The accurate description of fluid flow through porous media allows an engineer to properly analyze past behavior and predict future reservoir performance. In particular, appropriate mathematical models which describe fluid flow through porous media can be applied to well test and production data analysis. Such applications result in estimating important reservoir properties such as formation permeability, skin-factor, reservoir size, etc. "Real gas" flow problems (i.e., problems where the gas properties are specifically taken as implicit functions of pressure, temperature, and composition) are particularly challenging because the diffusivity equation for the "real gas" flow case is strongly non-linear. Whereas different methods exist which allow us to approximate the solution of the real gas diffusivity equation, all of these approximate methods have limitations. Whether in terms of limited applicability (say a specific pressure range), or due to the relative complexity (e.g., iterative character of the solution), each of the existing approximate solutions does have disadvantages. The purpose of this work is to provide a solution mechanism for the case of timedependent real gas flow which contains as few "limitations" as possible. In this work, we provide an approach which combines the so-called average pressure approximation, a convolution for the right-hand-side non-linearity, and the Laplace transformation (original concept was put forth by Mireles and Blasingame). Mireles and Blasingame used a similar scheme to solve the real gas flow problem conditioned by the constant rate inner boundary condition. In this work we provide solution schemes to solve the constant pressure inner boundary condition problem. Our new semi-analytical solution was developed and implemented in the form of a direct (non-iterative) numerical procedure and successfully verified against numerical simulation. Our work shows that while the validity of this approach does have its own assumptions (in particular, referencing the right-hand-side non-linearity to average reservoir pressure (similar to Mireles and Blasingame)), these assumptions are proved to be much less restrictive than those required by existing methods of solution for this problem. We believe that the accuracy of the proposed solution makes ituniversally applicable for gas reservoir engineering. This suggestion is based on the fact that no pseudotime formulation is used. We note that there are pseudotime implementations for this problem, but we also note that pseudotime requires a priori knowledge of the pressure distribution in the reservoir or iteration on gas-in-place. Our new approach has no such restrictions. In order to determine limits of validity of the proposed approach (i.e., the limitations imposed by the underlining assumptions), we discuss the nature of the average pressure approximation (which is the basis for this work). And, in order to prove the universal applicability of this approach, we have also applied this methodology to resolve the time-dependent inner boundary condition for real gas flow in reservoirs.

This thesis presents i-PI, a new path integral molecular dynamics code designed to capture nuclear quantum effects in ab initio electronic structure calculations of condensed phase systems. This software has an implementation of estimators used to calculate a wide range of static and dynamical properties and of state-of-the-art techniques used to increase the computational efficiency of path integral simulations. i-PI has been designed in a highly modular fashion, to ensure that it is as simple as possible to develop and implement new algorithms to keep up with the research frontier, and so that users can take maximum advantage of the numerous electronic structure programs which are freely available without needing to rewrite large amounts of code. Among the functionality of the i-PI code is a novel integrator for constant pressure dynamics, which is used to investigate the properties of liquid water at 750 K and 10 GPa, and efficient estimators for the calculation of single particle momentum distri- butions, which are used to study the properties of solid and liquid ammonia. These show respectively that i-PI can be used to make predictions about systems which are both difficult to study experimentally and highly non-classical in nature, and that it can illustrate the relative advantages and disadvantages of different theoretical methods and their ability to reproduce experimental data.

