This is Prof. Kostic's Web site being transitioned from the original or Legacy Web(*) - sorry for broken links referring to it! The Second Law of Thermodynamics - Holistic Reasoning and Generalization: The Second Law of thermodynamics is merely describing “natural-forcing in specific and not in opposite direction, or spontaneous self-tendency of nonequilibrium towards mutual equilibrium”, and impossibility otherwise. See also Maxwell's Demon Demystified or http://Maxwell-Demon.MKostic.com Entropy journal - Thermodynamics Section: (2020): Topical Collection in Entropy: Foundations and Ubiquity of Classical Thermodynamics (2020): Editorial: The Second Law and Entropy Misconceptions Demystified. Entropy 2020, 22, 648 * (OR) Special Issues of Entropy journal edited by Prof. Kostic: (2018): Nature of Heat and Entropy: Fundamentals and Applications for Diverse and Sustainable Future See also: Editorial * NIUToday * Dissecting 2ndLaw Challenges [https://goo.gl/cJ56jO] * Comments to Leff's "Key Points" (G)* PPT-XJTU2019 The 2nd Law is not about disorder and probability per se (or any other math or physics 'tools' per se used to describe it), but about spontaneous, forced-tendency (natural process-forcing displacement) of mass-energy redistribution in certain, irreversible direction (process driving force), from higher to lower energy-potential (mass-energy density in space). Spontaneity implies forced-directionality and in turn irreversibility. No spontaneous, irreversible process could ever be completely reversed or undone. For example, the driving force for life on Earth is the irreversible dissipation of energy from the Sun. It is hard to believe that a serious scientist nowadays, who truly comprehend the 2nd Law and its essence, would challenge it based on incomplete and elusive facts. (Thermodynamics is subtle and elusive. Sometimes, highly accomplished scientists in their fields, do not fully comprehend the essence of the 2nd Law of thermodynamics) * As the fundamental laws of nature and thermodynamics are expended from simple systems in physics and chemistry, to different space and time scales and to much more complex systems in biology, life and intelligent processes, there are more challenges to be comprehended and understood. The perpetual, stationary quasi-equilibrium structures (with bounded non-uniform properties within gravity, electromagnetic or electro-chemical fields) are abundant in nature. As “field-charged bounded structures,” sometimes with elusive work-potential, they may provide limited, transient work only, but not perpetual work to violate the Second Law of thermodynamics, as some are misled to believe. For example, hydrostatic pressure distribution in a container, or adiabatic atmospheric-temperature distribution, or non-uniform distribution of other properties in a stationary equilibrium (like a heated adiabatic-container, compressed container, charged condenser, battery cell, fuel compound, etc.). We called the above a “structural equilibrium” (with non-uniform properties), as opposed to simple 'ideal thermodynamic equilibrium' (with uniform properties) see Appendix.
It is critically important to differentiate 'entropy change' (decrease or increase) from 'entropy generation or production': The overall entropy increase, within all interacting systems, due to entropy generation (production), should not be confused with local entropy change that could increase or decrease due to entropy transfer. Entropy may be reduced locally when transferred from a system, but cannot be destroyed by any means, and is always increased within isolated, i.e., all interacting systems, and thus within the universe, due to entropy generation. True entropy is always thermal and universal, since energy is always exchanged in all processes and always dissipated in heat thus generating entropy, and there is no way to destroy entropy.
As the fundamental laws of nature and Thermodynamics are expended from simple systems in physics and chemistry, to different space and time scales and to much more complex systems in biology, life and intelligent processes, there are more challenges to be comprehended and understood. For example, on microscopic scale, Thermodynamics becomes Mechanics or Dynamics (i.e., Molecular Dynamics) and the macroscopic, Thermodynamic Laws are not needed nor apply. See my related comments on confusing and misleading article, "The Common Sense Law of Physics: Entropy, Evolution, and Open Systems" by Granville Sewell. The mass-energy flows at any scale have been, do, and will always and everywhere dissipate energy and generate entropy, as stated by the Second Law, i.e., on the expense of internal and/or surrounding/boundary systems' non-equilibrium. It may appear that the created order or non-equilibrium structures are self-organizing from nowhere, from within an equilibrium (thus violating the Second Law), due to the lack of proper observations and 'accounting' of all mass-energy flows, the latter maybe in 'stealth' form or undetected rate at our state of technology and comprehension, as the science history has taught us many times (see Challenges to the Second Law Challengers). After all, we have to recognize that natural processes do not obey any law we have defined, but the other way around, our laws describe the natural processes within their limits and simplifications, however, the cause-and-effect, fundamental laws of Thermodynamics are so primitive and appear to be valid without exception, thus universal! "Nothing occurs locally, nor globally in the universe, without mass-energy exchange/conversion and entropy production.
To 'scoop' the useful-energy (for use or storage) require forcing by transferring the useful-energy from elsewhere or even more since in part it will be dissipated (converted) into thermal energy with generation of entropy. It cannot be 'scooped' from within an equilibrium alone nor obtained more than transferred, thus resulting in impossible entropy destruction (i.e., a wishful process without due forcing). Violating the 2nd Law is the same as lifting more weight than appropriate with the �mechanical advantage� lever or superseding �thermal (Carnot) advantage,� i.e., any �energy advantage� device: the useful-energy or work-potential (non-equilibrium) cannot be created but only transferred between, with dissipation (thus partially or fully lost with entropy generation within interacting system/s), and only in ideal limit conserved.* Self-generation of non-equilibrium (work potential), from within an equilibrium or beyond its transfer locally, will amount to self-forcing from nowhere, like self-compression without boundary work transfer (a wishful, boundary self-forcing). A process forcing require transfer of non-equilibrium (the two are cause-and effect, force-flux phenomena) which ideally could be conserved, but is always accompanied with dissipation regardless of the amount (heat & entropy generation, i.e., conversion of other energy types to thermal energy). Entropy cannot be destroyed by any means but is always generated (or produced): Entropy is associated with thermal energy-heat and is generated when heat is generated or irreversibly transferred, otherwise, entropy is transferred and conserved in reversible processes, including reversible heat transfer (at infinitesimally small temperature difference, e.g., ideal Carnot cycles). Even when heat is 'reduced' by conversion to work, the entropy cannot be 'reduced' (destroyed) but is conserved in ideal Carnot and reversible heat engine cycles, and generated during any irreversibility (conversion of any work potential to 'generated' heat). The entropy transfer is equal to reversible heat transfer per absolute temperature since work transfer is not associated with entropy (e.g., reversible compression/expansion); thus, entropy is conserved during reversible processes of any kind (Q/T=S=const), generated due to irreversibility of any kind, and cannot be destroyed by any process (no thermal order), since the latter will imply spontaneous generation of non-equilibrium, including from within equilibrium (e.g., spontaneous heat transfer from cold to hot), thus against the spontaneous forcing. [dS=dStr+dSgen=dQrev/Tb + dWloss/Tdiss ] *Reflections* See also Entropy Definition *Images>http://goo.gl/zxg0E(and)*Reflections * * Comments to Leff's Key Points * Click HERE for more details |