Successful deposition of thick copper coatings on low carbon steel is a challenge for the Cold Gas Dynamic Spray (CGDS) process if one is to avoid the use of helium as the process gas for the initial pre-coat layer. The issue stems from the presence of accumulated residual stresses, which causes delamination of the weakly bonded coating. Even after exploring different deposition parameters, several copper powders and various steel substrate preparations, copper coating delamination still occurs. The purpose of the current study is to produce copper coatings using only nitrogen as the process gas, while avoiding delamination of the deposited material. To this end, the current work focuses on the study of the effect of steel substrate temperature on particle deposition and adhesion processes. Steel substrates were heated to temperatures between 25°C and 600°C using induction heating and laser. Once the substrate reached the desired temperature, three different copper particle sizes were deposited using the CGDS process. Individual particle impact tests (wipe-tests) were performed to characterize bonded particles and craters from rebounded particles. Further analysis was performed by extracting particles from the surface to understand the effect of substrate temperature and particle size on the particle/substrate deformation and bonding processes. Mechanical adhesion prediction modeling at substrate preheated was also performed to obtain a greater understanding of the bonding mechanism. This prediction is in order to compare with the coating developed with a bond layer coating with helium as process gas and then build the rest of the coating with nitrogen. The experimental results show a significant trend as the substrate temperature increases, indicating proper conditions for enhanced adhesion.

In recent years, there is a rapid growing interest in the use of biomethane for the transport sector. A new method of combining anaerobic digestion and biomass gasification is proposed.The feasibility study shows that more biomethane can be produced; resulting in an increase in the revenue compared to individual biogas plants. The GoBiGas project,which is initiated by Göteborg Energi, adopted another method based on gasification, water gas shift and methanation to enable biomethane production from forest residue. The aim of the present study is to investigate the economic viability of the new method when compared with the GoBiGas (Gothenburg Biomass Gasification) process. For this study, a model of GoBiGas process was developed in Aspen Plus to perform the technical analysis, in which the overall efficiency and exergy efficiency were calculated at different moisture contents of biomass. For the economic analysis, the annual revenue was also estimated during the study. The results show that the overall efficiency of the new method is higher than the efficiency of the GoBiGas process and there is more production of biomethane from the new process.

The cold gas dynamic spray process developed in the middle of the 80’s reached the industrial stage in development. Even so, many scientific investigations still go on. The nature of the bond between the coating and the substrate is the subject of some controversy. The development of the process will be improved by understanding how the properties of the powder and the mechanical properties of the substrate influence the bonding process. This study analyses the basic dynamics of the process when copper is sprayed. • The one dimensional isentropic model of the gas behaviour in a Laval type nozzle allows evaluating the effect of the gas stagnation pressure P0 and temperature T0 on the impact velocity and temperature of the powder particle. • The analysis of single splats on two substrates (aluminium and steel) shows the influence of the substrate on the deformation of single particles and the influence of the impact speed on the impact shape. • Coatings are made of with powders with a specific size distribution. Two copper powders with a different size distribution are compared based on the deposition efficiency (D.E.) and the mechanical properties of the coating. The mechanical properties tested are the microhardness, the bond strength and the nanohardness. • X-ray diffraction will show that the two powders have an initial very different microstructure. The consequence of this is a different deformation mechanism during the coating build up. • An Auger analysis of the interface has shown the presence of diffusion zone when copper was sprayed on the Al and TA6V substrate. It appears that the size distribution will determine the final impact conditions of the powder. The microstructure of the powder and the oxide content of the powder yield different deformation processes and may explain the differences in D.E. and mechanical properties. The Auger analysis of the interface has yielded diffusion zone that were not expected but some mechanisms under impact loading can explain their presence./ Le procédé de projection thermique à froid a été développé dans le milieu des années 80 et il arrive au stade industriel. Néanmoins, plusieurs développements scientifiques sont encore en cours. La nature du lien entre la poudre et le substrat est toujours l’objet de certaines controverses. Le développement futur du procédé nécessite une bonne compréhension de l’influence de la poudre et des propriétés du substrat sur le mécanisme d’adhérence. Cette étude va mettre en évidence les principaux facteurs influençant la projection de cuivre. • Le modèle unidimensionnel isentropique du gaz parfait dans une buse convergente/ divergente permet de déterminer l’influence de la pression de stagnation et de la température de stagnation sur la vitesse et la température d’impact des particules de poudre. • L’analyse d’impact unique sur les substrats d’acier et d’alliage d’Al (AA2014) montre l’influence du substrat sur la déformation des particules de poudre. La vitesse d’impact a une conséquence importante sur la forme d’une particule projetée sur une surface. . • Les revêtements sont fabriqués à partir de poudre avec une granulométrie donnée. Deux poudres avec une distribution de taille différente sont comparées par leur rendement de déposition et les propriétés mécaniques des revêtements obtenus. Les propriétés mécaniques testées sont la microdureté, l’adhérence et la nanodureté. • La diffraction par rayons-X montre que les deux poudres ont initialement une microstructure très différente. Lors de l’impact, les deux poudres vont se déformer de manière différente et ceci se traduit dans la microstructure. • La spectroscopie Auger montre qu’une zone de diffusion s’est formée à l’interface entre le cuivre et les deux substrats d’Al et de TA6V. La distribution de taille des poudres a une influence considérable sur la vitesse et la température d’impact des particules de poudres mais il apparaît que d’autres facteurs ont aussi énormément d’influence. Le taux d’oxyde dans la poudre a une influence très importante sur le rendement et l’adhérence du dépôt. Les deux poudres projetées ont une microstructure initiale très différente et ceci se traduit par une déformation différente des particules de poudre dans le revêtement.