O processo de Biorreatores com Membranas (BRM) foi desenvolvido no final da década de 1960, consistindo em um sistema que associa o tratamento biológico de efluentes com o mecanismo de separação por membranas, e apresenta vantagens com relação ao tratamento convencional, tais como maior eficiência de tratamento e um menor espaço físico de instalação para a mesma capacidade de tratamento. O fenômeno de incrustação das membranas (em inglês, fouling) representa a principal limitação desse processo, de modo que uma das condições operacionais mais importantes na prevenção da incrustação em um sistema BRM Submerso (BRMS) é a vazão de aeração. Diante desta situação, o objetivo do trabalho consiste em avaliar os efeitos das condições hidrodinâmicas no desempenho do processo, tais como vazão de aeração, densidade de empacotamento do módulo de membranas e geometria dos aeradores. O sistema utilizado no trabalho consistiu em um BRMS automatizado, operando em pressão constante e de forma contínua, durante um período de 4 dias. Os módulos foram construídos com membranas poliméricas de microfiltração do tipo fibra oca, cujo material foi a poli(éter)-imida (PEI). Três diferentes vazões de aeração foram estudadas (2, 5 e 8 L.min-1), mostrando, a partir dos resultados, que existe uma vazão de aeração limite benéfica ao sistema e que, acima deste valor, um melhor desempenho não pode ser atingido, inclusive, podendo prejudicá-lo. Para o sistema de estudo, a vazão de 5 L.min-1 apresentou o melhor desempenho, seguido de 8 e 2 L.min-1. O estudo da densidade de empacotamento do módulo mostrou que esta é uma variável que também exerce influência no desempenho do processo de BRMS. Módulos com dois diferentes diâmetros foram testados (2,54 cm e 1,91 cm); o melhor resultado foi observado no módulo de maior diâmetro. A menor densidade de empacotamento resulta em um maior espaçamento entre as fibras, provocando uma aeração mais homogênea no interior do feixe de membranas. As duas geometrias de aeração testadas (Modo 1 e Modo 2) apresentaram resultados semelhantes de fluxo permeado, indicando que o Modo 2 de aeração não melhorou o desempenho do processo como se esperava. A maior homogeneidade de aeração no interior de feixe, a partir de aeradores construídos com as próprias fibras, não foi atingida, mostrando que um novo projeto de aeradores deve ser estudado. Em todas as condições hidrodinâmicas testadas, a eficiência do tratamento foi verificada, uma vez que a remoção de matéria orgânica para COT e DQO foi de 96% e 93%, respectivamente. Propriedades do permeado, como condutividade elétrica, pH e turbidez foram mensuradas, apresentando variações menores que as medidas do efluente, revelando a capacidade que o sistema apresenta em suportar as variações na corrente de alimentação. / The Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) process was developed in the late 1960. The system consists in a combination of biological process and membrane separation mechanism, and the advantages with respect of conventional treatment are the higher treatment efficiency and a smaller area of installation for the same treatment capacity. The main limitation of this process is the membrane fouling, in a way that air flow rate represents an important operating condition to prevent the fouling formation in Submerged Membrane Bioreactors (SMBR). In this sense, the aim of this work is to evaluate the effects of hydrodynamic conditions on process performance, such as air flow rate, packing density of the membrane module and aeration geometry. The system used consists in a pilot-scale SMBR, which operates at constant pressure and continuous mode during a period of 4 days. The modules were built with hollow fiber polymeric microfiltration membrane and the material is poly(ether)imide (PEI). For the three different air flow rates studied (2, 5 and 8 L.min-1), results showed there is a limit value for this parameter, in which above this value a better performance will not be obtained, even can be worse. The air flow rate of 5 L.min-1 presented the best performance, followed by 8 and 2 L.min-1. The module packing density study for two diameters (0.75 and 1 inch), the best result was observed in the larger diameter module, because lower packing density causes more space between fibres, increasing the aeration homogeneity inside de fibre bundle. Both aeration geometry tested showed similar permeate flows, indicating the different geometry used did not affect the performance process. The aerators constructed with the hollow fibers did not promote aeration homogeneity inside the bundle, and new aeration geometry must be projected. For all hydrodynamics conditions, the system treatment was efficient in removing organical matter, since the removal for TOC and COD was 96% and 93%, respectively. Permeate properties such as electrical conductivity, pH and turbidity measurements presented minor variations than effluent properties measurements, showing the system capacity to withstand with feed stream variations.

