Les procédés de fabrication de produits carnés stables à température ambiante s'articulent autour de la théorie des barrières et du couplage d'opérations unitaires telles que le salage, le séchage, la fermentation, le fumage. Dans les pays du Nord, ces procédés traditionnels ou industrialisés, aboutissent à des produits finis à la fois stables à température ambiante et prêts-à-consommer. Pour contrecarrer l'altération de la viande, accrue en conditions tropicales ou en conditions d'hygiène non maîtrisées, les procédés traditionnels du Sud mettent en œuvre des traitements plus drastiques et aboutissent à des produits nécessitant une préparation ultérieure pour être consommés (cuisson, dessalage).L'objectif général de ce travail est de proposer un procédé innovant adapté aux pays du Sud aboutissant à un produit carné salé/séché/fermenté stable à température ambiante et prêt-à-consommer. L'innovation consiste à traiter des morceaux de viande en couplant une pré-stabilisation par Déshydratation-Imprégnation par Immersion (DII) à une étape maîtrisée de fermentation de surface. Par une stratégie expérimentale progressive associée à la modélisation, cette thèse étudie le couplage DII/fermentation de surface et détermine quels leviers sont à disposition pour optimiser ce couplage. Les réponses apportées s'appuient sur trois parties. Une première étude sur aliment réel a validé le couplage de la DII avec une fermentation de surface par Lactobacillus sakei. Dans un deuxième temps, une étude en milieu modèle a mis en évidence l'influence des facteurs environnementaux d'intérêt (activité en eau, teneur en sel, pH et teneur en acide lactique) sur la croissance en surface de L. sakei. Enfin, un modèle global a été construit pour analyser le couplage entre les transferts de matière (eau, sel, sucres et acide) entre la surface et le cœur de l'aliment, et le métabolisme fermentaire à la surface du produit.Mots-clés : produits carnés, Déshydratation-Imprégnation par Immersion, fermentation de surface, Lactobacillus sakei, cinétiques de croissance, transferts de matière. / The fabrication of shelf-stable cured meat products is based on the hurdle technology and on the coupling of unit-operations such as salting, drying, fermentation and smoking. In Northern countries, these processes whether traditional or industrialized, lead to end-products which are both shelf-stable and ready-to-eat. Meat spoilage is accelerated in tropical conditions or when the general hygiene is not controlled. In order to counteract it, traditional processes in these conditions use more drastic treatments leading to end-products which require an additional preparation step before being consumed (cooking, desalting).The general objective of this work is to propose an innovative process adapted to Southern countries and leading to a salted/dried/fermented meat product which is shelf-stable and ready-to-eat. The innovation consists in treating meat pieces by coupling a pre-stabilization by Dehydration-Impregnation by Soaking (DIS) with a controlled surface fermentation step. By means of a progressive experimental strategy associated with modelization, this thesis studies the DIS/surface fermentation coupling and determines which levers are available to optimize it.The answers comprised three parts. Firstly, a study on the real food product validated the coupling of DIS with a surface fermentation by Lactobacillus sakei. Secondly, a study on a model device showed the influence of relevant environmental factors (water activity, salt content, pH and lactic acid content) on the surface growth of L. sakei. Finally, a global model was built to analyze the coupling of mass transfers (water, salt, sugars, acid) between the surface and the core of the product, and the fermentative metabolism at the surface of the product.Keywords: meat products, Dehydration-Impregnation by Soaking, surface fermentation, , Lactobacillus sakei, growth kinetics, mass transfers.

