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An experimental study on post dryout heat transfer regime in annuli with flow obstacles was conducted in the High-pressure Water Test (HWAT) loop at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden. An annulus consisting of two concentric heated pipes (12.7x24.3) mm, with total heated length equal to 3650 mm was employed as a test section. Three kinds of flow obstacles were used: pin-spacers, cylindrical obstacles and grid obstacles. The experiments performed in the test section with pin-spacers only were considered as the reference case. In two consecutive sets of runs, additional obstacles were placed inside the flow channel while keeping the pin spacers in the same positions. In that way the net effect of obstacles on heat transfer was measured. The experimental investigations were performed in a wide range of the operational conditions: mass flux (500-1750) kg/(m2s), inlet subcooling (10-40) K and system pressure (5-7) MPa. The wall superheat was measured at 88 different axial positions (40 on the inner tube and 48 on the outer tube) for the conditions mentioned above. A local heat transfer coefficient was calculated based on the measured annulus wall temperatures and the saturated fluid (water) properties. The results show an enhancement of the heat transfer coefficient downstream of flow obstacles. The most significant influence has been observed in case of pin spacers. This result is consistent with blockage area of various obstacles, which was the highest in case of pin spacers. The data obtained in more than 200 runs were compared with two pre-dryout and post-dryout correlations. The correlations show a slight over-prediction of the heat transfer coefficient in both pre-dryout and post-dryout regions. The thesis contains a detailed description of experimental procedures as well as an analysis of the results of measurements. / QC 20111024 / SKC: Post Dryout Regime

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Increasing surface pressure buildup levels and surface venting flow rates on intermediate wellbore casing strings provided an opportunity to analyze wellbore field data to determine a distribution of leakage path permeability values. The gas leakage source in the leaky wellbore originated at depth, and formation gas/fluid traveled along defects in the cement to accumulate at the surface wellhead. The most likely pathway is the cement interface with casing or formation. Due to uncertainty about the location of the leak, and the different methods that were used for calculating leakage parameter values, a range of leakage path permeability values was produced. Most leakage pathway permeability values were greater than intact cement permeability (few microdarcies). This finding supports the practice of using cement filled annuli to provide a safe protective barrier against leakage and to prevent gas flow to surface. Proper cementing techniques are presented in order to identify possible reasons for cracks to form. It is hypothesized that the higher permeability values are a result of cracks in the cement interface with the casing or formation. These types of defects could also be found in wellbores that are in communication with CO2 sequestration reservoirs. The risk of leakage along such existing wellbores associated with CO2 sequestration projects is quantified by the distribution of leakage path permeability. The gas migration path through existing leaky wellbores is an analog for wellbores that are in contact with migrating CO2 plumes. Cracks in the leaky wellbores provide a highly permeable conduit for CO2 to migrate out of the injection zone to the surface. By quantifying leakage path permeability, proper leakage risk assessment can be further developed. / text

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The current study characterizes the mechanical and biodegradation properties of a polycarbonate polyurethane (PU) electrospun nanofiber scaffold intended for use in the growth of a tissue engineered annulus fibrosus (AF) intervertebral disc component. Both the tensile strength and initial modulus of aligned scaffolds were higher than those of random scaffolds and remained unaffected during a 4 week biodegradation study, suggesting a surface-mediated degradation mechanism. The resulting degradation products were non-toxic. Confined compressive mechanical force of 1kPa, was applied at 1Hz to in vitro bovine AF tissue grown on the scaffolds to investigate the influence of mechanical force on AF tissue production, which was found to decrease significantly at 72 hours relative to 24 hours, independent of any effects from mechanical forces. Overall, the consistent rate of PU degradation, along with mechanical properties comparable to those of native AF tissue, and the absence of cytotoxic effects, make this polymer suitable for further investigation for use in tissue-engineering the AF.

The current study characterizes the mechanical and biodegradation properties of a polycarbonate polyurethane (PU) electrospun nanofiber scaffold intended for use in the growth of a tissue engineered annulus fibrosus (AF) intervertebral disc component. Both the tensile strength and initial modulus of aligned scaffolds were higher than those of random scaffolds and remained unaffected during a 4 week biodegradation study, suggesting a surface-mediated degradation mechanism. The resulting degradation products were non-toxic. Confined compressive mechanical force of 1kPa, was applied at 1Hz to in vitro bovine AF tissue grown on the scaffolds to investigate the influence of mechanical force on AF tissue production, which was found to decrease significantly at 72 hours relative to 24 hours, independent of any effects from mechanical forces. Overall, the consistent rate of PU degradation, along with mechanical properties comparable to those of native AF tissue, and the absence of cytotoxic effects, make this polymer suitable for further investigation for use in tissue-engineering the AF.

