This book presents generalized heat-conduction laws which, from a mesoscopic perspective, are relevant to new applications (especially in nanoscale heat transfer, nanoscale thermoelectric phenomena, and in diffusive-to-ballistic regime) and at the same time keep up with the pace of current microscopic research. The equations presented in the book are compatible with generalized formulations of nonequilibrium thermodynamics, going beyond the local-equilibrium. The book includes six main chapters, together with a preface and a final section devoted to the future perspectives, as well as an extensive bibliography.

This book provides general guidelines for solving thermal problems in the fields of engineering and natural sciences. Written for a wide audience, from beginner to senior engineers and physicists, it provides a comprehensive framework covering theory and practice and including numerous fundamental and real-world examples. Based on the thermodynamics of various material laws, it focuses on the mathematical structure of the continuum models and their experimental validation. In addition to several examples in renewable energy, it also presents thermal processes in space, and summarizes size-dependent, non-Fourier, and non-Fickian problems, which have increasing practical relevance in, e.g., the semiconductor industry. Lastly, the book discusses the key aspects of numerical methods, particularly highlighting the role of boundary conditions in the modeling process. The book provides readers with a comprehensive toolbox, addressing a wide variety of topics in thermal modeling, from constructing material laws to designing advanced power plants and engineering systems.

This book presents a broad and well-structured overview of various non-Fourier heat conduction models. The classical Fourier heat conduction model is valid for most macroscopic problems. However, it fails when the wave nature of the heat propagation becomes dominant and memory or non-local spatial effects become significant; e.g., during ultrafast heating, heat transfer at the nanoscale, in granular and porous materials, at extremely high values of the heat flux, or in heat transfer in biological tissues. The book looks at numerous non-Fourier heat conduction models that incorporate time non-locality for materials with memory, such as hereditary materials, including fractional hereditary materials, and/or spatial non-locality, i.e. materials with a non-homogeneous inner structure. Beginning with an introduction to classical transport theory, including phase-lag, phonon, and thermomass models, the book then looks at various aspects of relativistic and quantum transport, including approaches based on the Landauer formalism as well as the Green-Kubo theory of linear response. Featuring an appendix that provides an introduction to methods in fractional calculus, this book is a valuable resource for any researcher interested in theoretical and numerical aspects of complex, non-trivial heat conduction problems.

Nonequilibrium statistical mechanics has a long history featuring diverse aspects. It has been a major research field in physics and will remain so in the future. Even regarding the concept of entropy, there exists a longstanding problem concerning its definition for a system in a state far from equilibrium. In this Special Issue, we offered the possibility to discuss and present up-to-date problems that were not necessarily restricted to statistical mechanics. Theoretical and experimental papers are both presented, in addition to unifying research works. As the entropy itself is the central element of nonequilibrium processes, papers discuss various formulations of the second law and its consequences. In this Special Issue, recent progress in kinetic approaches to hydrodynamics, rational extended thermodynamics, entropy in a strongly nonequilibrium stationary state, and related topics are reported as both review articles as well as original research works.

For the 250th birthday of Joseph Fourier, born in 1768 in Auxerre, France, this MDPI Special Issue will explore modern topics related to Fourier Analysis and Heat Equation. Modern developments of Fourier analysis during the 20th century have explored generalizations of Fourier and Fourier–Plancherel formula for non-commutative harmonic analysis, applied to locally-compact, non-Abelian groups. In parallel, the theory of coherent states and wavelets has been generalized over Lie groups. One should add the developments, over the last 30 years, of the applications of harmonic analysis to the description of the fascinating world of aperiodic structures in condensed matter physics. The notions of model sets, introduced by Y. Meyer, and of almost periodic functions, have revealed themselves to be extremely fruitful in this domain of natural sciences. The name of Joseph Fourier is also inseparable from the study of the mathematics of heat. Modern research on heat equations explores the extension of the classical diffusion equation on Riemannian, sub-Riemannian manifolds, and Lie groups. In parallel, in geometric mechanics, Jean-Marie Souriau interpreted the temperature vector of Planck as a space-time vector, obtaining, in this way, a phenomenological model of continuous media, which presents some interesting properties. One last comment concerns the fundamental contributions of Fourier analysis to quantum physics: Quantum mechanics and quantum field theory. The content of this Special Issue will highlight papers exploring non-commutative Fourier harmonic analysis, spectral properties of aperiodic order, the hypoelliptic heat equation, and the relativistic heat equation in the context of Information Theory and Geometric Science of Information.

