Objetivou-se avaliar a efetividade da ventilação forçada associada à nebulização sobre as respostas comportamentais e fisiológicas de suínos mantidos dentro do veículo transportador antes do descarregamento na indústria frigorífica. Durante 6 semanas de transporte, 2 veículos pot-belly (PB) transportaram 191 suínos cada até a mesma planta frigorífica. Na chegada, ambos veículos permaneceram estacionados por 30 minutos antes da descarga. Um dos veículos PB foi posicionado ao lado do sistema de ventilação e nebulização (PBVM), enquanto o outro PB não teve acesso ao sistema de resfriamento (PBC). O tratamento (PBVM) consistiu em 10 minutos de ventilação (Espera 1); seguido de 10 minutos de ventilação e nebulização (Espera 2) e 10 minutos finais de ventilação (Espera 3). A temperatura do ar (T) e a umidade relativa (RH) foram monitorados. A frequência de suínos deitados e a frequência de acesso ao bebedouro foram calculadas. Temperaturas do trato gastrointestinal (GTT), lactato sanguíneo, hematócrito, creatina quinase e concentrações de cortisol foram avaliados. Durante a Espera 1, a ventilação forçada reduziu a temperatura do ar e o índice de temperatura e umidade no tratamento PBVM. Na Espera 3, a temperatura e o índice de temperatura e umidade foram menores (P < 0.001) no tratamento PBVM comparado ao PBC, contudo a umidade relativa do ar foi maior (P < 0.001). Suínos oriundos do compartimento 4 do PBVM apresentaram maior atividade durante o tempo de Espera 2 e 3, e reduzido tempo de latência para se deitar na baia do frigorífico (P < 0.05). Redução no GTT dos suínos oriundos do PBC foi observada após 1 hora de período de descanso comparada ao PBVM. O percentual de hematócrito tendeu a ser maior nos suínos PBC comparado ao PBVM. O sistema de ventilação e nebulização utilizado na indústria frigorifica antes do descarregamento melhora de forma eficiente as condições internas térmicas do caminhão e consequentemente o conforto térmico dos suínos mantidos no veículo transportador, com redução na temperatura dentro dos compartimento e baixo nível de desidratação no abate. / The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of water misting with forced ventilation on a stationary trailer on internal vehicle ambient conditions, behavioral and physiological response of market pigs. During 6 weekly shipments, two identical tri-axle pot-belly (PB) trailers transported 191 pigs each (126 ± 5 kg BW) to the same slaughter plant. On arrival, both trailers were kept stationary in the yard for 30 min before unloading. One PB trailer was pulled over along a fan-misters bank (PBVM), while the other PB trailer had no access to this cooling system (PBC). The PBVM treatment consisted in 10 min of fan-assisted ventilation (wait 1) followed by 10 min of ventilation and water misting (wait 2) and final 10 min of ventilation (wait 3). The air temperature (T) and relative humidity (RH) were monitored. The frequency of lying pigs, the latency to rest and the frequency of drinking bouts were calculated. Gastrointestinal tract temperature (GTT) and exsanguination blood lactate, hematocrit, creatine kinase and cortisol concentrations were assessed. In wait 1, the application of the fan-assisted ventilation resulted in lower (P < 0.05) T and THI in the PBVM. In wait 3, T and THI were still lower (P < 0.001) in PBVM compared to PBC, but the RH was higher (P < 0.001). Pigs from compartment 4 of PBVM had a greater (P < 0.001) activity during waits 2 and 3, and a reduced latency to lie down in the lairage pen compared to the same compartment in the PBC (P < 0.05). A higher (P < 0.05) GTT drop was recorded until 1 h after lairage in pigs located in PBC compared to those transported in PBVM. At slaughter, hematocrit tended to be higher (P = 0.08) in blood of PBC pigs compared to PBVM. The fan-misters bank used on the PBVM vehicle sitting at the slaughter plant before unloading efficiently improves internal trailer thermal conditions and consequently thermal comfort of pigs kept in a stationary trailer, with reduced temperature within the compartments and lower dehydration condition at slaughter.