ABSTRACT GENERALIZED COUETTE FLOW OF A HERSCHEL - BULKLEY FLUID THROUGH ECCENTRIC ANNULUS - AN APPROXIMATE SOLUTION Seyidoglu, Tijen M.S., Department of Chemical Engineering Supervisor: ismail Tosun Co-Supervisor: Ahmet N. Eraslan January 2006, 134 pages Generalized Couette flow of a Herschel-Bulkley fluid in an eccentric annulus is analyzed by approximating the flow geometry as a slit of variable height. Besides an imposed pressure gradient, one of the plates is considered non-stationary to take into account the axial and/or angular motion of the inner pipe in an eccentric annulus system. Depending on the magnitude and the direction of the applied pressure gradient with respect to the plate velocity, three separate flow cases are studied in which the velocity reaches its maximum value either within the plug flow region or at the moving boundary. Velocity distributions are obtained for each case by solving the equations of continuity and motion. Volumetric flow rate expressions are obtained by integrating the velocity distribution over the cross-sectional area. At a given pressure gradient, the results indicate an increase in volumetric flow rate with an increase in eccentricity ratio. Criteria for each flow type is developed in terms of a dimensionless parameter &amp / #923 / , which takes into account the ratio of the imposed pressure gradient to the plate velocity. Volumetric flow rate expressions for Newtonian, Bingham and power-law fluids are obtained by considering the limiting values of the fluid index and yield stress. The validity of the equations are checked by considering the slit height to be a constant, i.e., flow between parallel plates. Surge/swab pressure calculations are carried out for Herschel-Bulkley, power-law and Bingham fluids and the results are expressed as a function of eccentricity ratio, radius ratio, fluid index and yield stress. The results indicate that when the fluid index and the eccentricity ratio are fixed, a slight increase in the radius ratio causes a tremendous increase in surge/swab pressure, especially for low values of fluid index. On the other hand, displacement of the inner pipe from a concentric position causes a decrease in swab/surge pressure when other parameters are held constant. Comparison with the literature values reveals the fact that flow in an eccentric annulus can be modeled as flow between a slit of variable height as long as the radius ratio is greater than 0.5 and the eccentricity ratio is less than 0.3. The results for other values of radius ratio and eccentricity ratio can be used as initial guess values in carrying out numerical calculations.

Thermal management and energy input are required to maintain working fluids, i.e., liquefied natural gas, liquid nitrogen, and multi-phase fluids within their optimal working conditions. Increasing a pipes thermal resistance, e.g., utilizing vacuum insulation, is one method of minimizing energy input. A dual-wall concentric pipe employing a vacuum in the annulus, along with low emissivity surface coatings, is an achievable and economically viable solution. In this study, an experimental setup was designed and utilized to measure the air leakage mass flow rate for single-wall unloaded and mechanically loaded dual-wall fiber reinforced polymeric composite specimens. The mass flow rates were used to develop intrinsic permeability coefficients to quantify leakage, and to determine the maximum serviceable pipe length for a mechanical vacuum pump. In addition, thermal resistance equations were developed to quantify the theoretical heat loss, and an economic study was performed to ascertain the viability for three applications. / Applied Mechanics

La stabilité d’un fluide Newtonien diélectrique confiné dans un anneau cylindrique et soumis à un gradient radial de température et à un champ électrique est étudiée. Le gradient de température induit une stratification de la permittivité électrique du fluide et de sa masse volumique. Trois poussées thermiques rentrent alors en jeu : la gravité terrestre créée la poussée d’Archimède, la rotation des cylindres engendre la poussée centrifuge, et le champ électrique induit la poussée diélectrophorétique. L’effet de ces poussées est étudié dans différentes combinaisons, principalement à travers l’étude de la stabilité linéaire, mais également par la simulation numérique directe. / The stability of a Newtonian dielectric fluid confined in a cylindrical annulus and submitted to a radial temperature gradient and an electric field is studied. The temperature gradient induces a stratification of the electric permittivity and of the density. Thus three thermal buoyancies intervene: the Earth gravity creates the Archimedean buoyancy, the rotation of the cylinders generates the centrifugal buoyancy, and the electric field induces the dielectrophoretic buoyancy. The effect of these buoyancies is studied in different combination, principally through the linear stability analysis, but also by direct numerical simulation.