No description available.

Altering the wettability of reservoir rock using fluoro-chemical treatments has proved to be a viable solution to the condensate blocking problem in gas wells. Alteration of rock wettability to neutral-wet is the primary reason for improvement in gas and condensate relative permeabilities. Stability/compatibility test, drop tests and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis along with core flood results were used to characterize wettability changes. XPS tests, drop tests, and relative permeability measurements were conducted and correlated with each other. It is shown that XPS analysis and imbibition tests provide a quantitative measure of chemical adsorption and surface modification, but only a qualitative measure of the possible change in relative permeability. As such these simple analytical tools may be used as a screening tool. A positive but imperfect empirical correlation was obtained with results from core flood experiments. The varying concentration of fluorine observed on the rock surface was found to be directly correlated to the wettability change in the rock, which in turn is responsible for improving the deliverability of wells in gas condensate/volatile oil reservoirs. The method discussed in this thesis can be used to identify chemical treatments to change rock wettability and, therefore, relative permeability. This provides a simple, quick and inexpensive way to screen chemicals as wettability altering agents and relative permeability modifiers which saves time, cost and effort. / text

Proprietary mixtures of amines and carboxylic acids are used as volatile corrosion inhibitors (VCIs) for the protection of steel and iron components against atmospheric corrosion during storage and transportation. Interactions between amines and carboxylic acids have been comprehensively reported in the literature. However, little is known about the nature of the vapours these mixtures emit. The present study focused on the development of the evolved gas analysis method which will help in the characterisation of the vapours released by VCIs. In the method, the evaporation of various amine-carboxylic acid binary mixtures was monitored by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The nature and the composition of the released vapours was followed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Mixtures consisting of triethylamine (TEA) and acetic acid were studied as a model compound using TGA-FTIR at 50 °C to validate the TGA-FTIR method. As vaporisation progressed, the composition of the remaining liquid and the emitted vapour converged to a fixed amine content of ca. 27 mol %. This is just above the composition expected for the 1:3 amine: carboxylic acid complex. Mixtures close to this composition also featured the lowest volatility. TGA-FTIR proved to be a convenient method for studying the evaporation of TEA-acetic acid mixtures, and the nature and composition of the released vapours. Amine addition leads to the dissociation of carboxylic acid dimers in favour salt formation. The formation of an ion pair between the amine and carboxylic acid was confirmed by the FTIR spectra of the liquid phase. The resulting amine-carboxylic acid mixtures showed a slow mass loss rate on TGA when compared with the pure amines and pure carboxylic acids. This indicated that the mixtures have low volatility, hence low vapour pressure compared with the pure components. The low vapour pressure of the mixtures was confirmed by the calculated gas permeability values. These values were much higher for the pure amines and the pure carboxylic acids. However, they dropped significantly on amine addition. The strong amine-carboxylic acid interaction is responsible for the suppressed volatility of the mixtures. No interaction is observed between amine and carboxylic acid molecules in the vapour phase at 230 °C. The method developed was applied to characterise the model compounds simulating the amine-carboxylic acid-based volatile corrosion inhibitors. These model systems contained the primary, secondary and tertiary amines (hexylamine, morpholine and triethylamine), as well as carboxylic acids with different chain lengths (acetic, propanoic, hexanoic and octanoic). These systems are usually employed as equimolar mixtures to protect ferrous metals against atmospheric corrosion. The key finding of the study was that the vapours released by such equimolar mixtures initially contain almost exclusively free amine. After prolonged vaporisation, a steady-state “azeotrope”-like composition is approached. It contains excess acid and features impaired corrosion-inhibition efficiencies according to the Skinner test. In part, this behaviour can be attributed to the mismatch between the volatilities of the amine and carboxylic acid constituents. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2013 / Chemical Engineering / unrestricted