O processo de Biorreatores com Membranas (BRM) foi desenvolvido no final da década de 1960, consistindo em um sistema que associa o tratamento biológico de efluentes com o mecanismo de separação por membranas, e apresenta vantagens com relação ao tratamento convencional, tais como maior eficiência de tratamento e um menor espaço físico de instalação para a mesma capacidade de tratamento. O fenômeno de incrustação das membranas (em inglês, fouling) representa a principal limitação desse processo, de modo que uma das condições operacionais mais importantes na prevenção da incrustação em um sistema BRM Submerso (BRMS) é a vazão de aeração. Diante desta situação, o objetivo do trabalho consiste em avaliar os efeitos das condições hidrodinâmicas no desempenho do processo, tais como vazão de aeração, densidade de empacotamento do módulo de membranas e geometria dos aeradores. O sistema utilizado no trabalho consistiu em um BRMS automatizado, operando em pressão constante e de forma contínua, durante um período de 4 dias. Os módulos foram construídos com membranas poliméricas de microfiltração do tipo fibra oca, cujo material foi a poli(éter)-imida (PEI). Três diferentes vazões de aeração foram estudadas (2, 5 e 8 L.min-1), mostrando, a partir dos resultados, que existe uma vazão de aeração limite benéfica ao sistema e que, acima deste valor, um melhor desempenho não pode ser atingido, inclusive, podendo prejudicá-lo. Para o sistema de estudo, a vazão de 5 L.min-1 apresentou o melhor desempenho, seguido de 8 e 2 L.min-1. O estudo da densidade de empacotamento do módulo mostrou que esta é uma variável que também exerce influência no desempenho do processo de BRMS. Módulos com dois diferentes diâmetros foram testados (2,54 cm e 1,91 cm); o melhor resultado foi observado no módulo de maior diâmetro. A menor densidade de empacotamento resulta em um maior espaçamento entre as fibras, provocando uma aeração mais homogênea no interior do feixe de membranas. As duas geometrias de aeração testadas (Modo 1 e Modo 2) apresentaram resultados semelhantes de fluxo permeado, indicando que o Modo 2 de aeração não melhorou o desempenho do processo como se esperava. A maior homogeneidade de aeração no interior de feixe, a partir de aeradores construídos com as próprias fibras, não foi atingida, mostrando que um novo projeto de aeradores deve ser estudado. Em todas as condições hidrodinâmicas testadas, a eficiência do tratamento foi verificada, uma vez que a remoção de matéria orgânica para COT e DQO foi de 96% e 93%, respectivamente. Propriedades do permeado, como condutividade elétrica, pH e turbidez foram mensuradas, apresentando variações menores que as medidas do efluente, revelando a capacidade que o sistema apresenta em suportar as variações na corrente de alimentação. / The Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) process was developed in the late 1960. The system consists in a combination of biological process and membrane separation mechanism, and the advantages with respect of conventional treatment are the higher treatment efficiency and a smaller area of installation for the same treatment capacity. The main limitation of this process is the membrane fouling, in a way that air flow rate represents an important operating condition to prevent the fouling formation in Submerged Membrane Bioreactors (SMBR). In this sense, the aim of this work is to evaluate the effects of hydrodynamic conditions on process performance, such as air flow rate, packing density of the membrane module and aeration geometry. The system used consists in a pilot-scale SMBR, which operates at constant pressure and continuous mode during a period of 4 days. The modules were built with hollow fiber polymeric microfiltration membrane and the material is poly(ether)imide (PEI). For the three different air flow rates studied (2, 5 and 8 L.min-1), results showed there is a limit value for this parameter, in which above this value a better performance will not be obtained, even can be worse. The air flow rate of 5 L.min-1 presented the best performance, followed by 8 and 2 L.min-1. The module packing density study for two diameters (0.75 and 1 inch), the best result was observed in the larger diameter module, because lower packing density causes more space between fibres, increasing the aeration homogeneity inside de fibre bundle. Both aeration geometry tested showed similar permeate flows, indicating the different geometry used did not affect the performance process. The aerators constructed with the hollow fibers did not promote aeration homogeneity inside the bundle, and new aeration geometry must be projected. For all hydrodynamics conditions, the system treatment was efficient in removing organical matter, since the removal for TOC and COD was 96% and 93%, respectively. Permeate properties such as electrical conductivity, pH and turbidity measurements presented minor variations than effluent properties measurements, showing the system capacity to withstand with feed stream variations.

