Fundamentals of energy-entropy methodology in the class of natural engineering systems “Natural Environment – Object of Activity – Population”

Abstract

Purpose: to develop the fundamentals of an energy-entropy methodology based on the results of a systemic relationship between the fundamental concepts of “energy” and its integral shadow – “entropy” in the natural engineering systems (NES) “Natural Environment – Object of Activity – Population” class for the use of water resources in economic and other branches of activities. Materials and methods. Based on the unity of actions of nature and ongoing economic activities, the methodological fundamentals of the energy-entropy approach in assessing the use of water resource efficiency, where the central basic concept is “energy”, are considered, it remains a constant value in a systemic consideration, but while using, it changes its form, and its integral shadow is “entropy”. If we take the river basin geosystem as an elementary part of the Earth’s biosphere, the concept of “entropy” comes from thermodynamic specificity, where its growth rate increases with natural changes in the system, and decreases with unnatural changes. This understanding reflects the second law of thermodynamics in R. Clausius formulations. Results. The relationship between the concepts of “energy” and “entropy” in the use of water resources in technological processes on irrigated lands determines the ordering of systemic interaction processes of three components with their constituent elements as part of the NES, which makes it possible to assess energy-entropy efficiency of using water resources on irrigated lands. Conclusions. The energy-entropy fundamentals for the functioning of an object of activity as part of a NES has been developed, using river flow formed by solar energy flows and transformations of energy forms in the processes of interconnection, interaction and relationships between components in the NES, where entropy reflects a quantitative measure of the connected part of the energy, unable to perform any types of work and changes in the ordering between components with their constituent elements as part of the NES.

Keywords

• energy
• entropy
• river basin geosystem
• energy-entropy methodology
• natural engineering system