ABSTRACT
Microfluidic irreversibilities of friction, heat transfer, and electrodynamic transport have significance in the achievement of various technological goals involving microand nanoenergy systems, for biodevices, micropower sources, and other applications (Gad-el-Hak, 1999). Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) have promising applications to aerodynamics, drag reduction, and slow control. For example, embedded surface microchannels can take advantage of local slip-flow behavior to reduce wall friction and entropy production of external flows (Naterer, 2004). In these applications, pressure losses arising from flow irreversibilities affect the power consumption and performance of microsystems. This chapter examines how entropy and the Second Law have importance in the design and optimization of microdevices.
