Anil A. Bhalekar

Abstract:

In the preceding paper [1] we have formulated a theory of thermodynamic stability which is an extension to irreversible processes of the Gibbs-Duhem theory of the stability of equilibrium states. This theory involves the concept of virtual displacement in the reverse direction on the real trajectory. In this paper the comprehensive thermodynamic theory of stability of irreversible processes (CTTSIP) has been presented that is based on the celebrated Lyapunov's second method of stability of motion in which we have defined the thermodynamic Lyapunov function using the rate of entropy production both on the perturbed and unperturbed trajectories. From the sign definiteness of the thermodynamic Lyapunov function and the behaviour of its time rate of change it gets established that all thermodynamically describable irreversible processes are thermodynamically stable and out of them the processes under the condition of constancy of U,V; H,p; T,V; T,p; etc. get established as of thermodynamically asymptotic stability and are expected to be of exponentially asymptotic stability too.