La maîtrise de la température des composants à forte dissipation, notamment dans les systèmes électroniques nomades, constitue un verrou à leurs développements. Que ce soit pour l'électronique de puissance ou les calculateurs, les densités de puissance requièrent l'utilisation de systèmes de refroidissement de plus en plus performants, en particulier dans le cas des microprocesseurs qui associent miniaturisation et augmentation des fréquences d'horloge. Les conséquences sont multiples, limitation des performances, augmentation de la consommation et du taux de défaillance. C'est dans ce contexte que le projet CANOPEE, réunissant un consortium de partenaire industriel et académique, propose de développer et démontrer les avantages d'une solution technologique active récemment brevetée et appelée OnduloTrans. Elle consiste en un dispositif échangeur-pompe, permettant à la fois d'obtenir un excellent transfert thermique et d'assurer le pompage du fluide caloporteur. OnduloTrans est une solution active de refroidissement basée sur la déformation dynamique d'une paroi d'un canal. Le dispositif est fixé directement à l'aplomb du composant à refroidir. Le canal est déformé suivant une onde progressive pour créer un pompage péristaltique. L'intensification des transferts est obtenue lorsque les variations dynamiques des dimensions du canal viennent perturber la couche limite à l'interface conduction/convection. Le travail de la thèse consiste à concevoir et développer une solution d'actionnement intégrée permettant de mouvoir la paroi souple. Il s'accompagnera d'essais concrets témoignant des performances thermiques de cette solution. L'actionnement mis en oeuvre doit respecter les contraintes hydrauliques et thermiques de l'application embarquée visée, tout particulièrement le faible encombrement et une consommation électrique minimale. La difficulté réside dans les critères antagonistes que sont la production d'une onde progressive de grande amplitude dans un milieu aux dimensions centimétriques. Le manuscrit s'articule en trois parties. Dans un premier temps les solutions d'actionnement envisageables seront explorées. Pour ce faire, la solution OnduloTrans est d'abord décrite. Un état de l'art des solutions de conversion électromécanique, puis des micropompes péristaltiques est entrepris. Les phénomènes hydrauliques propres au micropompage péristaltique sont abordés pour cerner la problématique du développement de l'actionnement. Ensuite les deux chapitres suivants détaillent l'étude de deux solutions piézoélectriques distinctes. Une première solution piézoélectrique à onde discrète est développée dans le second chapitre. Elle consiste en une répartition d'actionneurs flextensionnels le long de la paroi souple. Une méthodologie de prédimensionnement basée sur des modèles mécaniques simples est présentée. L'onde progressive créée étant très particulière, une méthode analytique de calcul du débit, validée par simulations numériques, permet d'étudier l'influence de la commande des actionneurs. Un prototype est finalement réalisé avec l'aide des partenaires. De nombreux essais sont ensuite réalisés afin de valider les différentes hypothèses et déterminer les premières performances hydrauliques et thermiques du dispositif. Le troisième chapitre aborde une solution à onde progressive continue et actionnement intégré à la membrane. Le but est ici de prouver le concept de pompage péristaltique par flexion contrôlée d'une plaque intégrant une couche piézoélectrique. Un modèle de dimensionnement 1D constitué de tronçons piézoélectriques répartis à la surface est tout d'abord présenté. La répartition des segments piézoélectriques fait ensuite l'objet d'une étude paramétrique afin de définir judicieusement leur disposition, ceci en vue de maximiser le débit théorique. Cette étude paramétrique est finalement couplée à une optimisation des commandes électriques, évaluée par les résultats d'un prototype. / Controlling the temperature of components with high thermal dissipation is a constraining factor in their developments, especially in embedded electronic systems. Power density, whether in computing or power electronics, requires the use of ever more efficient cooling systems. This is especially true for microprocessors in which increasingly miniaturization and clock frequency are combined. Consequently, without the adequate cooling, the performance is severely limited and its power consumption increased as well as the failure rate. In this challenging context a consortium of industrial and academic partners created the CANOPEE project. CANOPEE focus is to develop and prove the advantages of a recently patented solution called OnduloTrans. The solution is an exchanger-pump device, ensuring at the same time an excellent heat transfer and the pumping of the coolant. OnduloTrans is an active cooling solution based on the dynamic deformation of a thin wall. This deformation is in the manner of a pseudo travelling wave to satisfy a peristaltic pumping. The device is fixed directly above the component to be cooled, thus the liquid flows on its surface. The enhancement in heat transfer is obtained when the