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Thermoeconomic analysis of Earth system in relation to sustainability: a thermodynamic analysis of weather changes due to anthropic activities

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Abstract

Recently, a new bioeconomic indicator has been introduced in order to avoid the difficulties in evaluating the process and technologies for sustainability. Indeed, the indicator has been based on the exergy and irreversibility analysis. The aim of this paper is to highlight how this new indicator could be used for the analysis of climate and weather changes. To do so, the thermoeconomic bases of the indicator are developed in order to link them to the thermodynamic analysis of the Earth system. The result is to describe analytically the effect of the anthropic activities on the Earth system, related to the variation of the Earth internal energy. So, this internal energy variation is linked to the increase in the intensity of the present rainfalls, by using the concept of mass of water vapour present in the dry air, used in the thermodynamic analysis of moist air. It is possible to point out the effect on the increase in mass of water vapour in the atmosphere, due to the increase in the mean Earth temperature and the related partial saturation pressure of water vapour itself.

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Abbreviations

B :

Non-flow exergy accumulation (J)

c :

Specific heat (\(\hbox {J kg}^{-1}\hbox {K}^{-1}\))

E :

Energy (J)

\({\mathrm{EI}}\) :

Energy Intensity (J $\(^{-1}\))

F :

Heat power surface density (\(\hbox {W m}^{-2}\))

I :

New indicator for sustainability

J :

Flow energy (W)

\({\mathrm{LC}}\) :

Labour cost ($ \(\hbox {s}^{-1}\))

p :

Pressure (Pa)

\(\dot{Q}\) :

Heat power (W)

\(\dot{S}_{\mathrm{g}}\) :

Entropy generation rate (\(\hbox {W K}^{-1}\))

t :

Time (s)

T :

Temperature (K)

U :

Internal energy (J)

\(\mathbf {v}\) :

Velocity (\(\hbox {m s}^{-1}\))

V :

Volume (\(\hbox {m}^3\))

W :

Mechanical or process work (J)

\(\dot{W}\) :

Mechanical or process power (W)

\(\rho\) :

Density (\(\hbox {kg m}^{-3}\))

\(\tau\) :

Finite time of the process (s)

0:

Environment

ex:

Exergetic

\(\lambda\) :

Lost

Q:

Thermal

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento Energia “Galileo Ferraris”, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129, Turin, Italy

    Umberto Lucia & Giulia Grisolia

  2. Dipartimento Scienza Applicata e Tecnologia, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129, Turin, Italy

    Debora Fino

Authors
  1. Umberto Lucia
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  2. Debora Fino
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  3. Giulia Grisolia
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Contributions

UL developed the thermophysical approach. GG developed the engineering thermodynamic considerations. UL and GG developed the thermodynamic application on whether. D.F. and G.G. developed the green economy considerations. All authors contributed to the main manuscript text and reviewed the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Umberto Lucia.

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Lucia, U., Fino, D. & Grisolia, G. Thermoeconomic analysis of Earth system in relation to sustainability: a thermodynamic analysis of weather changes due to anthropic activities. J Therm Anal Calorim 145, 701–707 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-020-10006-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-020-10006-4

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