Les matériaux utilisés pour diverses applications en électronique organique ou photovoltaïque denouvelle génération subissent des dégruvent être encapsulés à l’aide de matériaux barrière àl’oxygène et à l’eau. Pour l’encapsulation des cellules photovoltaïques organiadations sous les effets conjugués de l’eau et de l’oxygène. Afinde limiter cette dégradation, ces dispositifs peques, les perméabilités àl’eau (WVTR) et à l’oxygène (OTR) de l’encapsulant ne doivent pas excéder 10-3 g.m-2.j-1 et 10-3cm3.m-2.j-1 respectivement.L’objectif de ce travail de thèse est l’étude et l’élaboration par voie humide d’une structuremulticouche hybride organique/inorganique flexible, transparente et barrière aux gaz ainsi que lacompréhension des mécanismes permettant de limiter la diffusion des gaz au travers de cette structure.Dans un premier temps, le travail de thèse a été consacré à la réalisation d’une couche mince d’oxydede silicium sur substrat polymère à partir d’un précurseur inorganique : le perhydropolysilazane(PHPS). Différentes voies de conversion du précurseur ont été étudiées et comparées. Lesperméabilités à l’eau et à l’oxygène des meilleures couches déposées sur substrat polymère sont del’ordre de 0,1 g.m-2.j-1 et 0,1 cm3.m-2.j-1 respectivement. Ces valeurs sont comparables à cellesobtenues pour des dépôts réalisés par voie plasma.Des structures multicouches hybrides ont été réalisées en intercalant des couches de polymère entredes couches d’oxyde de silicium afin de décorréler les défauts des couches denses. Cela a permisd’atteindre des perméabilités inférieures ou égales à 10-2 g.m-2.j-1 à l’eau et de l’ordre de 10-3 cm3.m-2.j-1 à l’oxygène.Les performances au cours du temps sous irradiation de cellules solaires encapsulées ont étécomparées. L’encapsulation avec le meilleur matériau barrière développé confère une stabilitéremarquable aux cellules.Cette étude a ainsi permis de montrer les structures barrières élaborées par voie liquide constituent unealternative de choix pour l’encapsulation à grande échelle de cellules photovoltaïques. / Materials used in organic electronic devices or new generation photovoltaics undergo degradation byoxygen and water. In order to prevent their degradation, the devices should be encapsulated withmaterials showing a low permeability to oxygen and water vapor. For organic solar cellsencapsulation, material permeability to water (WVTR) and oxygen (OTR) should not exceed 10-3 g.m-2.d-1 and 10-3 cm3.m-2.d-1 respectively. The aim of this work is to study and develop a solutionprocessed,flexible, transparent and gas-barrier multilayer inorganic/organic hybrid structure, and tounderstand the mechanisms involved in diffusion limitation through these barriers.Firstly, this work has been dedicated to the realization on a polymer substrate of a thin silicon oxidelayer from an inorganic precursor: the perhydropolysilazane (PHPS). Different precursor conversionpaths have been studied and compared. The best barrier layers on polymer substrate have shownoxygen and water permeabilities of about 0,1 g.m-2.d-1 and 0,1 cm3.m-2.d-1 respectively. This result iscomparable to the permeability of plasma deposited layers.Multilayer hybrid structures have been realized by introducing a polymer layer between inorganiclayers in order to decorrelate the thin layer defects. This achieved permeabilities below 10-2 g.m-2.d-1for water and 10-3 cm3.m-2.d-1 for oxygen.The photovoltaic performances of encapsulated organic solar cells under illumination have beencompared over time. Encapsulation with the best barrier material developed during this work resultedin good device stability.This study has shown that entirely solution-processed barrier materials are a promising option for largescale organic solar cells encapsulation.

No description available.

