Maximum recoverable work for a rigid heat conductor with memory (Q970498)

The linearized form of the Second Law of Thermodynamics and some fundamental relations are examined in order to study the effects of the internal energy in the evaluation of the thermal work. An equivalence relation between states can be defined in terms of the internal energy and heat flux or in terms of the work; the coincidence is proved. The main results of this paper are two equivalent expressions of the minimum free energy for a rigid heat conductor endowed with memory effects. The two formulae are derived in terms of Fourier-transformed quantities. Applying one of them, the case of a discrete spectrum model is solved.