Gas hydrates are a solid, ice-like mixture of water and low molecular weight hydrocarbons. They are found under the permafrost and to a far greater extent under the ocean, usually at water depths greater than 300m. Hydrates are a potential energy resource, a possible factor in climate change, and a geohazard. For these reasons, it is critical that gas hydrate deposits are quantitatively assessed so that their concentrations, locations and distributions may be established. Due to their ice-like nature, hydrates are electrically insulating. Consequently, a method which remotely detects changes in seafloor electrical conductivity, such as marine controlled source electromagnetics (CSEM), is a useful geophysical tool for marine gas hydrate exploration. Hydrates are geometrically complex structures. Advanced electromagnetic modelling and imaging techniques are crucial for proper survey design and data interpretation. I develop a method to model thin resistive structures in conductive host media which may be useful in building approximate geological models of gas hydrate deposits using arrangements of multiple, bent sheets. I also investigate the possibility of interpreting diffusive electromagnetic data using seismic imaging techniques. To be processed in this way, such data must first be transformed into its non-diffusive, seismic-like counterpart. I examine such a transform from both an analytical and a numerical point of view, focusing on methods to overcome inherent numerical instabilities. This is the first step to applying seismic processing techniques to CSEM data to rapidly and efficiently image resistive gas hydrate structures. The University of Toronto marine electromagnetics group has deployed a permanent marine CSEM array offshore Vancouver Island, in the framework of the NEPTUNE Canada cabled observatory, for the purposes of monitoring gas hydrate deposits. In this thesis I also propose and examine a new CSEM survey technique for gas hydrate which would make use of the stationary seafloor transmitter already on the seafloor, along with a cabled receiver array, towed from a ship. I furthermore develop a modelling algorithm to examine the electromagnetic effects of conductive borehole casings which have been proposed to be placed in the vicinity of this permanent marine CSEM array, and make preliminary recommendations about their locations.

Gas hydrates are a solid, ice-like mixture of water and low molecular weight hydrocarbons. They are found under the permafrost and to a far greater extent under the ocean, usually at water depths greater than 300m. Hydrates are a potential energy resource, a possible factor in climate change, and a geohazard. For these reasons, it is critical that gas hydrate deposits are quantitatively assessed so that their concentrations, locations and distributions may be established. Due to their ice-like nature, hydrates are electrically insulating. Consequently, a method which remotely detects changes in seafloor electrical conductivity, such as marine controlled source electromagnetics (CSEM), is a useful geophysical tool for marine gas hydrate exploration. Hydrates are geometrically complex structures. Advanced electromagnetic modelling and imaging techniques are crucial for proper survey design and data interpretation. I develop a method to model thin resistive structures in conductive host media which may be useful in building approximate geological models of gas hydrate deposits using arrangements of multiple, bent sheets. I also investigate the possibility of interpreting diffusive electromagnetic data using seismic imaging techniques. To be processed in this way, such data must first be transformed into its non-diffusive, seismic-like counterpart. I examine such a transform from both an analytical and a numerical point of view, focusing on methods to overcome inherent numerical instabilities. This is the first step to applying seismic processing techniques to CSEM data to rapidly and efficiently image resistive gas hydrate structures. The University of Toronto marine electromagnetics group has deployed a permanent marine CSEM array offshore Vancouver Island, in the framework of the NEPTUNE Canada cabled observatory, for the purposes of monitoring gas hydrate deposits. In this thesis I also propose and examine a new CSEM survey technique for gas hydrate which would make use of the stationary seafloor transmitter already on the seafloor, along with a cabled receiver array, towed from a ship. I furthermore develop a modelling algorithm to examine the electromagnetic effects of conductive borehole casings which have been proposed to be placed in the vicinity of this permanent marine CSEM array, and make preliminary recommendations about their locations.