O processo de Biorreatores com Membranas (BRM) foi desenvolvido no final da década de 1960, consistindo em um sistema que associa o tratamento biológico de efluentes com o mecanismo de separação por membranas, e apresenta vantagens com relação ao tratamento convencional, tais como maior eficiência de tratamento e um menor espaço físico de instalação para a mesma capacidade de tratamento. O fenômeno de incrustação das membranas (em inglês, fouling) representa a principal limitação desse processo, de modo que uma das condições operacionais mais importantes na prevenção da incrustação em um sistema BRM Submerso (BRMS) é a vazão de aeração. Diante desta situação, o objetivo do trabalho consiste em avaliar os efeitos das condições hidrodinâmicas no desempenho do processo, tais como vazão de aeração, densidade de empacotamento do módulo de membranas e geometria dos aeradores. O sistema utilizado no trabalho consistiu em um BRMS automatizado, operando em pressão constante e de forma contínua, durante um período de 4 dias. Os módulos foram construídos com membranas poliméricas de microfiltração do tipo fibra oca, cujo material foi a poli(éter)-imida (PEI). Três diferentes vazões de aeração foram estudadas (2, 5 e 8 L.min-1), mostrando, a partir dos resultados, que existe uma vazão de aeração limite benéfica ao sistema e que, acima deste valor, um melhor desempenho não pode ser atingido, inclusive, podendo prejudicá-lo. Para o sistema de estudo, a vazão de 5 L.min-1 apresentou o melhor desempenho, seguido de 8 e 2 L.min-1. O estudo da densidade de empacotamento do módulo mostrou que esta é uma variável que também exerce influência no desempenho do processo de BRMS. Módulos com dois diferentes diâmetros foram testados (2,54 cm e 1,91 cm); o melhor resultado foi observado no módulo de maior diâmetro. A menor densidade de empacotamento resulta em um maior espaçamento entre as fibras, provocando uma aeração mais homogênea no interior do feixe de membranas. As duas geometrias de aeração testadas (Modo 1 e Modo 2) apresentaram resultados semelhantes de fluxo permeado, indicando que o Modo 2 de aeração não melhorou o desempenho do processo como se esperava. A maior homogeneidade de aeração no interior de feixe, a partir de aeradores construídos com as próprias fibras, não foi atingida, mostrando que um novo projeto de aeradores deve ser estudado. Em todas as condições hidrodinâmicas testadas, a eficiência do tratamento foi verificada, uma vez que a remoção de matéria orgânica para COT e DQO foi de 96% e 93%, respectivamente. Propriedades do permeado, como condutividade elétrica, pH e turbidez foram mensuradas, apresentando variações menores que as medidas do efluente, revelando a capacidade que o sistema apresenta em suportar as variações na corrente de alimentação. / The Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) process was developed in the late 1960. The system consists in a combination of biological process and membrane separation mechanism, and the advantages with respect of conventional treatment are the higher treatment efficiency and a smaller area of installation for the same treatment capacity. The main limitation of this process is the membrane fouling, in a way that air flow rate represents an important operating condition to prevent the fouling formation in Submerged Membrane Bioreactors (SMBR). In this sense, the aim of this work is to evaluate the effects of hydrodynamic conditions on process performance, such as air flow rate, packing density of the membrane module and aeration geometry. The system used consists in a pilot-scale SMBR, which operates at constant pressure and continuous mode during a period of 4 days. The modules were built with hollow fiber polymeric microfiltration membrane and the material is poly(ether)imide (PEI). For the three different air flow rates studied (2, 5 and 8 L.min-1), results showed there is a limit value for this parameter, in which above this value a better performance will not be obtained, even can be worse. The air flow rate of 5 L.min-1 presented the best performance, followed by 8 and 2 L.min-1. The module packing density study for two diameters (0.75 and 1 inch), the best result was observed in the larger diameter module, because lower packing density causes more space between fibres, increasing the aeration homogeneity inside de fibre bundle. Both aeration geometry tested showed similar permeate flows, indicating the different geometry used did not affect the performance process. The aerators constructed with the hollow fibers did not promote aeration homogeneity inside the bundle, and new aeration geometry must be projected. For all hydrodynamics conditions, the system treatment was efficient in removing organical matter, since the removal for TOC and COD was 96% and 93%, respectively. Permeate properties such as electrical conductivity, pH and turbidity measurements presented minor variations than effluent properties measurements, showing the system capacity to withstand with feed stream variations.

