5. Conclusion

In this dossier, we have considered the creation and distribution of entropy in a number of systems and processes from different fields of engineering, with varying degrees of detail. For example, we focused on the optimization of a heat exchanger, taking into account both heat transfer and momentum transfer (pressure drop). On the one hand, this situation is fairly representative of many transfer processes; on the other, it illustrates several important new aspects that broaden our perspective. Firstly, the analytical difficulties: we don't have a rigorous mathematical solution here, and the result is obtained thanks to a few mathematical shortcuts. Secondly, the result shows that, while there is an optimal distribution of irreversibilities, which may depend on certain system parameters, it is not necessarily equipartition. Finally, the notion of optimal distribution applies here not only...