The majority of the structural weight of many common commercial aircrafts is composed of high strength aluminum alloys. The properties of high performance aluminum alloys such as a high strength to weight ratio (specific strength), ease of recycling, crash energy absorption capacity, and corrosion resistance make them ideal for use in the aerospace field. As a result of the high performance nature of the parts and specific properties of the materials, manufacturing requires intricate casting, precision machining, and specific heat treatments – which results in expensive components. As a result of its excellent corrosion resistance properties, pure aluminum coatings are commonly used in the aerospace field for corrosion protection of steel, aluminum alloy components, and titanium alloy components. The common method to deposit these coatings is called ion vapour deposition (IVD). These IVD aluminum coatings provide the coating adhesion, coverage, thickness, and corrosion resistance required to protect the part. The present study was motivated by the potential use of the cold gas dynamic spray (CGDS) process to repair a) damaged aluminum alloy aerospace parts and b) damaged pure aluminum IVD coatings. The primary research objective was to successfully produce these repairs using commercially available aluminum alloy feedstock powders deposited with commercially available CGDS equipment. This work was treated as prequalification work for The Boeing Company to commercialize this process and therefore the repairs aim to meet the same standards (military and industrial) required of the original aluminum alloy parts and IVD aluminum coatings. The use of CGDS was shown in this research to be a very promising as a process for the restoration of aluminum alloy aerospace components. The adhesion strength of the repaired aluminum components was found to be well above the accepted range for thermally sprayed repairs according to industrial standards. The repairs were subjected to a highly corrosive environment and showed only minor pitting. These sites could be reduced in the future with improved machining techniques and attention to surface detail prior to exposure to the salt fog. The only requirement that the repaired components did not meet was for the wear properties of the anodized layer, measured thought Taber abrasion testing. The results of this test, at times, approached the desired values, and it is believed that, in the future, the quality and consistency of the coatings could be improved and the test would meet industrial standards. The results of this research show that the use of CGDS as a process for the restoration of damaged aluminum IVD coatings is possible and is a promising alternative to conventional methods. The CGDS coatings were scrutinized to the same level as required of IVD coatings when they replaced toxic cadmium coatings in the late 1980s. The coating adhesion, demonstrated through glass bead abrasion and strip rupture testing, was shown to meet the current industrial standards. The corrosion testing of the repairs resulted in no visible red rust of the steel components, even when the steel was exposed.