Dans les puits de production d’eau, de pétrole, de gaz et de chaleur géothermique, ou dans les puits d’accès à un stockage d’hydrocarbures, il est précieux de connaître la perméabilité de la formation ou de sa couverture en fonction de la profondeur, soit pour améliorer le modèle de réservoir, soit pour choisir les zones dans lesquelles procéder à des opérations spéciales.On propose une technique qui consiste à balayer la hauteur du découvert par une interface entre deux liquides de viscosités très contrastées. Le débit total qui pénètre la formation à chaque instant est ainsi une fonction de la position de l’interface et de l’historique des pressions dans le puits. On doit alors résoudre un problème inverse : rechercher la perméabilité fonction de la profondeur à partir de l’historique des débits dans le temps. Dans la pratique, le puits est équipé d’un tube central. Le balayage est effectué par injection d’un liquide à pression d’entrée constante dans le tube central et soutirage d’un autre liquide par l’espace annulaire. On mesure les débits d’injection et de soutirage dont la différence est le débit qui entre dans la formation.Pour valider et améliorer cette technique, on a d’abord utilisé une maquette simulant un découvert multi-couches disponible au LMS. On a exploité aussi des essais en place réalisés dans la couverture peu perméable d’un stockage souterrain de gaz. Dans ces essais, un liquide visqueux placé dans le découvert était déplacé par un liquide moins visqueux (méthode dite « opening »). Les couches plus perméables étaient correctement identifiées (Manivannan et al. 2017), mais une estimation quantitative était un défi en raison des phénomènes transitoires qui affectent le voisinage immédiat des puits. De plus, le rayon investigué dans le massif était petit.La thèse a relevé ces défis en proposant un essai légèrement différent et une nouvelle technique d’interprétation. Les essais avec une maquette modifiée ont montré la supériorité d’une méthode « closing » dans laquelle le puits est d’abord rempli du liquide le moins visqueux. On ménage une période de stabilisation avant l’injection du liquide visqueux pour réduire les effets transitoires ; elle permet aussi d’estimer la perméabilité moyenne et l’influence de la zone endommagée à la paroi (le « skin »).Puis on conduit l’essai proprement dit. L’historique des débits mesurés en tête de puits constitue le profil d’injection dont on déduit le profil de perméabilité.. Cette estimation suppose un écoulement monophasique dans chaque couche et la même « skin » pour toute la formation. Les incertitudes principales portent sur les pressions de formation et les variations possibles du « skin ». Elles sont estimées au moyen d’un calcul analytique. On a vérifié sur la maquette que les profils de perméabilité estimés présentent une bonne concordance avec les perméabilités mesurées avant les essais.On a réalisé un essai sur un sondage de 1750 m de long atteignant une couche de sel dont on a correctement estimé la perméabilité moyenne pendant la période de stabilisation. Toutefois elle était si faible (4.0E-21 m²) que l’utilisation de deux fluides n’a pas permis de faire une différence entre les diverses parties du puits. / In wells producing water, oil, gas or geothermal energy, or in access wells to hydrocarbon storage, it is critical to evaluate the permeability of the formation as a function of depth, to improve the reservoir model, and also to identify the zones where additional investigation or special completions are especially useful.A new technique is proposed, consisting of scanning the open hole (uncased section of the wellbore) with an interface between two fluids with a large viscosity contrast. The injection rate into the formation depends on interface location and well pressure history. An inverse problem should be solved: estimate permeability as a function of depth from the evolution of flow rates with time. The wells are usually equipped with a central tube. The scanning is done by injecting a liquid in the central tube at constant wellhead pressure. Injection and withdrawal rates are measured at the wellhead; the difference between these two rates is the formation injection rate.To validate and improve this technique, we used a laboratory model mimicking a multi-layer formation, already available at LMS. We also made use of in-situ tests performed on an ultra-low permeable cap rock above an underground gas storage reservoir. In these tests, a viscous