This lecture outlines the basis for the entropy generation minimization method, and a series of key applications in power generation, refrigeration, and energy conservation. The lecture begins with a review of the concept of irreversibility, entropy generation, or exergy destruction. The proportionality between exergy destruction and entropy generation is used in the search for improved thermodynamic performance subject to finite-size constraints and specified environmental conditions. Examples are drawn from refrigeration, energy storage systems for sensible heat and latent heat, solar energy, and the generation of maximum power by using a stream of hot gas. It is shown that the physical structure of the system springs out of the process of global thermodynamic optimization subject to global constraints. This principle generates structure not only in engineering but also in physics and biology (constructal theory).
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