A three-rotational degree of freedom attitude control system has been developed for the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s INSPIRE Project by the Texas Spacecraft Laboratory at The University of Texas at Austin. Using 3D plastic printing manufacturing techniques, a cold gas thruster system was created in order to detumble and maintain the attitude of two 3U CubeSats traveling through interplanetary space. A total of four thruster units were produced, including two engineering designs and two flight units. The units feature embedded sensors and millisecond level thrust control while using an inert, commercially-available refrigerant as a propellant. The thrust, minimum impulse bit, and specific impulse performance of the cold gas units was characterized using a ballistic pendulum test stand within a microtorr vacuum chamber. A heating element was used to change the temperature conditions of the propellant and determine the relationship between temperature and performance. The flight units were delivered in January of 2014 and the INSPIRE satellites are expected to launch in the upcoming year. / text

The present research project is carried out at the von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics (Rhode-Saint-Genèse, Belgium) with the financial support of the European Space Agency. The first stage of spacecrafts (e.g. Ariane 5, Vega, Shuttle) generally consists of large solid propellant rocket motors (SRM), which often consist of segmented structure and incorporate a submerged nozzle. During the combustion, the regression of the solid propellant surrounding the nozzle integration part leads to the formation of a cavity around the nozzle lip. The propellant combustion generates liquefied alumina droplets coming from chemical reaction of the aluminum composing the propellant grain. The alumina droplets being carried away by the hot burnt gases are flowing towards the nozzle. Meanwhile the droplets may interact with the internal flow. As a consequence, some of the droplets are entrapped in the cavity forming an alumina puddle (slag) instead of being exhausted through the throat. This slag reduces the performances. The aim of the present study is to characterize the slag accumulation process in a simplified model of the MPS P230 motor using primarily optical experimental techniques. Therefore, a 2D-like cold-gas model is designed, which represents the main geometrical features of the real motor (presence of an inhibitor, nozzle and cavity) and allows to approximate non-dimensional parameters of the internal two-phase flow (e.g. Stokes number, volume fraction). The model is attached to a wind-tunnel that provides quasi-axial flow (air) injection. A water spray device in the stagnation chamber realizes the models of the alumina droplets, which are accumulating in the aft-end cavity of the motor. To be able to carry out experimental investigation, at first the the VKI Level Detection and Recording(LeDaR) and Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) measurement techniques had to be adapted to the two-phase flow condition of the facility. A parametric liquid accumulation assessment is performed experimentally using the LeDaR technique to identify the influence of various parameters on the liquid deposition rate. The obstacle tip to nozzle tip distance (OT2NT) is identified to be the most relevant, which indicates how much a droplet passing just at the inhibitor tip should deviate transversally to leave through the nozzle and not to be entrapped in the cavity. As LeDaR gives no indication of the driving mechanisms, the flow field is analysed experimentally, which is supported by numerical simulations to understand the main driving forces of the accumulation process. A single-phase PIV measurement campaign provides detailed information about the statistical and instantaneous flow structures. The flow quantities are successfully compared to an equivalent 3D unsteady LES numerical model. Two-phase flow CFD simulations suggest the importance of the droplet diameter on the accumulation rate. This observation is confirmed by two-phase flow PIV experiments as well. Accordingly, the droplet entrapment process is described by two mechanisms. The smaller droplets (representing a short characteristic time) appear to follow closely the air-phase. Thus, they may mix with the air-phase of the recirculation region downstream the inhibitor and can be carried into the cavity. On the other hand, the large droplets (representing a long characteristic time) are not able to follow the air-phase motion. Consequently, a large mean velocity difference is found between the droplets and the air-phase using the two-phase flow measurement data. Therefore, due to the inertia of the large droplets, they may fall into the cavity in function of the OT2NT and their velocity vector at the level of the inhibitor tip. Finally, a third mechanism, dripping is identified as a contributor to the accumulation process. In the current quasi axial 2D-like set-up large drops are dripping from the inhibitor. In this configuration they are the main source of the accumulation process. Therefore, additional numerical simulations are performed to estimate the importance of dripping in more realistic configurations. The preliminary results suggest that dripping is not the main mechanism in the real slag accumulation process. However, it may still lead to a considerable contribution to the final amount of slag.