fluid contained in the open hole was displaced by a less-viscous fluid (a method called opening WTLog). The more permeable layers were correctly identified (Manivannan et al. 2017), but a quantitative estimation was challenging due to transient phenomena in the vicinity of the wellbore (near-wellbore zone). In addition, the investigation radius was small.These challenges are addressed by proposing a slightly modified test procedure and a new interpretation workflow. Laboratory tests with a modified test setup showed the advantages of the ‘closing’ method in which the well is filled with a less-viscous fluid at the start of the test. We also added a stabilization period before the injection of viscous fluid to minimize the transient effects; this period is also used to estimate the average permeability of the open hole and the effect of near-wellbore damage (skin).Then the test proper is performed (closing WTLog). The injection profile of the less-viscous fluid is computed from the wellhead flow rate history. A permeability profile is estimated from the injection profile. The permeability estimation considers a monophasic flow in each layer and the same skin value for all the formation layers. Major uncertainties in the permeability estimates are caused by formation pressures and heterogeneities in skin values; they are estimated using an analytical formula. We have verified on the laboratory setup that the estimated permeability profiles are well correlated to the permeabilities measured before the tests.An attempt was made to perform a WTLog in a 1750-m long wellbore opening in a salt formation. The first phase was successful and the average permeability was correctly assessed. However, this permeability was so small (4.0E-21 m² or 4 nD) that the gauges and the flowmeters were not accurate enough to allow a clear distinction between the permeabilities of the various parts of the open hole.

The laminar-turbulent transition in viscous fluid flows is one of the most intriguing problems in fluid dynamics today. In view of the enormous applications it has in a variety of fields such as aircraft design, turbomachinery, etc., scientists have now realized the importance of tackling this problem effectively. Three-dimensional flows are usually associated with pressure gradient, streamline curvature, streamline convergence / divergence etc., all acting simultaneously. Towards a better understanding of the transition process and modeling the transition zone, it is important to study the effect of each of these parameters on the transitional flow. The present work aims at studying experimentally the effect of lateral streamline convergence alone on the laminar-turbulent transition zone under constant stream-wise pressure. The experimental setup consists of a low turbulence wind tunnel with its test section modified to cause lateral streamline convergence under constant pressure. This is achieved by converging the side-walls and appropriately diverging the roof, thus maintaining a constant stream-wise pressure. The half angle of convergence is chosen as 100 , which is approximately the same as the half of the turbulent spot envelope in constant pressure two-dimensional flows. Experiments are carried out to analyze the development of the laminar and transitional boundary layers, intermittency distribution in the transition zone and the overall characteristics of an artificially induced turbulent spot. The laminar velocity profiles are found to be of the Blasius type for two-dimensional constant pressure flows. However, the converging streamlines are found to contribute to an increased thickness of the boundary layer as compared to the corresponding two-dimensional flow. The intermittency distribution in the transition zone is found to follow the universal intermittency distribution for two-dimensional constant pressure flow. A simple linear-combination model for two-dimensional flows is found to perform very well in predicting the measured velocity profiles in the transition zone. An artificially introduced turbulent spot is found to propagate along a conical envelope with an apex cone angle of 220 which is very nearly the value for a corresponding constant pressure two-dimensional flow. The spot shapes and celerities are also comparable to those in two-dimensional flow. In summary, the present study brings out many similarities between a constant pressure laterally converging flow and a constant pressure two-dimensional flow.