dynamic variations of the channel thickness disturb the boundary layer near the conduction / convection interface. The purpose of this thesis was to study the capability of such active pumping system and to design an integrated actuation solution to move the flexible wall. It will result to experimental tests showing the thermal performance of this solution. The implemented actuation system must respect the constraints for on-board applications, especially compactness and minimal power consumption. The challenge stands in the trade-off between the production of a large amplitude travelling wave and the limited volume available. The manuscript is divided into three parts. Initially, the different actuation solutions will be explored. To do this, the OnduloTrans solution is first described. Then, a state of the art of electromechanical conversion solutions and peristaltic micropumps is undertaken. After that, the specific hydraulic phenomena involved in peristaltic micropumps are discussed to determine the difficulties in the development of such actuation system. Then the two next chapters detail the study of two distinct piezoelectric solutions. A discrete wave piezoelectric solution is presented in the second chapter. It consists of a distribution of flextensional actuators along the flexible wall. A pre-dimensioning methodology based on simple mechanical models is presented. The created wave is very particular, so an analytical method is developed to evaluate the flow rate and making possible to study the impact of the actuator control strategy. This algorithmic method is validated by comparison with finite element numerical simulations. A prototype is finally made with the support of partners. Several tests are then carried out in order to validate the hypotheses and evaluate the preliminary hydraulic and thermal performances of the prototype. The third chapter addresses a continuous travelling wave solution and an actuation system integrated into the membrane. The purpose here is to prove the concept of peristaltic pumping by controlled bending of a plate incorporating a piezoelectric layer. A 1D dimensioning model consisting of piezoelectric segments distributed on the surface is first presented. The distribution of the piezoelectric segments is then the subject of a parametric study to judiciously define their arrangement, in order to maximize the theoretical flow. This parametric study is finally coupled with an optimization of electrical controls, and compared to the experimental results of a prototype.

Presently information systems are increasingly penetrating to our daily life. Recently it is relevant to integrate the newest technologies. In that way traditional system becomes “smart” who are more economical, optimal, and self-sufficient. The biggest problem is to make a model of “smart” system. There were analyzed modeling methods, heating and cooling control systems in this job. Mathematical model for heating and cooling controller using fuzzy logic was presented. According to analyzed problems it was made verification with Matlab during experimental phase. There was made comparison evaluation of mathematical model made with fuzzy logic and timed Petri nets.

This study describes the development and use of a mathematical model that will enable mine operators to minimise the costs of electricity consumed by the ventilation and refrigeration systems used for environmental control in deep mines. This model was calibrated and tested by using actual data from a gold mine near Welkom in South Africa. In a first simulation, the mine's current practice of controlling conditions to a wet bulb temperature (Twb) of 25S°C, was optimised. The model demonstrated that this environmental condition could be sustained at lower electricity consumption. In so doing, the mine realised a saving of 30 000 kWh per day. The energy saving and load management led to a cost saving of R 1.5 million per year. However, a better indicator of environmental conditions is the Air Cooling Power index, (ACP). Research has shown that for hard physical work in hot conditions workers need an ACP of 300 w/m2. It was found that the case study mine actually supplied their workplace with a cooling capacity of 422 w/m2. The new model optimised the refrigeration and ventilation systems in such a manner that the workers were supplied with exactly 300 w/m2, no more and no less. It was found that by doing this, an electricity saving of 57 600 kWh per day could be realised when compared with the current mine practices. The energy saving and load management led to a potential cost saving of R 2.55 million per year. (Certain capital costs, such as for variable speed drives may have to be incurred to realise these savings.) The new model could be further extended to take advantage of the new Real Time Price offerings from Eskom It will be able to identify an operating point for the refrigeration and ventilation systems to supply 300 w/m2 for the workers, in real time, at the lowest electricity cost. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Mechanical Engineering))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.

