exercises (3 hours per week).

Compulsory assignments

• Exercises

Recommended previous knowledge

Basic thermodynamics.

Course materials

S. Kjelstrup, D. Bedeaux: Non-equilibrium Thermodynamics of Heterogeneous Systems. World Scientific, Singapore, 2008

S. Kjelstrup, D. Bedeaux and E. Johannessen: Elements of irreversible thermodynamics for engineers, 2.ed. Tapir Academic Publishers, 2006