On the Analogy of Processes in Thermodynamic and Microeconomic Systems

Abstract

This work states the typical problems in thermodynamic optimization. The authors present an overview of the results of studies focused on the ultimate capabilities of macrosystems in thermodynamics and microeconomics, taking into account the irreversibility of the processes occurring in them. The research methodology is based on adding an entropy balance to energy and matter balances. This allows for the refining of reversible indicators, such as the reversible efficiency coefficient, by accounting for kinetic factors, such as transfer coefficients, which indirectly reflect the size of devices, kinetic equation forms, and others. For processes that use heat energy, the set of feasible solutions within the ‘target flow intensity–energy expenses’ plane is convex upwards and limited. This paper also provides conditions for the minimum dissipation of processes at a given intensity. These conditions define the boundary of the feasibility set. Finally, this paper compares and lists the similarities between thermodynamic and microeconomic systems and demonstrates the ultimate capabilities of an intermediary in microeconomic systems and the optimal parameters of a working medium in thermodynamic systems. These are divided into active and passive subsystems. The latter, in turn, can have finite and infinite capacity (reservoirs).