Several steps are followed in order to evaluate the cycle as the title suggests. The diffusion absorption refrigerator (DAR) cycle performance is evaluated when using helium or hydrogen as auxiliary gas. A slight increase in COP is found when using helium, but it is not sufficient to justify the cost. A secondary simulation of an alternate dual-pressure cycle using a pump is done as feasibility comparison with the same parameters as the diffusion cycle. It was found that the second cycle is not acceptable due to high evaporator temperatures needed to ensure liquid enters the pump instead of partially evaporated solution. This would greatly increase the work input required for what essentially becomes a compressor. Optimisation of the DAR is evaluated by simulating the use of a rectification column and the effects of different design points on overall performance. Meteorological data for Potchefstroom, South Africa is used to perform a yearly analysis on the simulated cycle and to specify a suitable design point. The use of a radiative cooling system as heat sink for the system is then investigated and incorporated into the system model. Finally, the performance characteristics of the simulated DAR cycle are discussed, verified and compared with available data from similar research. It is shown that a 40% solution aqua-ammonia-hydrogen cycle driven by 526 kW of solar thermal energy at 130°C and a system pressure of 1.5 MPa can easily achieve a COP over 0.4 with an air-cooled absorber at 40°C and a water-cooled condenser at 35°C. A 231 kW refrigeration capacity at an average evaporator temperature of –20°C is achieved, satisfying the requirements for a domestic refrigeration system. / Thesis (MIng (Mechanical Engineering))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

Several steps are followed in order to evaluate the cycle as the title suggests. The diffusion absorption refrigerator (DAR) cycle performance is evaluated when using helium or hydrogen as auxiliary gas. A slight increase in COP is found when using helium, but it is not sufficient to justify the cost. A secondary simulation of an alternate dual-pressure cycle using a pump is done as feasibility comparison with the same parameters as the diffusion cycle. It was found that the second cycle is not acceptable due to high evaporator temperatures needed to ensure liquid enters the pump instead of partially evaporated solution. This would greatly increase the work input required for what essentially becomes a compressor. Optimisation of the DAR is evaluated by simulating the use of a rectification column and the effects of different design points on overall performance. Meteorological data for Potchefstroom, South Africa is used to perform a yearly analysis on the simulated cycle and to specify a suitable design point. The use of a radiative cooling system as heat sink for the system is then investigated and incorporated into the system model. Finally, the performance characteristics of the simulated DAR cycle are discussed, verified and compared with available data from similar research. It is shown that a 40% solution aqua-ammonia-hydrogen cycle driven by 526 kW of solar thermal energy at 130°C and a system pressure of 1.5 MPa can easily achieve a COP over 0.4 with an air-cooled absorber at 40°C and a water-cooled condenser at 35°C. A 231 kW refrigeration capacity at an average evaporator temperature of –20°C is achieved, satisfying the requirements for a domestic refrigeration system. / Thesis (MIng (Mechanical Engineering))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

This study describes the development and use of a mathematical model that will enable mine operators to minimise the costs of electricity consumed by the ventilation and refrigeration systems used for environmental control in deep mines. This model was calibrated and tested by using actual data from a gold mine near Welkom in South Africa. In a first simulation, the mine's current practice of controlling conditions to a wet bulb temperature (Twb) of 25S°C, was optimised. The model demonstrated that this environmental condition could be sustained at lower electricity consumption. In so doing, the mine realised a saving of 30 000 kWh per day. The energy saving and load management led to a cost saving of R 1.5 million per year. However, a better indicator of environmental conditions is the Air Cooling Power index, (ACP). Research has shown that for hard physical work in hot conditions workers need an ACP of 300 w/m2. It was found that the case study mine actually supplied their workplace with a cooling capacity of 422 w/m2. The new model optimised the refrigeration and ventilation systems in such a manner that the workers were supplied with exactly 300 w/m2, no more and no less. It was found that by doing this, an electricity saving of 57 600 kWh per day could be realised when compared with the current mine practices. The energy saving and load management led to a potential cost saving of R 2.55 million per year. (Certain capital costs, such as for variable speed drives may have to be incurred to realise these savings.) The new model could be further extended to take advantage of the new Real Time Price offerings from Eskom It will be able to identify an operating point for the refrigeration and ventilation systems to supply 300 w/m2 for the workers, in real time, at the lowest electricity cost. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Mechanical Engineering))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.