In this study / gas production by depressurization method from a hydrate reservoir containing free gas zone below the hydrate zone is numerically modeled through 3 dimensional, 3 phase, non-isothermal reservoir simulation. The endothermic nature of hydrate decomposition requires modeling to be non-isothermal / hence energy balance equations must be employed in the simulation process. TOUGH-Fx, the successor of the well known multipurpose reservoir simulator TOUGH2 (Pruess [24]) and its very first module TOUGH-Fx/Hydrate, both developed by Moridis et.al [23] at LBNL, are utilized to model production from a theoretical hydrate reservoir, which is first studied by Holder [11] and then by Moridis [22], for comparison purposes. The study involves 2 different reservoir models, one with 30% gas in the hydrate zone (case 1) and other one with 30% water in the hydrate zone (case 2). These models are further investigated for the effect of well-bore heating. The prominent results of the modeling study are: &amp / #8226 / In case 1, second dissociation front develops at the top of hydrate zone and most substantial methane release from the hydrate occurs there. &amp / #8226 / In case 2 (hydrate-water in the hydrate zone), because a second dissociation front at the top of hydrate zone could not fully develop due to high capillary pressure acting on liquid phase, a structure similar to ice lens formation is observed. &amp / #8226 / Initial cumulative replenishment (first 5 years) and the replenishment rate (first 3.5 years) are higher for case 2 because, production pressure drop is felt all over the reservoir due to low compressibility of water and more hydrate is decomposed. Compared to previous works of Holder [11] and Moridis [22], amount of released gas contribution within the first 3 years of production is significantly low which is primarily attributed to the specified high capillary pressure function.

The aim of this experimental study is to investigate the inhibitive properties of polyglycol and polyglycol+KCl aqueous solutions on hydrate formation, which causes serious fluid flow problems, especially during deepwater drilling operations. As the petroleum industry continues to search oil in deeper and deeper seas, the possibility of facing hydrate problems during drilling operations increases because of the suitable conditions for hydrate formation. The main goal of this study is to investigate the hydrate inhibition capacity (thermodynamic and/or kinetic inhibition) of polyglycol and KCl which are mainly used in drilling fluids for shale inhibition and wellbore stability. A high pressure hydrate forming reactor is used to form and dissociate methane hydrate from aqueous solutions of polyglycol and polyglycol+KCl. In total 10 experiments were carried out, 5 of them with 0%, 1%, 3%, 5% and 7 % by volume of polyglycol solutions (Group-A experiments). The remaining 5 experiments (Group-B) had 8% by weight of KCl in solution in addition to the same polyglycol concentrations of Group-A experiments. Among the two chemicals tested for their hydrate inhibiting potentials, polyglycol did not exhibit any thermodynamic inhibition capacity while KCl was observed to have the ability of hydrate inhibition thermodynamically. On the other hand, increase in polyglycol concentration at constant KCl concentration (Group-B) increases the hydrate formation depression capacity of KCl. Polyglycol inhibits methane hydrate formation kinetically. The higher the polyglycol concentration in aqueous solution, the lower is the initial rate of methane hydrate formation (corresponding to first 15 minutes of hydrate formation). On the other hand, there exists a slower change of methane hydrate formation rate as polyglycol concentration increases.

