Abstract: On the lines of Lyapunov and Malkin theorems of the
stability of motion a comprehensive thermodynamic theory of stability of
irreversible processes (CTTSIP) has been formulated. In developing CTTSIP the
use has been made of the validity of Clausius-Duhem inequality guaranteed by the
second law of thermodynamics which provides the entropy source strength function
as a positive definite quantity in all nonequilibrium situations. Accordingly,
the excess entropy production rate function has been identified as the
thermodynamic Lyapunov function,
The CTTSIP falls in the category of the direct method of Lyapunov whose
application has been demonstrated by taking a simple example of rigid body heat
conduction obeying the Maxwell-Cattaneo-Vernotte equation.
Keywords and phrases: thermodynamic stability in nonequilibrium, Lyapunov stability, irreversible thermodynamics.