Extended Non-Equilibrium Thermodynamics provides powerful tools departing not from empirical or statistical considerations but from fundamental thermodynamic laws, proposing final solutions that are readily usable and recognizable for students, researchers and industry. The book deals with methods that allow combining easily the present theory with other fields of science, such as fluid and solid mechanics, heat and mass transfer processes, electricity and thermoelectricity, and so on. Not only are such combinations facilitated, but they are incorporated into the developments in such a way that they become part of the theory. This book aims at providing for a systematic presentation of Extended Non-Equilibrium Thermodynamics in nanosystems with a high degree of applicability. Furthermore, the book deals with how physical properties of systems behave as a function of their size. Moreover, it provides for a systematic approach to understand the behavior of thermal, electrical, thermoelectric, photovoltaic and nanofluid properties in nanosystems. Experimental results are used to validate the theory, the comparison is analysed, justified and discussed, and the theory is then again used to understand better experimental observations. The new developments in this book, being recognizable in relation with familiar concepts, should make it appealing for academics and researchers to teach and apply and graduate students to use. The text in this book is intended to bring attention to how the theory can be applied to real-life applications in nanoscaled environments. Case studies, and applications of theories, are explored including thereby nanoporous systems, solar panels, nanomedicine drug permeation and properties of nanoporous scaffolds. Explores new generalized thermodynamic models Provides introductory context of Extended Non-Equilibrium Thermodynamics within classical thermodynamics, theoretical fundamentals and several applications in nanosystems Provides for a systematic approach to understand the behavior of thermal, electric, thermoelectric and viscous properties as a function of several parameters in nanosystems Includes reflections to encourage the reader to think further and put the information into context Examines future developments of new constitutive equations and theories and places them in the framework of real-life applications in the energetic and medical sectors, such as photovoltaic and thermoelectric devices, nanoporous media, drug delivery and scaffolds

This monograph provides a comprehensive and self-contained treatment of continuum physics, illustrating a systematic approach to the constitutive equations for wide-ranging classes of materials. Derivations of results are detailed through careful proofs, and the contents have been developed to ensure a self-contained and consistent presentation. Part I reviews the kinematics of continuous bodies and illustrates the general setting of balance laws. Essential preliminaries to continuum physics – such as reference and current configurations, transport relations, singular surfaces, objectivity, and objective time derivatives – are covered in detail. A chapter on balance equations then develops the balance laws of mass, linear momentum, angular momentum, energy, and entropy, as well as the balance laws in electromagnetism. Part II is devoted to the general requirements on constitutive models, emphasizing the application of objectivity and consistency with the second law of thermodynamics. Common models of simple materials are then reviewed, and in this framework, detailed descriptions are given of solids (thermoelastic, elastic, and dissipative) and fluids (elastic, thermoelastic, viscous, and Newtonian). A wide of variety of constitutive models are investigated in Part III, which consists of separate chapters focused on several types of non-simple materials: materials with memory, aging and higher-order grade materials, mixtures, micropolar media, and porous materials. The interaction of the electromagnetic field with deformation is also examined within electroelasticity, magnetoelasticity, and plasma theory. Hysteretic effects and phase transitions are considered in Part IV. A new approach is established by treating entropy production as a constitutive function in itself, as is the case for entropy and entropy flux. This proves to be conceptually and practically advantageous in the modelling of nonlinear phenomena, such as those occurring in hysteretic continua (e.g., plasticity, electromagnetism, and the physics of shape memory alloys). Mathematical Modelling of Continuum Physics will be an important reference for mathematicians, engineers, physicists, and other scientists interested in research or applications of continuum mechanics.