An Inert Mixture in Equilibrium

The study of transport phenomena focusses on nonequilibrium states and processes. A clear idea of nonequilibrium requires a proper understanding of what states a system will assume in equilibrium. In this chapter we study equilibrium states for a non-reacting mixture in the gravitational field, and the requirements for its stability. The second law is evaluated by maximizing entropy, and using methods of variational calculus. The importance of the chemical potential in the thermodynamic description of processes involving mixtures is highlighted.