GENERIC formalism

Summary

GENERIC, the "general equation for the non-equilibrium reversible-irreversible coupling", is a framework for the equations of non-equilibrium thermodynamics proposed by Grmela and Öttinger. It writes the time evolution as the sum of a reversible part and an irreversible part. The energy generates the reversible part through a Poisson bracket. The entropy generates the irreversible part through a symmetric dissipative bracket. Two degeneracy conditions make the energy conserved and the entropy non-decreasing. Many models fit this form, including the Navier–Stokes–Fourier equations and models of complex fluids.