This thesis describes the work undertaken by the author in collaboration with Wyman-Gordon Forgings, USA, to assist in the development of a cooling system,based on air assisted atomised water sprays primarily for the quenching of aerospace components from high temperatures. The mechanical properties of forgings used in aircraft engines depend on the rate of cooling from the heat treatment solution temperature. It is well known that water quenching produces high cooling rate. Although, the severity of the quench can sometimes produce unacceptable distortion and high residual stresses in the component. For this reason water quenching is only used when a high cooling rate is definitely needed and it is often replaced by a less severe oil quench. However, over the last 10 years the trend to reduce manufacturing costs has led to the forging of parts that are closer to the net shape. In these cases even oil quenching can lead to residual stresses being developed that result in difficulties during the final machining of the engine component. Forced air cooling has been adopted in problem cases where the part is thin enough to attain the desired cooling rate. In many instances, however, the component is of intermediate size or varying in cross section and fan cooling cannot provide the cooling rate which is needed to obtain the desired mechanical properties, whilst oil quenching produces an unacceptable level of residual stresses. The use of air assisted atomised water sprays can provide heat transfer coefficients whose values lie between those for air cooling and oil quenching. Another advantage is that control of the air pressure enables the spray nozzle to operate with a much wider range of water flow rates so that the cooling rate can be readily controlled over the range. This study describes the investigation of the heat transfer characteristics of air assisted atomised water sprays to quench aeroengine components from temperatures of approximately 850°C. New data were obtained at high temperatures for air assisted atomised water sprays operating over a wide range of water mass fluxes, (8.01>w 0 >0kg/m2 .s). In practice the geometry of a component can be complex in shape. Therefore an investigation was also carried out into the application of spray cooling on recessed surfaces. It was found that the surface recess contributes significantly to the reduction in the rate of heat transfer at low and high water mass fluxes, but had little effect at intermediate flow rates. Pulsed sprays were investigated and proposed as a means of controlling heat transfer coefficients for both plane and recessed surfaces. The use of a pulsed spray makes it possible to control the amount of water impacting on a surface per second. It was found that "water off periods of 5 and 10 seconds resulted in a reduction in heat transfer coefficients at low temperatures and also reduced considerably the differences in cooling previously observed between plane and recessed surfaces. A finite element code was used to predict the residual stresses produced in a forged component for a range of spray parameters, and spray arrangements. The data were compared with cooling rates and stress patterns produced by both air and oil quenching. It was found that spray cooling resulted in cooling rates which met the mechanical property specification and provided residual stresses lower than those obtained during oil quenching. Furthermore, simulations of residual stress formation using two different spray arrangements in a typical forging indicated that spray non uniformities can substantially disturb the resultant residual stress patterns which could result in less predictable distortions during final machining. The study of spray cooling presented here suggests that the use of air assisted atomised water sprays has considerable potential and could provide the required cooling rate for individual forgings.