L'utilisation de la réfrigération secondaire permet de réduire l'impact environnemental des systèmes frigorifiques grâce à une réduction de l'utilisation de gaz à effet de serre, néanmoins un tel procédé abaisse l'efficacité des systèmes. Afin de rendre ce procédé plus efficace et viable, l'utilisation de fluide à forte densité énergétique ainsi qu'un couplage avec un dispositif de stockage thermique a été envisagé comme réponse à une problématique industrielle de distribution de froid (climatisation, procédés de refroidissement). Un montage expérimental constitué d'une boucle de circulation et d'un réacteur de formation a été utilisé afin d'évaluer les caractéristiques de charge et décharge d'un réseau utilisant des fluides diphasiques. Cette étude a également permis l'élaboration et la validation de modèles prédictifs (réservoir de stockage, échangeur de chaleur, écoulement) de dynamique de stockage et déstockage pour différents matériaux. Ces modèles ont ensuite été appliqués au cas d'un réseau industriel afin d'étudier l'impact du matériau de stockage choisi sur le dimensionnement du système, sur la consommation énergétique mais aussi sur sa viabilité économique. Ainsi, les résultats ont d'abord montré que l'utilisation d'un dispositif améliorait l'efficacité d'un système et que le retour sur investissement dépendait des scénarios de stockage envisagés. Enfin, une forte dépendance sur le choix du matériau a également été soulevée. / The use of secondary refrigeration can reduce cooling system impact on environment by greenhouse gas reduction, nevertheless this kind of technology reduce the system efficiency. The use of high energetic density and thermal energy storage was considered to improve system efficiency and to answer to industrial cooling process issue (air-conditioning, cooling process or temperature preservation). An experimental set-up composed by a stired tank reactor and circulation loop was used in order to evaluate the charging and discharging dynamic of a cooling district using phase change slurry. This experimental study offers the opportunity to elaborate and validate further models (stirred tank reactor, heat exchanger, flow behavior) to predict the charging and discharging behaviors for various storage materials. Then, these models were used in the case of an industrial system to observe the impact of the storage material or system sizing, energy consumption and economic sustainability. Thus, results show that the impact of the storage device on system energy efficiency and the return on investment depends on storage scenarios. Finally the impact of the chosen material on system efficiency was pointed out.

L’opéron métabolique frz code les sous-unités d’un transporteur PTS de la sous-famille du fructose, un activateur transcriptionnel des systèmes PTS de la famille MgA (FrzR), deux cétoses-1,6-bisphosphate aldolases de type II, une kinase spécifique des sucres (famille ROK) et une protéine de la superfamille des cupines. Il est fortement associé aux souches d’Escherichia coli à virulence extra-intestinale. Nous avons montré qu’il procure un avantage aux bactéries lors de conditions de stress (peu d’oxygène, phase stationnaire de croissance, croissance dans le sérum et l’intestin) et qu’il est impliqué dans l’adhérence et l’internalisation de la bactérie dans diverses cellules eucaryotes, en régulant l’expression des fimbriae de type 1. L’activateur (FrzR) est impliqué dans ces phénotypes. A l’aide de microarrays, une série de gènes sous la dépendance du système Frz ont été identifiés. Nos données suggèrent que frz code un senseur de l’environnement permettant à E. coli de s’adapter à un environnement fluctuant en régulant notamment certains gènes de virulence et d’adaptation à l’hôte. Un modèle de régulation est présenté. / The metabolic frz operon codes for three subunits of a PTS transporter of the fructose sub-family, for a transcriptional activator of PTS systems of the MgA family (FrzR), for two type II ketose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolases, for a sugar specific kinase (ROK family) and for a protein of the cupin superfamily. It is highly associated with Extra-intestinal Pathogenic Escherichia coli strains. We proved that frz promotes bacterial fitness under stressful conditions, (such as oxygen restriction, late stationary phase of growth or growth in serum or in the intestinal tract). Furthermore, we showed that frz is involved in adherence to and internalization of E. coli in several eukaryotic cells by regulating the expression of type 1 fimbriae. The FrzR activator is involved in these phenotypes. Microarrays, experiments allowed the identification of several genes under the dependence of the frz system. Our data suggest that frz codes for a sensor of the environment allowing E. coli to adapt to a fluctuating environment by regulating some virulence and host adaptation genes. A regulation model is presented.