Ce mémoire traite de la mise au point et des applications d’un fluxmètre gazeux à pression constante, instrument de référence primaire pour la mesure de très faibles débits gazeux, couramment utilisé par les Laboratoires nationaux de métrologie. Il intervient dans la traçabilité des basses pressions absolues, via la méthode d’expansion continue, et celle des fuites d’hélium, liées aux applications dans le domaine du vide. De plus, nous avons montré que le fluxmètre à pression constante du Laboratoire commun de métrologie (LCM) permettait le raccordement des mesures de micro-débits, sous-domaine de la débitmétrie. Outre les points clés de la conception et la caractérisation métrologique, ce mémoire décrit l’étude de l’expansion continue ainsi que les travaux de comparaison du fluxmètre gazeux à pression constante avec les méthodes de référence employées au LCM, en particulier la méthode de gravimétrie dynamique. / This dissertation concerns the development and applications of a constant pressure gas flowmeter, the primary reference instrument used by National metrology laboratories to measure very low gas flows. It guarantees the traceability of low absolute pressures, via the continuous expansion method, and that of helium leaks, both related to applications in the field of vacuum. In addition, we have shown that the Laboratoire commun de métrologie (LCM) constant pressure flowmeter is well suited to micro-flow measurements, a sub-field of flow metering. Besides key points of the design and metrological characterization, this document describes the study of the continuous expansion method and work on comparisons of the constant pressure gas flowmeter with reference methods used at LCM, in particular the dynamic gravimetric method.

La présente étude visait à développer un protocole de fixation et d'échantillonnage pour le poumon équin suivant les directives publiées sur l’utilisation d’une approche stéréologique de type « design-based ». Les poumons gauches de chevaux contrôles et atteints du souffle ont été fixés avec du formaldéhyde 10% pendant 48h à une pression constante de 25-30 cm d’H2O. Les poumons ont été sectionnés en 20-21 tranches d’une épaisseur d'environ 2,5 cm chacune; de 10-11 tranches ont été sélectionnées de façon aléatoire et systématique pour la mesure du volume de référence avec la méthode de Cavalieri. Un protocole d’échantillonnage systématique, aléatoire et uniforme utilisant le principe du « smooth fractionator » et un poinçon à biopsie de 17 mm ont été utilisés pour échantillonner une fraction représentative de chaque poumon. Les méthodes d’échantillonnage de sections verticales, uniformes et aléatoires (VUR) et d’échantillonnage isotropique, uniforme et aléatoire (IUR) ont toutes deux été effectuées pour comparer le nombre de voies respiratoires en coupe perpendiculaire obtenues à partir de chaque méthode. L'architecture globale et la qualité des tissus fixés ont également été évaluées. Des spécimens pulmonaires équins ont été échantillonnés avec succès selon un protocole visant à produire des données morphométriques valides. Les tissus ont été fixés avec un minimum d'artéfacts et contenaient une quantité suffisante de voies respiratoires en coupe perpendiculaire dans les deux types d’échantillons. En conclusion, un protocole de fixation et d'échantillonnage adapté au poumon équin permettant l'utilisation d'une approche stéréologique de type « design-based » a été élaboré pour l’étude du remodelage des voies respiratoires. / The present study aimed at developing a fixation and sampling protocol for the horse lung in agreement with recent published guidelines for a design-based stereology approach. The left lungs from control and from heaves-affected horses were fixed in 10% formaldehyde for 48hr at a controlled constant pressure of 25-30 cm H2O. Lungs were cut into 20-21 slices of a thickness of approximately 2.5cm each; 10-11 slices were then randomly and systematically selected for the measurement of the reference volume using the Cavalieri method. A systematic, uniform and random sampling (SURS) protocol using a 17 mm punch biopsy and the smooth fractionator principle was used to select a representative fraction of each lung. The vertical uniform random (VUR) and isotropic uniform random (IUR) sampling methods were both performed to compare the number of perpendicular airways obtained with each method. The general architecture and the quality of the fixed tissues were also evaluated. Equine lung tissues were successfully sampled with a protocol designed to yield accurate morphometric data. The tissues were fixed with minimal artifacts and contained an adequate amount of perpendicular airways in both VUR and IUR sections. In conclusion, we developed a fixation and sampling protocol adapted to the equine lung allowing the use of a design-based stereology approach to study airway remodeling.