Performance of a Simple Energetic-Converting Reaction Model Using Linear Irreversible Thermodynamics

Abstract

In this paper, the methodology of the so-called Linear Irreversible Thermodynamics (LIT) is applied to analyze the properties of an energetic-converting biological process using simple model for an enzymatic reaction that couples one exothermic and one endothermic reaction in the same fashion as Diaz-Hernandez et al. (Physica A, 2010, 389, 3476-3483). We extend the former analysis to consider three different operating regimes; namely, Maximum Power Output (MPO), Maximum Ecological Function (MEF) and Maximum Efficient Power Function (MEPF), respectively. Based on the later, it is possible to generalize the obtained results. Additionally, results show analogies in the optimal performance between the different optimization criteria where all thermodynamic features are determined by three parameters (the chemical potential gap ∆ = µ 1 −µ 4 RT , the degree of coupling q and the efficiency η). This depends on the election that leads to more or less efficient energy exchange.

Linear Irreversible Thermodynamics: A Glance at Thermoelectricity and the Biological Scaling Laws

“…Since then, very interesting work has been carried out in the field [32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42]. In particular, we can summarize findings obtained by describing thermoelectric phenomena using linear irreversible thermodynamics [25,32,41] as follows.…”

“…Since then, many authors have considered this theory as a basis for the analysis of non-equilibrium systems, particularly for biological processes; several authors, have studied different optimal regimes, like Prigogine [20], with his minimum entropy production theorem. Odum and Pinkerton [21], who analyzed the maximum power output regime for various biological systems, and Stucki et al [22], who introduced some optimal criteria to study the optimum oxidative phosphorylation regime, are among others in this area [23][24][25][26][27] who have studied many biological energy conversion processes by means of LIT, analyzing optimum performance regimes.…”

Optimization Criteria and Efficiency of a Thermoelectric Generator

“…The success of the FTT was outstanding in areas as diverse as quantum physics [ 24 , 25 ], biology [ 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ], chemistry [ 30 , 31 ], engineering [ 32 , 33 ], etc. In all of these, the common procedure was to model the different systems by means of the FTT, trying to obtain the optimization criteria that explain the efficiency shown in the real systems.…”

Optimal operation of a three-level quantum heat engine and universal nature of efficiency

“…Extending Stucki's idea, Yan and Chen (YC) treated EP function as their objective function to investigate the performance of an endoreversible heat engine [54]. Recently, EP function has attracted considerable interest and have been employed to study the energy conversion process in low-dissipation heat engines [59,60], thermionic generators [61], biological systems [53,62], chemical reactions [63,64], Feynman's ratchet and pawl model [65] and in a quantum Otto engine [66].…”