The present thesis is devoted to quantum simulation of strongly interacting systems of ultra-cold atoms in optical lattices. It is a theoretical work which focuses on the possibility to employ strong time-periodic forcing for the coherent control of these system. This form of quantum engineering is called Floquet engineering. Experimentally, time-periodic forcing has been successfully applied to realize a variety of physical models and phenomena, especially in the regime of weak interactions. We describe two novel proposals for interesting phenomena in the regime of strong interactions that rely on lattice shaking: melting of a Mott-insulator into an excited-state superfluid via coherent coupling of Bloch bands and the creation of 1D lattice anyons. Furthermore, the role of multiphoton excitations in a driven lattice is analyzed since these processes can lead to unwanted heating and thereby impeding of successful Floquet engineering in the experiment. The introductory Chapter 1 gives an overview over the field of quantum simulations with ultra-cold atoms in optical lattices and describes the experimental progress that has been made in the recent years. In Chapter 2, Floquet theory is reviewed, which provides an excellent framework to deal with time-periodic Hamiltonians and which is the basis of the analysis presented in the following chapters. Chapter 3 deals with the proposal of coherently coupling Bloch bands of an optical lattice via resonant lattice shaking. In particular, the orbital-driven phase transition from a Mott insulating to a superfluid ground state is described in detail. In Chapter 4, a proposal of realizing 1D lattice anyons from strongly interacting bosons in a shaken and tilted lattice is worked out. Furthermore, Friedel oscillations are proposed to provide a measurable real-space signature for the anyonization. Finally, in Chapter 5 multiphoton excitations to higher Bloch bands are analyzed for the cases of a shaken and an amplitude-modulated lattice. The strength and the location of resonances, which are associated with heating, are described theoretically and numerically. / Die vorliegende Arbeit behandelt Quantensimulationen von stark wechselwirkenden Systemen ultrakalter Atome in optischen Gittern. Dabei fokussiert sich diese theoretische Arbeit auf die Möglichkeit, diese Systeme mit Hilfe eines hochfrequenten Antriebs kohärent zu kontrollieren. Diese Form des Quantenengineering nennt man Floquet-Engineering. Experimentell wurden mit Hilfe eines zeitperiodischen Antriebs des optischen Gitters bereits viele physikalische Phänomene und Modelle realisiert, insbesondere im Bereich geringer Wechselwirkungen. Hier beschreiben wir zwei neue Vorschläge für interessante Phänomene im Bereich starker Wechselwirkungen, welche durch zeitperiodisches Gitterschütteln ermöglicht werden: Das Schmelzen eines Mott-Isolators in einen angeregte suprafluiden Zustand durch kohärentes Koppeln von Bloch-Bändern, sowie die Erzeugung von eindimensionalen Gitter-Anyonen. Außerdem wird die Rolle von Multiphoton-Übergängen in angetriebenen Gittern untersucht, da diese Prozesse zu ungewolltem Heizen und damit zur Verhinderung von erfolgreichem Floquet-Engineering führen können. Das einleitende Kapitel 1 gibt einen Überblick über das Feld der Quantensimulationen mit ultrakalten Atomen und beschreibt den experimentellen Fortschritt der letzten Jahre auf diesem Gebiet. In Kapitel 2 wird die Floquet-Theorie eingeführt, die einen exzellenten Rahmen dafür bietet zeitperiodische Hamiltonians zu behandeln und die Grundlage für die folgenden Kapitel ist. Kapitel 3 stellt den Vorschlag vor, Bloch-Bänder in optischen Gittern durch das Schütteln des Gitters kohärent miteinander zu koppeln. Insbesondere wird im Detail gezeigt, wie dieses Bandkoppeln zu einem orbital getriebenen Phasenübergang von einem Mott-Isolator zu einem Suprafluid führen kann. In Kapitel 4 wird der Vorschlag erläutert, wie eindimensionale Anyonen durch stark wechselwirkende Bosonen erzeugt werden können, indem das Gitter gekippt und geschüttelt wird. Außerdem wird vorgeschlagen, Friedel-Oszillationen im Ortsraum als im Experiment messbare Signatur für die Anyonisierung zu nutzen. Schließlich werden in Kapitel 5 Multiphoton-Übergänge in höhere Bloch-Bänder untersucht, im Falle eines geschüttelten und eines Amplitudenmodulierten Gitters. Die Stärke und die Lage der Resonanzen, welche zu Heizen führen, werden hierbei theoretisch und numerisch beschrieben.

