Introduction and Background

A complete understanding of the behavior of thermofluid systems requires full resolution of the local state. The development and understanding of the equations governing the space-time evolution of processes is the main aim of this book. Classical engineering thermodynamics is mostly concerned with the study of global thermodynamic systems which exchange mass, heat and work with their surroundings, while the interior state of the systems studied is not resolved. This introductory chapter highlights the differences between local and global descriptions. The transport equations for systems and thermodynamic property relations are recalled–they form the relevant background for the proceedings.