A geometric description of some thermodynamical systems

Abstract In this paper we show how almost cosymplectic structures are a natural framework to study thermodynamical systems. Indeed, we are able to obtain the same evolution equations obtained previously by Gay-Balmaz and Yoshimura (2019 Entropy 21 39) using variational arguments. The proposed geometric description allows us to apply geometrical tools to discuss reduction by symmetries, the Hamilton–Jacobi equation or discretization of these systems.