Significant efforts have been made in the last decades to decrease the world’s dependency to fossil fuels. One of the fronts which has shown major improvement is gas turbine efficiency. To this end, components such as recuperators have been developed to recover heat that is usually trapped and wasted in the exhaust gases of combustion processes. Brayton Energy Canada has recently developed a promising compact heat exchanger that could be used as a recuperator in gas turbines. Nevertheless, this novel type of wire mesh heat exchanger still has room for improvement, especially regarding the way that its fin arrays are manufactured due to the fact that the technique presently used is time consuming and consequently costly. The present research aims to manufacture near-net shaped pin fin arrays using cold gas dynamic spray as an additive manufacturing technique by selectively covering the substrate by the means of a mask. Moreover, this research work studies the feasibility of using CGDS as an additive manufacturing technique to produce pin fin arrays, the thermal and hydrodynamic performances of this new type of pin fin created, the effect of geometric parameters such as fin density and height on the performances, the viability of the sprayed pin fins in a real environment by means of finding mechanical properties such as adhesion strength, the possibility of producing a streamwise material anisotropic fin arrays, and finally the different adhesion mechanisms by means of numerical modeling of the relevant impact physics.

The I2T5, an iodine-propelled, cold gas thruster, developed by ThrustMe, France, is the first of its kind to make it successfully to space. Due to its simple, reliable and cost-effective design, it is a suitable propulsion system for CubeSat missions with low delta-V (ΔV) requirements. To ensure that the I2T5 performs at its peak, it is crucial to maintain good thermal control of the thruster, to keep it within the operational temperature range. The first flight measurements of the I2T5 provided insight into its thermal performance. It was observed that the required temperature to sublimate the iodine propellant was not reached within the expected time frame, which led to a longer warm-up period, and a reduction in thrust. The problem arose due to an unforeseen conductive thermal contact between the tank and the thruster walls. This thesis delves deeper into this issue, and focuses on alleviating the total conductive heat loss from the tank to the satellite frame, where the I2T5 is integrated. The insulating washer-bolt configuration of the I2T5 side panels is observed to be responsible for the conductive heat transfer. A preliminary analysis is performed to obtain an initial maximum for the conductive heat flux lost to the satellite frame. A plan of action is then determined to optimise the geometry, material or configuration of the insulating washers to lower the maximum heat flux value. Following this, an experiment was conducted with a new washer-bolt configuration to determine the heat flux values. A case study is performed for the orbital environment heat fluxes that the I2T5 would receive if it were integrated to a CubeSat in sun-synchronous orbit. An overview of results shows that, for the thermal simulations, all the methods employed to reduce the conductive heat loss at the frame were effective. The experiment provided neutral results, and would need to be repeated with different experimental parameters to have a clear perspective of the heat losses. In reality, the satellite frame receives radiative fluxes in addition to conductive heat fluxes, but radiation is not considered for this thesis, and is suggested as a prospective study.

This thesis is on the subject of how propellant heating considerations affect the design of a CubeSat cold gas propulsion system. Computer simulation tools are used to analyse heat flow through the system, as well as the fluid flow and phase change of butane. The heating performance is presented for different operational states and different designs. Finally, an optimal system design is suggested. The propulsion system in question is the deep space heading Hera Juventas 6DOF CGPS. The Juventas spacecraft will as part of ESA’s Hera mission be the first to perform radar measurements of an asteroid. It will determine the result of the NASA DART mission and will give insights to the internal structure of the Dimorphos minor- planet moon. / Detta examensarbete behandlar utformningen av ett CubeSat kallgasframdrivningssystem med avseende på drivmedelsuppvärmning. Datorsimuleringsverktyg används för att analysera värmeflöde genom systemet samt flödet och fasförändringen av butan. Värmningsprestanda presenteras för olika driftstillstånd och olika konstruktioner. Slutligen föreslås en optimal systemdesign. Framdrivningssystemet i fråga är Hera Juventas 6DOF CGPS. Rymdfarkosten Juventas kommer som en del av ESA:s Herauppdrag att vara den första som utför radarmätningar av en asteroid. Den kommer att avgöra resultatet av NASA:s DARTuppdrag och kommer att ge insikter om den interna strukturen i asteroidmånen Dimorphos.