O silicato de cálcio hidratado (C-S-H) é o componente responsável pela resistência mecânica dos cimentos usados na construção civil. Neste trabalho foi caracterizada a evolução da reação de hidratação e as propriedades estruturais das fases resultantes da hidratação da escória de alto forno granulada (EAF). Este tipo de cimento é um potencial candidato para substituir os materiais convencionais, apresentando vantagens relativas ao menor custo energético de produção e a redução do impacto ambiental. Devido à menor reatividade da EAF com água, é necessário a adição de substâncias ativadoras alcalinas de modo geral em baixa concentração. Neste trabalho foi caracterizado o efeito sobre a sua reatividade e as propriedades estruturais dos produtos da reação (C-S-H e aluminatos de cálcio hidratados) de quatro tipos de misturas ativadoras contendo hidróxido de sódio, silicato de sódio e/ou hidróxido de cálcio (CH). As quantidades alcalinas resultantes das misturas usadas nas pastas foram: 5%Na2O, 5% Na2O-2,5%CH, 5% Na2O -7,5%SiO2 e 5% Na2O -2,5%CH- 7,5% SiO2. A técnica experimental utilizada foi a Ressonância Magnética Nuclear (RMN) de alta resolução no estado sólido de 29Si, 27Al e 23Na. Os resultados indicaram diferenças na cinética da reação no estágio tardio (tempos na faixa de 3 dias até 120 dias), na quantidade e nas características estruturais das fases aluminatos de cálcio e do C-S-H, dependentes da presença de SiO2 na mistura ativadora. A inclusão de Ca(OH)2 tem efeitos de magnitude consideravelmente menor sobre estes parâmetros. Foi observada uma correspondência excelente entre as diferenças estruturais observadas por RMN e o comportamento da resistência mecânica do material. / Calcium Silicate Hydrate (C-S-H) is the component responsible for mechanical resistance of cementitious materials. In this work, a characterization of the evolution of the hydration reaction in granulated blast-furnace slag (bfs) is presented. Also, the structural properties of the reaction products is studied as a function of time, during the late period of the process. This kind of cement is a potential material to replace the conventional Portland in several applications, having several relative advantages regarding to energetic cost and impact on the environment. To overcome the less hydraulic reactivity of gbs respect to Portland, it is generally necessary the addition of small amount of alkaline compounds, called activators, to improve the speed and extension of the reaction. The behavior of four different activator mixtures containing sodium hydroxide, sodium silicate and/or calcium hydroxide (CH) were considered, at fixed amount alkali 5% Na2O, 5% Na2O -2,5% Ca(OH)2, 5% Na2O -7,5% SiO2 and Na2O -2,5% Ca(OH)2- 7,5% SiO2. The hydration kinetics and structural properties of the hydration products, C-S-H and calcium aluminate hydrates, were probed by means of solid-state high resolution Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) of 29Si, 27Al and 23Na nuclei. Results showed differences in hydration evolution and structural properties depending strongly on the presence of SiO2 in the mixture. On the other hand, Ca(OH)2 produced only marginal effects on the reaction. An excellent correlation was observed between the structural differences and the mechanical response of the material as a function of the hydration time.

The present study deals with the physical characterization of macrodefect free cements produced by ICI. These materials are made through a specialized mixing technique which incorporates an organic polymer into the cement/water system. The high mechanical strength and low porosity of this class of hardened cement paste had been well documented, however, a detailed characterization of the physical nature of the microstructure had not previously been attempted. Two classes of macrodefect free material were studied, based on Ordinary Portland cement and High Alumina cement, respectively. The porosities of these two materials were determined in their original state and after various forms of heat treatment and conditioning. Samples based on Ordinary Portland cement had a well defined narrow pore size distribution, even after heat treatment, while the High Alumina cement samples displayed a very low total pore volume in their original state, but subsequent heat treatment led to the developement of porosity over a wide range of pore sizes. These fundamental differences in the pore size distributions had significant effects on the homogeneity and reproducibility of the microstructures of the samples. The porosity generated by heat treatment was found to be unstable in the presence of water. In general, reductions in the porosities and permeabilities were observed. This was due to the formation of fresh cement hydrate gel within the pore structure, which caused a shift in the pore size distributions towards smaller pores.