The global greenhouse gas CO2 emission from the transportation sector is very significant. To reduce this gas emission, EU has set an average target of not more than 95 CO2/km for new passenger cars by the year 2020. A great reduction is still required to achieve the CO2 emission target in 2020, and many different approaches are being considered. This thesis focuses on the thermal management of the engine as an area that promise significant improvement of fuel efficiency with relatively small changes. The review of the literature shows that thermal management can improve engine efficiency through the friction reduction, improved air-fuel mixing, reduced heat loss, increased engine volumetric efficiency, suppressed knock, reduce radiator fan speed and reduction of other toxic emissions such as CO, HC and NOx. Like heat loss and friction, most emissions can be reduced in high temperature condition, but this may lead to poor volumetric efficiency and make the engine more prone to knock. The temperature trade-off study is conducted in simulation using a GT-SUITE engine model coupled with the FE in-cylinder wall structure and cooling system. The result is a map of the best operating temperature over engine speed and load. To quantify the benefit of this map, eight driving styles from the legislative and research test cycles are being compared using an immediate application of the optimal temperature, and significant improvements are found for urban style driving, while operation at higher load (motorway style driving) shows only small efficiency gains. The fuel consumption saving predicted in the urban style of driving is more than 4%. This assess the chance of following the temperature set point over a cycle, the temperature reference is analysed for all eight types of drive cycles using autocorrelation, lag plot and power spectral density. The analysis consistently shows that the highest volatility is recorded in the Artemis Urban Drive Cycle: the autocorrelation disappears after only 5.4 seconds, while the power spectral density shows a drop off around 0.09Hz. This means fast control action is required to implement the optimal temperature before it changes again. Model Predictive Control (MPC) is an optimal controller with a receding horizon, and it is well known for its ability to handle multivariable control problems for linear systems with input and state limits. The MPC controller can anticipate future events and can take control actions accordingly, especially if disturbances are known in advance. The main difficulty when applying MPC to thermal management is the non-linearity caused by changes in flow rate. Manipulating both the water pump and valve improves the control authority, but it also amplifies the nonlinearity of the system. Common linearization approaches like Jacobian Linearization around one or several operating points are tested, by found to be only moderately successful. Instead, a novel approach is pursued using feedback linearization of the plant model. This uses an algebraic transformation of the plant inputs to turn the nonlinear systems dynamics into a fully or predominantly linear system. The MPC controller can work with the linear model, while the actual control inputs are found using an inverse transformation. The Feedback Linearization MPC of the cooling system model is implemented and testing using MathWork Simulink®. The process includes the model transformation approach, model fitting, the transformation of the constraints and the tuning of the MPC controller. The simulation shows good temperature tracking performance, and this demonstrates that a MPC controller with feedback linearization is a suitable approach to thermal management. The controller strategy is then validated in a test rig replicating an actual engine cooling system. The new MPC controller is again evaluated over the eight driving cycles. The average water pump speed is reduced by 9.1% compared to the conventional cooling system, while maintaining good temperature tracking. The controller performance further improves with future disturbance anticipation by 20.5% for the temperature tracking (calculated by RMSE), 6.8% reduction of the average water pump speed, 47.3% reduction of the average valve movement and 34.0% reduction of the average radiator fan speed.

O estudo teve como objetivo avaliar as respostas hormonais, fisiológicas e comportamentais de vacas Holandesas frente a situações de conforto ou estresse térmico ambiental. O experimento desenvolvido entre os verões de 2007 e 2008 no Campus Administrativo da Universidade de São Paulo (USP), Pirassununga, SP, utilizou 28 fêmeas de 1ª a 3ª lactações com produção média de 20 kg/dia divididas em dois grupos experimentais após a parição, com e sem disponibilidade de climatização em galpão do tipo free-stall. Os parâmetros ambientais foram avaliados através do cálculo do índice de temperatura e umidade (ITU). As colheitas de dados fisiológicos (temperatura retal, temperatura de superfície corporal do dorso e base da cauda, frequência respiratória), hormonais (cortisol e IGF-I), comportamentais e de produção e qualidade do leite foram realizadas em cinco condições climáticas no ano (outono, inverno, primavera, verão