Is bigger thermodynamically better?

Abstract

Mixing, in general, is an irreversible process, and some entropy is generated and thus some exergy is destroyed during such a process. Therefore, combining two systems thermodynamically that are at different states may yield a system that is larger in size, but much smaller in exergy content or “usefulness”. In this paper we consider some mixing processes, and show that getting bigger is not necessarily better by examining the effect of mixing on exergy destruction.