On the role of heat flux in the non-stationary thermal problem

The paper reports on the analysis of experimental thermogram obtained in the process of instant cooling of a spherical solid-phase molybdenum sample by the method of electrostatic levitation. We show that the temperature gradient along the radius of the sample is absent during the cooling of the sample from the melting temperature of T melt = 2889 K. Further, we describe a method for determining functional dependencies of local entropy rate of production, force and heat flux on time. It has appeared, that during cooling of the molybdenum solid sphere the local entropy rate of production and heat flux have identical dependence from time-aspire to a minimum with zero value at approach to ambient temperature (thermodynamic extremum principle). It has allowed draw a conclusion, that in the considered non-stationary problem the heat flux plays defining role unlike the stationary one-dimensional problem in which force is an original cause, and the heat flux results from action of force.