From conservation laws to port-Hamiltonian representations of distributed-parameter systems

Abstract: In this paper it is shown how the port-Hamiltonian formulation of distributed-parameter systems is closely related to the general thermodynamic framework of systems of conservation laws and closure equations. The situation turns out to be similar to the lumped-parameter case where the Dirac structure captures the basic interconnection laws, and the closure equations correspond to the constitutive relations of the energy-storing elements