Dans le domaine de la valorisation des dérivés de la biomasse, les réactions de transestérification suscitent un grand intérêt en raison de leur importance pour transformer des molécules plateformes biobasées. L'étude des paramètres clés régissant une réaction de transestérification modèle, catalysée par des solides de type silicate de magnésium, a été menée. L'ensemble des données expérimentales (XRD, XPS, DRIFTS, RMN) a démontré qu'une phase de silicate de magnésium hydraté (MSH) est présente à la surface des catalyseurs les plus actifs. Cette phase, possédant une structure proche de celle d'une argile mais avec des défauts et présentant des propriétés acido-basiques spécifiques, est capable d'activer à la fois l'alcool (sur des sites basiques) et l'ester (sur des sites acides). Ce résultat est confirmé par l'étude cinétique qui met en évidence un mécanisme Langmuir-Hinshelwood. En outre, il a été montré que l'eau coordonnée au magnésium situé sur le bord des feuillets des particules ou dans les défauts présents à la surface des silicates engendre des sites acides particuliers.Par ailleurs, une série de phyllosilicates de magnésium, a été testée dans la réaction de transestérification modèle. Le rôle de la taille des particules a été mis en évidence et les meilleurs résultats catalytiques ont été obtenus avec le talc et la laponite possédant des tailles de feuillet nanométriques. De plus, l'étude cinétique indique que la réaction de transestérification catalysée par la laponite, n’ayant seulement que des sites basiques, implique un mécanisme Eley-Rideal. Enfin, dans le cas de la laponite la dissociation de l’eau sur les sites basiques empoissonne la réaction. / In the field of biomass derivatives valorisation, transesterification reactions have attracted numerous interest due to its importance to transform platform molecules. A study of the parameters governing the reactivity of magnesium silicate based catalyst in a model transesterification reaction was thoroughly undertaken. The set of experimental data (XRD, XPS, DRIFTS, NMR) demonstrated that a magnesium silicate hydrate (MSH) phase is formed at the surface of the most active silicates. It is thus concluded that this active phase, presented a clay-like structure with defects and specific acido-basic properties, is able to activate together the alcohol (over base sites) and the ester (over acid sites). This result fits with the kinetic study that implies the Langmuir-Hinshelwood mechanism. Moreover, the acid sites were revealed that are created from the water coordinated to magnesium located on the edge of the clay-like particles or in the defects present in the silicate layer.Besides, a series of phyllosilicates having the similar structure with MSH, were tested in the model transesterification reaction. The influence of the particles size was investigated and the best catalytic performances were obtained with talc and laponite with nanosheets. In addition, kinetic study indicates that the transesterification reaction on the laponite, with purely basic sites, undergoes Eley-Rideal mechanism. Finally, unlike the positive role of water on the formation of acid sites in MSH, on laponite, the dissociation of the water on basic sites poisons the reaction.

La cristallisation en solution est une opération unitaire essentielle du génie chimique. Les conditions opératoires dans lesquelles cette opération est menée déterminent sa productivité et la qualité des cristaux produits, par le biais de l’influence qu’elles ont sur les cinétiques de germination et de croissance. De nombreuses études ont mis en évidence que les conditions d’écoulement influencent significativement ces deux cinétiques. Néanmoins, une compréhension profonde de la nature de cette influence n’a, à l’heure actuelle, pas encore été atteinte. Ceci cause bien souvent des problèmes tant au niveau du procédé que du produit et a également pour conséquence que l’effet des conditions d’écoulement sur les cinétiques de cristallisation est rarement exploité de manière à en tirer le meilleur avantage.La première partie de ce travail a été consacrée à l’étude de l’effet des conditions d’écoulement sur les cinétiques de cristallisation en solution (germination et croissance), avec pour cas pratique la cristallisation d’hydrates de dioxyde de carbone (CO2), une solution émergeante pour la capture et la séquestration du CO2 (gaz à effet de serre majeur).De manière à étudier l’impact des conditions d’écoulement sur le taux de formation des hydrates de CO2, des expériences de formation d’hydrates de CO2 ont été réalisées dans un réacteur de type cuve agitée de 20 L mis en œuvre de manière semi-continue dans des conditions d’écoulement variées, produites à l’aide de trois mobiles d’agitations différents (une turbine à pales inclinées, un MaxblendTM et un DispersimaxTM) opérés à différentes vitesses de rotations. Un modèle