seco e verão chuvoso) caracterizadas pela temperatura, umidade relativa e radiação solar. No verão os animais foram submetidos ao Teste de Capacidade Termolítica (CT) e a um estudo comparativo de um período de sete dias sob estresse calórico em câmara climática e desafio com aplicação de ACTH. No experimento 1 o teste de capacidade termolítica foi validado. A CT foi igual para animais em lactação ou secos (P>0,05), e maior para vacas mantidas sob sistema de climatização ao longo do ano (P<0,01). Houve influência da exposição ao sol sobre todas as variáveis fisiológicas (P<0,01). Os níveis plasmáticos de cortisol foram maiores antes da exposição ao sol e depois do repouso por 1 hora à sombra para vacas em lactação (P=0,03) e para as sem disponibilidade de climatização (P=0,03). O IGF-I foi maior nas vacas secas em final de gestação (P<0,01). No experimento 2 a temperatura retal não teve influência da climatização, com os dois grupos apresentando valores abaixo de 38,56 ºC ao longo do ano (P=0,11). Observou-se uma tendência de alta (P<0,01) nas concentrações plasmáticas de cortisol entre outono e inverno, começando o decréscimo até o início do verão seco e um novo aumento durante o verão chuvoso, e um comportamento inverso para o IGF-I. Temperatura retal mostrou uma correlação moderada e positiva (P<0,01) com a temperatura superficial (0,46) e frequência respiratória (0,35). A temperatura do ar e ITU apresentaram correlações positivas de moderada à alta com as temperaturas retal, da base da cauda e superficial, e também com a frequência respiratória (P<0,01). No experimento 3 as vacas passaram a maior parte do dia na sombra em pé (84,2 %) independente da estação do ano. O ambiente climatizado proporcionou maior frequência de alimentação e produção de leite durante o verão (P<0,05), assim como teor de gordura 17,9 % maior (P<0,01). No experimento 4 os animais foram submetidos ao estresse pontual causado pelo uso do ACTH e ao estresse calórico prolongado em câmara climática. Tanto a administração de ACTH quanto a exposição ao calor prolongado em câmara climática aumentaram os níveis de cortisol plasmático. Durante o estresse calórico houve diminuição do IGF-I e produção leiteira e aumento das variáveis fisiológicas ligadas a termorregulação. / The study aimed to evaluate the hormonal, physiological and behavioral responses of Holstein cows in situations of a comfort or heat environment. The experiment was conducted between the summers of 2007 and 2008 in the University of São Paulo (USP), Pirassununga, SP, and used 28 females from 1st to 3rd lactations with average production of 20 kg/day divided into two experimental groups after birth, with and without an evaporative cooling system in a free-stall. Environmental parameters were evaluated by temperature and humidity index (THI). Collection of physiological data (rectal temperature, body surface, internal base of tail, respiratory rate), hormonal (cortisol and IGF-I), behavioral and production and milk quality were conducted in five climatic conditions (autumn, winter, spring, dry summer and rainy summer) characterized by air temperature, relative humidity and solar radiation. In summer the animals were subjected to Thermolysis Capacity Test (CT) and a comparative study of a period of seven days under heat stress in climatic chamber and challenged with ACTH administration. In experiment 1 the Thermolysis Capacity Test was validated. The CT was the same for dry or lactating animals (P>0.05) and higher for cows kept in evaporative cooling system throughout the year (P<0.01). The results showed influence of sun exposure on all physiological variables (P<0.01). Plasma levels of cortisol were higher before sun exposure and after the one hour rest under shade for lactating cows (P=0.03) and for no cooled animals (P=0.03). IGF-I was higher in dry cows in late gestation (P<0.01). In experiment 2 the evaporative cooling system did not show influence on rectal temperature, with both groups having values below 38.56 ºC throughout the year (P=0.11). It was observed an upward trend (P<0.01) in plasma cortisol concentrations between autumn and winter, starting the decline until the beginning of dry summer and a further increase during rainy summer, and an opposite pattern for IGF- I. Rectal temperature showed a moderate and positive correlation (P<0.01) with the body surface temperature (0.46) and respiratory rate (0.35). The air temperature and THI showed moderate to high positive correlations with rectal temperatures, and the internal base of tail, and also with the respiratory rate (P<0.01). In experiment 3 cows spent most of the day standing in the shade (84.2%) regardless of season. Cooled cows had a higher feeding frequency and milk production during summer (P<0.05) and fat content 17.9% higher (P<0.01). In experiment 4, cows were subjected to the short stress caused by the ACTH administration and prolonged heat stress in climatic chamber. Both the administration of ACTH as prolonged exposure to heat in climatic chamber increased the levels of plasma cortisol. During heat stress a decrease in plasma IGF-I and milk production was observed, and an increase in physiological variables related to thermoregulation.