Cette thèse étudie la rétention d’eau à haute HR et le retrait sous température modérée des bétons CEMI et CEMV de l’Andra, en lien avec leur microstructure.Pour étudier l’origine des variations de Sw à haute HR, du béton est séché à HR= 92-100%. Pour les deux bétons, l’échantillonnage influe significativement sur Sw. Pour le CEMI, à HR=100%, la taille joue aussi, en lien avec un mécanisme de séchage par désorption de surface ; à HR=92&98%, ce béton n’est plus sensible aux effets de surface ; il est sensible aux conditions expérimentales. Pour le CEMV, l’effet de la taille existe quelle que soit l’HR, mais il est peu sensible aux conditions expérimentales.A partir de 60°C, le retrait de dessiccation présente quatre phases en fonction de la perte de masse relative. Pour le béton CEMI séché jusqu’en phase 3 ou 4, la possible rigidification de la matrice solide est investiguée par un essai couplé de poro-élasticité et transport de gaz. Pour un même échantillon en phase 3 puis en phase 4, on mesure une légère augmentation du Ks ; la perméabilité au gaz est significativement plus sensible au confinement. Par contre, la rigidification du matériau est limitée en comparaison de l’effet d’échantillonnage.Au MEB, les phases et la morphologie des bétons sont quantifiées. Le CEM I et le CEM V ont des phases solides identiques, mais le CEM V comprend des phases spécifiques (ajout de laitiers et cendres volantes). Les C-S-H du CEM V ont un rapport C/S globalement plus bas que le CEM I. Ce rapport reste similaire pour trois gâchées différentes. Par contre, l’occurrence de pores millimétriques varie significativement, du fait de modes de mise en oeuvre sensiblement différents / This thesis focuses on water retention at high relative humidity (RH) (92-100%) and dessiccation shrinkage under moderate temperature (60-80°C) for two high performance concretes CEMI and CEMV (from Andra), in relation with their microstructure.To investigate the origins of the variations in water saturation degree Sw at high RH, both concretes are dried at RH=92, 98 and 100%, from the fully saturated state. For both concretes, sampling affects significantly Sw. For CEMI at 100%RH, sample size also affects Sw, due to surface drying (desorption); at 92 and 98%RH, CEMI is no longer sensitive to surface drying effects; it is sensitive to experimental conditions (RH, T). CEMV is affected by sample size whatever the RH, but not by experimental conditions.From 60°C drying temperature, the relationship between shrinkage and relative mass loss presents four distinct phases. CEMI concrete is dried at 65°C until phase 3 or 4, and then submitted to a coupled poro-mechanical and gas permeability test. For the same sample tested in phase 3 and then 4, a difference in solid skeleton incompressibility modulus Ks is measured, which is significantly lower than the differences in Ks due to sampling.With the Scanning Electron Microscope, the solid phases and morphology of both concretes are quantified. CEM I and CEM V comprise identical phases, even portlandite, yet CEM V concrete has some specific phases, owing to the addition of slag and fly ash. The C-S-H in CEM V have a lower C/S ratio than in CEM I. The (C/S) ratio remains similar when comparing between three different batches. Besides, millimetric pores vary significantly, owing to differences in manufacturing

L’argilite du COx a été choisie comme roche hôte pour le stockage des déchets radioactifs de haute activité et vie longue (HAVL) en France. Ce matériau subira l'intrusion de gaz et d'eau sous, parfois, des conditions thermiques sévères. Par conséquent, afin d'évaluer la sécurité de cette barrière naturelle, il est très important de comprendre les propriétés poromécaniques et de transfert de ce matériau ainsi que l’effet de la température. Ce travail aborde les mesures au gaz du coefficient de Biot et montrent que celui-ci est presque égal à 1 en conditions humides. Il y a cependant sur le matériau sec un effet de l'adsorption du gaz et une déformation supplémentaire de gonflement du matériau. Cet effet a aussi un effet important sur les propriétés de transfert du gaz selon sa nature. Les propriétés de transfert et de saturation ont été examinées par des techniques gaz et comparées aux mesures usuelles. Les essais montrent aussi que la perméabilité à l'eau de site est d'environ 10-20 - 10-21 m² et beaucoup plus faible que celle au gaz. Enfin, on constate que le coefficient de Biot n'est pas affecté significativement par les effets thermiques mais que ces effets jouent sur la perméabilité relative au gaz de l'argilite / COx argillite has been selected as the host rock for the storage of high-activity long-live (HALL) radioactive waste in France. It will suffered the gas and water intrusion, sometimes suffered the severe thermal conditions during the sealing process. Therefore, in order to evaluate the safety of this natural barrier, it is very important to understand the poromechanical properties and transport properties of this material as well as the thermal effects. This work use gas to measure Biot’s coefficient and shows that it is nearly equal to 1 in humid conditions. However, there is a gas adsorption and induced an additional swelling deformation on dry material, this effect also has a significant effect on the transport properties of the gas according to its nature. The transport and saturation properties were examined by gas technique and compared with the usual measurements. The tests also show that the permeability of in situ water is about 10-20-10-21 m² and much lower than gas. Lastly, it is found that Biot’s coefficient is not significantly affected by the thermal effect, but the relative gas permeability of argillite is significantly affected by this effect.

Polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFC) convert the chemically bound energy in a fuel, e.g. hydrogen, directly into electricity by an electrochemical process. Examples of future applications are energy conversion such as combined heat and power generation (CHP), zero emission vehicles (ZEV) and consumer electronics. One of the key components in the PEFC is the membrane / electrode assembly (MEA). Both the membrane and the electrodes consist of proton conducting polymers (ionomers). In the membrane, properties such as gas permeability, high proton conductivity and sufficient mechanical and chemical stability are of crucial importance. In the electrodes, the morphology and electrochemical characteristics are strongly affected by the ionomer content. The primary purpose of the present thesis was to develop experimental techniques and to use them to characterise proton conducting polymers and membranes for PEFC applications electrochemically at, or close to, fuel cell operating conditions. The work presented ranges from polymer synthesis to electrochemical characterisation of the MEA performance. The use of a sulfonated dendritic polymer as the acidic component in proton conducting membranes was demonstrated. Proton conducting membranes were prepared by chemical cross-linking or in conjunction with a basic functionalised polymer, PSU-pyridine, to produce acid-base blend membranes. In order to study gas permeability a new in-situ method based on cylindrical microelectrodes was developed. An advantage of this method is that the measurements can be carried out at close to real fuel cell operating conditions, at elevated temperature and a wide range of relative humidities. The durability testing of membranes for use in a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) has been studied in situ by a combination of galvanostatic steady-state and electrochemical impedance measurements (EIS). Long-term experiments have been compared to fast ex situ testing in 3 % H2O2 solution. For the direct assessment of membrane degradation, micro-Raman spectroscopy and determination of ion exchange capacity (IEC) have been used. PVDF-based membranes, radiation grafted with styrene and sulfonated, were used as model membranes. The influence of ionomer content on the structure and electrochemical characteristics of Nafion-based PEFC cathodes was also demonstrated. The electrodes were thoroughly investigated using various materials and electrochemical characterisation techniques. Electrodes having medium Nafion contents (35<x<45 wt %) showed the best performance. The mass-transport limitation was essentially due to O2 diffusion in the agglomerates. The performance of cathodes with low Nafion content (<30 wt %) is limited by poor kinetics owing to incomplete wetting of platinum (Pt) by Nafion, by proton migration throughout the cathode as well as by O2 diffusion in the agglomerates. At large Nafion content (>45 wt %), the cathode becomes limited by diffusion of O2 both in the agglomerates and throughout the cathode. Furthermore, models for the membrane coupled with kinetics for the hydrogen electrode, including water concentration dependence, were developed. The models were experimentally validated using a new reference electrode approach. The membrane, as well as the hydrogen anode and cathode characteristics, was studied experimentally using steady-state measurements, current interrupt and EIS. Data obtained with the experiments were in good agreement with the modelled results. / QC 20101014

<p>Polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFC) convert the chemically bound energy in a fuel, e.g. hydrogen, directly into electricity by an electrochemical process. Examples of future applications are energy conversion such as combined heat and power generation (CHP), zero emission vehicles (ZEV) and consumer electronics. One of the key components in the PEFC is the membrane / electrode assembly (MEA). Both the membrane and the electrodes consist of proton conducting polymers (ionomers). In the membrane, properties such as gas permeability, high proton conductivity and sufficient mechanical and chemical stability are of crucial importance. In the electrodes, the morphology and electrochemical characteristics are strongly affected by the ionomer content. The primary purpose of the present thesis was to develop experimental techniques and to use them to characterise proton conducting polymers and membranes for PEFC applications electrochemically at, or close to, fuel cell operating conditions. The work presented ranges from polymer synthesis to electrochemical characterisation of the MEA performance.</p><p>The use of a sulfonated dendritic polymer as the acidic component in proton conducting membranes was demonstrated. Proton conducting membranes were prepared by chemical cross-linking or in conjunction with a basic functionalised polymer, PSU-pyridine, to produce acid-base blend membranes. In order to study gas permeability a new in-situ method based on cylindrical microelectrodes was developed. An advantage of this method is that the measurements can be carried out at close to real fuel cell operating conditions, at elevated temperature and a wide range of relative humidities. The durability testing of membranes for use in a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) has been studied in situ by a combination of galvanostatic steady-state and electrochemical impedance measurements (EIS). Long-term experiments have been compared to fast ex situ testing in 3 % H2O2 solution. For the direct assessment of membrane degradation, micro-Raman spectroscopy and determination of ion exchange capacity (IEC) have been used. PVDF-based membranes, radiation grafted with styrene and sulfonated, were used as model membranes. The influence of ionomer content on the structure and electrochemical characteristics of Nafion-based PEFC cathodes was also demonstrated. The electrodes were thoroughly investigated using various materials and electrochemical characterisation techniques. Electrodes having medium Nafion contents (35<x<45 wt %) showed the best performance. The mass-transport limitation was essentially due to O2 diffusion in the agglomerates. The performance of cathodes with low Nafion content (<30 wt %) is limited by poor kinetics owing to incomplete wetting of platinum (Pt) by Nafion, by proton migration throughout the cathode as well as by O2 diffusion in the agglomerates. At large Nafion content (>45 wt %), the cathode becomes limited by diffusion of O2 both in the agglomerates and throughout the cathode. Furthermore, models for the membrane coupled with kinetics for the hydrogen electrode, including water concentration dependence, were developed. The models were experimentally validated using a new reference electrode approach. The membrane, as well as the hydrogen anode and cathode characteristics, was studied experimentally using steady-state measurements, current interrupt and EIS. Data obtained with the experiments were in good agreement with the modelled results. Keywords: polymer electrolyte fuel cell, proton conducting membrane, porous electrode, gas permeability, degradation, water transport</p>