mathématique original de l'ensemble du processus de formation des hydrates de CO2 attribuant une résistance à chacune de ses étapes constitutives a été établi. Pour chaque condition expérimentale, le taux de formation est mesuré et l’étape limitante est déterminée sur base de la valeur des différentes résistances. Les trois mobiles d’agitations étudiés sont comparés relativement à leur efficacité et, pour chaque mobile, l’influence de la vitesse de rotation sur l’étape limitante est discutée. En l’occurrence, il est montré que des limitations dues aux transferts de chaleur peuvent se produire à l'échelle relativement petite utilisée dans cette étude.L’étude de l’impact des conditions d’écoulement sur la cinétique de germination des hydrates de CO2 s’est concentrée sur la caractérisation de l’effet du taux de cisaillement sur le temps d’induction associé à cette formation (proportionnel à cette cinétique). Cette étude a été basée sur la réalisation de mesure de temps d’induction au cours d’expériences de formation d’hydrates de gaz, utilisant le système CO2-H2O-tetrahydrofuran comme système modèle, réalisées dans un réacteur de type Couette-Taylor. L’application, à la phase liquide dans laquelle prend place la formation des hydrates de gaz, de différents taux de cisaillement (entre 50 et 300 s-1), maintenus constants tout au long de l’expérience de formation, a révélé que le temps d’induction moyen diminuait significativement lorsque le taux de cisaillement appliqué à la phase liquide augmentait. Il a été montré que cette diminution peut être principalement attribuée à une diminution du temps nécessaire à l’apparition de germes stables d’hydrates et à leurs croissances jusqu’à une taille macroscopiquement détectable. Il a également été montré que le temps d’induction moyen peut également être significativement réduit par l’application, à la phase liquide, d’un haut taux de cisaillement (900 s-1) durant une période relativement courte et définie.La seconde partie de ce travail a été dédiée au développement d’une stratégie permettant d’améliorer le contrôle des procédés de cristallisation de substances pouvant cristalliser sous plusieurs formes cristallines, et ce, relativement à la forme cristalline générée au cours et à l’issue de ces procédés. Le cas pratique de cette partie du travail est le développement d’un procédé de cristallisation en solution par refroidissement en mode batch d’un principe actif, récemment développé par la société pharmaceutique UCB, présentant deux formes cristallines connues. La robustesse et la reproductibilité de ce procédé vis-à-vis de la production de la forme cristalline d’intérêt et de la prévention de l’occurrence d’un phénomène de prise en masse, dû à une formation massive de cristaux de la forme cristalline indésirable, sont deux impératifs ayant guidés son développement.Le procédé qui a été envisagé dans le cadre de la deuxième partie de ce travail est basé sur la production de semences cristallines de forme I (la forme d’intérêt) par germination primaire au sein d’un réacteur tubulaire suivie d’une croissance de ces semences en milieu agité contrôlé en température. Les propriétés particulières de l’écoulement mis en œuvre au sein du réacteur tubulaire permettent d’y contrôler finement l’allure des champs de température et de concentration (et donc de sursaturation) et, de manière inédite, de circonscrire l’apparition de cristaux à la partie centrale de l’écoulement (afin de prévenir tout risque d’incrustation de la paroi interne du réacteur). Les expériences réalisées dans ce travail montrent que, associé aux conditions expérimentales utilisées, ce dispositif permet de produire des semences cristallines de forme I de manière reproductible. Elles montrent également qu’un contrôle adéquat des conditions initiales dans lesquelles les semences cristallines de forme I sont amenées à croitre ainsi que du taux de refroidissement utilisé pour entretenir cette croissance permet de garantir que celle-ci se déroule sans que le phénomène de prise en masse ne prenne place. Il est mis en évidence que ce contrôle repose sur la prévention de toute formation indésirable de cristaux de forme II par un maintient, en tout temps, d’un niveau de sursaturation ne dépassant pas une valeur critique donnée. Enfin, ces expériences montrent aussi que le type d’agitation utilisée dans ce travail n’a pas d’influence sur l’occurrence de la prise en masse mais a une influence majeure sur l’état de surface, la taille moyenne et la distribution en taille des cristaux produits. / Solution crystallization is an essential unit operation in the chemical engineering field. Through their effect on the nucleation and growth kinetics, the operating conditions of such an operation determine its productivity and the quality of the produced crystals. An important number of studies have shown that the flow conditions have a significant