Keywords
entropy production rate
Onsager constitutive equations
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Abstract
Penman´s well-known formula, also known as a combination formula, for the estimation of (potential) evaporation, was proposed in 1948. The formula reflects a partial interaction between fluxes and gradients. Contemporary thermodynamics—specifically the thermodynamics of irreversible processes, which was rapidly evolving at the time—is characterized by the coupling of fluxes and gradients (generalized forces). Drawing on this branch of thermodynamics—now as classic as the formula itself—I present a framework in which the formula finds its natural place, while also allowing for its generalization.
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