Les thermoplastiques contenant du PDMS ont attiré beaucoup d’attention à cause de leur potentiel dans un large spectre d’applications. Lors du mélange du PDMS avec des thermoplastiques, le problème de la compatibilité ne peut être ignoré. Cette dernière engendre de faibles propriétés mécaniques ainsi qu’une surface rugueuse. Par conséquent, le défi principal des mélanges PDMS/thermoplastique est de trouver un moyen efficace et adapté, comme le mélange réactif in situ, pour compatibiliser les différentes phases. Récemment, nous avons trouvé une réaction intéressante entre l’hydrosilane (SiH) et les groupes carbonyles catalysés par le triruthénium dodecacarbonyle [Ru3(CO)12]. Il a le potentiel pour réaliser cette compatibilisation réactive. Dans un premier temps, nous avons étudié le mécanisme de la réaction d’hydrosilylation catalysée par le ruthénium dans le cas du N-méthylpropionamide. Les composés N-silicatés formés qui peuvent jouer par la suite le rôle de compatibilisant lors du mélange réactif. Dans un deuxième temps, cette réaction d’hydrosilylation a été étendue au mélange réactif de PA12 avec du PDMS terminé hydride en conditions de mélange fondu. La réaction a été réalisée rapidement (en 1 minute) en présence de Ru3 (CO) 12 (1wt%). Ensuite, nous avons étudié la microstructure des deux mélanges. En comparaison avec le mélange non réactif, la dispersion du PDMS dans celui réactif était clairement améliorée puisque la taille des domaines. En outre, dans de telles conditions réactives et en présence du catalyste de ruthénium, une réaction d’oxydation du PDMS-SiH est partiellement observée. Ceci inclue par exemple les propriétés de stabilité thermique, de comportement cristallin, d’énergie de surface et de perméabilité et séparation des gaz. Dans un troisième temps, nous nous sommes intéressés à l’application de la réaction d’hydrosilylation catalysée par le ruthénium aux composites PBT/polyméthylhydrosiloxane (PMHS). Cependant, à cause des températures élevées nécessaires à la mise en forme du PBT (220°C), une réaction de réticulation entre le PBT et le PMHS apparait mais également et une auto-réticulation du PMHS. Enfin, ces résultats montrent une application potentielle et initial de ruthénium hydrosilylation catalysées à compatibilisation réactive entre l'hydropolysiloxane et un polyamide ou un polyester / Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) containing thermoplastics have attracted much attention due to their potential in wide range of applications. However, when blending PDMS with thermoplastics, the incompatible problem cannot be ignored. It may results in weak mechanical properties and a rough surface. Therefore, the main challenge of PDMS and thermoplastic blend is to find an efficient and convenient way like in situ reactive blending to realize the compatibilization between tthem. Recently, we found an interesting reaction between hydrosilane (SiH) and carbonyl group catalyzed by triruthenium dodecacarbonyl [Ru3(CO)12]. It has potential to realize such reactive compatibilization. Firstly, we investigated the mechanism of ruthenium catalyzed hydrosilylation reaction of N-methylpropionamide, and found that the formed N-silylated compounds which can work as compatibilizers in later reactive blending. Then this hydrosilylation reaction was extended to the reactive blending of PA12 with hydride terminated PDMS under molten processing conditions. The reaction was carried out quickly (in 1 minute) in the presence of Ru3(CO)12 (1wt%). Compared to the unreacted one, the dispersion of PDMS after reaction was obviously improved. Besides, in such reactive conditions, PDMS-SiH oxidation reaction was partially observed. This phenomenon leads to a second PDMS gel based phase. Properties like thermal stability, crystalline behavior, surface energy and gas permeability and separation of such blends were also studied. Secondly, ruthenium catalyzed hydrosilylation was also applied to PBT and polymethylhydrosiloxane (PMHS) which was processed at higher temperature (220°C). The final material includes the crosslinking network formed between PBT and PMHS and a part of PMHS self-crosslinking forming PMHS gel-like phase due to the higher processing temperature of PBT and high reactivity of PMHS. Finally, these results show a potential and initial application of ruthenium catalyzed hydrosilylation to reactive compatibilization between hydride polysiloxane and polyamide or polyester