influence on these two kinetics. Nonetheless, a deep understanding of the nature of this effect is still lacking, which often leads to severe difficulties in the development and operation of crystallization processes and impedes the emergence of positive applications of this effect.The first part of this work has been dedicated to the study of the effect of the flow conditions on the solution crystallization kinetics (nucleation and growth). Carbon dioxide (CO2) hydrate crystallization, an emerging method for the separation and capture of CO2, was used as a practical case.CO2 hydrate formation experiments have been performed in a 20 L semi-batch stirred tank reactor using three different impellers (a down-pumping pitched blade turbine, a Maxblend™, and a Dispersimax™) at various rotational speeds to examine the impact of the flow conditions on the CO2 hydrate formation rate. An original mathematical model of the CO2 hydrate formation process that assigns a resistance to each of its constitutive steps has been established. For each experimental condition, the formation rate is measured and the rate-limiting step is determined on the basis of the respective values of the resistances. The efficiencies of the three considered impellers are compared and, for each impeller, the influence of the rotational speed on the rate-limiting step is discussed. For instance, it is shown that a formation rate limitation due to heat transfer can occur at the relatively small scale used to perform our experiments.The investigation of the impact of the flow conditions on the nucleation kinetics of CO2 hydrates was focused on the characterization of the effect of the fluid shear rate on the induction time of gas hydrate formation (proportional to this kinetics). This study was based on induction time measurements during gas hydrate formation experiments, using the CO2-H2O-tetrahydrofuran system as model system, realized in a Couette-Taylor reactor. The investigation of the effect of the application of a constant shear rate (50 to 300 s-1) to the liquid phase from which the hydrates are formed revealed that the mean induction time decreases significantly as the applied shear rate increases. This could primarily be attributed to a decrease in the time required for stable gas hydrate nuclei to be generated and to grow to a macroscopically detectable size. The induction time could also be significantly reduced by the application of a high shear rate (900 s-1) to the liquid phase for a relatively short, defined period of time.The second part of this work has been dedicated to the development of a strategy for the improvement of the control of crystallization processes involving compounds able to crystallize under several crystalline forms, relatively to the crystalline form generated during and at the end of these processes. The strategy examined in this work was applied to the development of a batch cooling solution crystallization process of an active pharmaceutical ingredient, recently developed by the pharmaceutical company UCB, exhibiting two known crystalline forms. The robustness and the reproducibility of this process relatively to production of the desired crystalline form produced and the prevention of caking, due to the massive formation of crystals of the undesired crystalline form, were the two main priorities that have driven its development.The process considered in the second part of this work is based on the production of form I (the desired form) crystalline seeds through nucleation in a tubular reactor followed by the growth of these seeds in an agitated medium controlled in temperature. The particular properties of the flow conditions in the tubular reactor enable the temperature and the concentration fields, and therefore the supersaturation field, to be finely tuned and, in an original manner, to confine the emergence of new crystals in the center part of the flow (to prevent any fouling of the inner surface of the reactor). The experiments performed in this work showed that, coupled to the experimental conditions used, this device enables to reproducibly generate form I crystalline seeds. The experiments also revealed that a proper control of the initial conditions in which these seeds are brought to grow and of the cooling rate used to sustain this growth allows ensuring that this growth takes place without caking. It is shown that such a control lies on the inhibition of the formation of undesired form II crystals by keeping, at all times, the supersaturation level under a defined critical value. Finally, the experiments showed that the type of agitation used in this work does not influence the occurrence of caking but has a significant impact on the crystals surface quality, mean size, and size distribution. / Doctorat en Sciences de l'ingénieur et technologie / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished