Noun
nonequilibrium (usually uncountable, plural nonequilibriums or nonequilibria)
The condition of not being in equilibrium
The functional order maintained within living systems seems to defy the Second Law; nonequilibrium thermodynamics describes how such systems come to terms with entropy. Ilya Prigogine
The ideas of nonequilibrium order and of the search for stability extend Darwin's concept back to the prebiotic stage by redefining the "fittest.”. Ilya Prigogine
Equilibrium thermodynamics was an achievement of the nineteenth century, nonequilibrium thermodynamics was developed in the twentieth century, and Onsager's relations mark a crucial point in the shift of interest away from equilibrium to non-equilibrium. Ilya Prigogine
In one study, the dhcp phase could be produced without compression, using a nonequilibrium annealing regime with a rapid temperature change between about 400 and 700 °C, confirming the transient character of this samarium phase. Source: Internet
This means that for a nonequilibrium flow, something between 10 and 100 variables may be required to describe the state of the gas at any given time. Source: Internet