L’introduction des matériaux composites à matrices thermoplastiques est étudiée depuis quelques années par les avionneurs. Les procédés actuellement investigués, soit par placement de mèches pré-imprégnées, soit par thermo-estampage de plaques préconsolidées, sont toutefois mal adaptés pour des pièces de forme complexe telles que des capotages, des volutes ou des entrées d’air. Pour s’affranchir de cette limitation, cette thèse vise à étudier une voie d’élaboration basée sur la mise en forme de textiles qui intègre par voie comélage/cotissage les renforts de carbone et les fils de thermoplastique. Le tout est suivi d’une consolidation en autoclave. Le projet de recherche comprend deux parties distinctes et complémentaires. La première partie est dédiée à l’étude de la mise en forme textile avant consolidation. La déformabilité en cisaillement des préformes textiles comélés a été caractérisée sur la base d’un essai « Bias Extension Test » instrumenté avec un dispositif optique pour mesurer les champs de déformation par corrélation d’images (2D-DIC). La mise en forme de la préforme textile sur des éprouvettes technologiques possédant une géométrie complexe de type double courbure a été effectuée à partir d’un pilote d’emboutissage. Une instrumentation optique a permis d’évaluer les champs de déformation en cisaillement (3D-DIC). La deuxième partie est consacrée à l’étude et à l’optimisation des conditions de consolidation en autoclave, des cycles de consolidation et l’étude de leur influence sur les performances mécaniques et la santé matière du matériau. Les relations matériau/procédé sont établies à partir de deux semi-produits FC/PPS : le Pipreg ® poudré de Porcher et le TPLF ® comélé avec fibres craquées de Schappe Techniques. Les résultats de ces deux thématiques ont permis la mise en oeuvre de pièces de faisabilité à double courbure aux propriétés microstructurales compatibles aux exigences aéronautiques pour des structures semi-structurelles. Une optimisation de la mesure de champ par stéréo- corrélation d’images et la prise en compte du comportement en tension et en flexion du renfort permettraient d’améliorer l’analyse des champs de déformation lors des essais de drapage. L’amélioration du cycle de consolidation et une sélection de produits d’environnement plus performants sont également des thématiques à explorer. / Thermoplastic resin composites have been studied for some years by aircraft manufacturer. Current processes studied concerning either prepreg bundle positioning or thermo-stamping of pre-consolidated laminates are not adapted for complex shape as air inlets. To overcome this limitation, this thesis investigates a method based on the manufacturing of fabrics made in commingled/co-woven yarns of carbon and thermoplastic fibres. Then fabrics are consolidated in autoclave. This research project has been divided into two distinct parts. The first part concerns textile shaping study before consolidation. Shear strains of textile preforms have been caracterized by « Bias Extension Test » instrumented with optical device to measure strain field by digital image correlation (2D-DIC ). Textile preform shaping on a double curvature technology test specimen was performed with stamping device. It was also intrumented by cameras to assess shear strain field (3D-DIC). The second part is focused on the study and the optimization of autoclave consolidation conditions and process parameters for thermoplastic composite part manufacturing. Process impacts on composite mechanical properties and microstructure are also studied. Material/process interactions assessment was performed with two CF/PPS semi-pregs : Pipreg ® powdered impregnated fabric from Porcher and TPLF ® commingled fabric with stretch-broken carbon fibers from Schappe Techniques. Results from these two research topics allow to manufacture double curvature composite parts with microstructural properties in accordance with aviation requirements for semi-structural parts. The optimisation of field measurements by 3D-DIC and the semi-preg characterisation in tensile and bending should be developed to improve strain field analysis during fabric shaping. Manufacturing process optimisation by the selection of more efficient materials used for vacumm bagging should also be investigated.

Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC) are electrochemical energy conversion devices which allow fuel gases, e.g. hydrogen or natural gas, to be converted to electricity and heat at much high efficiencies than combustion-based energy conversion technologies. SOFC are particularly suited to employment in stationary energy conversion applications, e.g. micro-combined heat and power (μ-CHP) and base load, which are certain to play a large role in worldwide decentralisation of power distribution and supply over the coming decades. Use of high-temperature SOFC technology within these systems is also a vital requirement in order to utilise fuel gases which are readily available in different areas of the world. Unfortunately, the limiting factor to the long-term commercialisation of SOFC systems is the redox instability, coking intolerance and sulphur poisoning of the state-of-the-art Ni-based cermet composite anode material. This research explores the ‘powder to power' development of alternative SOFC anode catalyst systems by impregnation of an A-site deficient La0.20Sr0.25Ca0.45TiO3 (LSCT[sub](A-)) anode ‘backbone' microstructure with coatings of ceria-based oxide ion conductors and metallic electrocatalyst particles, in order to create a SOFC anode which exhibits high redox stability, tolerance to sulphur poisoning and low voltage degradation rates under operating conditions. A 75 weight percent (wt. %) solids loading LSCT[sub](A-) ink, exhibiting ideal properties for screen printing of thick-film SOFC anode layers, was screen printed with 325 and 230 mesh counts (per inch) screens onto electrolyte supports. Sintering of anode layers between 1250 °C and 1350 °C for 1 to 2 hours indicated that microstructures printed with the 230 mesh screen provided a higher porosity and improved grain connectivity than those printed with the 325 mesh screen. Sintering anode layers at 1350 °C for 2 hours provided an anode microstructure with an advantageous combination of lateral grain connectivity and porosity, giving rise to an ‘effective' electrical conductivity of 17.5 S cm−1 at 850 °C. Impregnation of this optimised LSCT[sub](A-) anode scaffold with 13-16 wt. % (of the anode mass) Ce0.80Gd0.20O1.90 (CGO) and either Ni (5 wt. %), Pd, Pt, Rh or Ru (2-3 wt. %) and integration into SOFC resulted in achievement of Area Specific Resistances (ASR) of as low as 0.39 Ω cm−2, using thick (160 μm) 6ScSZ electrolytes. Durability testing of SOFC with Ni/CGO, Ni/CeO2, Pt/CGO and Rh/CGO impregnated LSCT[sub](A-) anodes was subsequently carried out in industrial button cell test rigs at HEXIS AG, Winterthur, Switzerland. Both Ni/CGO and Pt/CGO cells showed unacceptable levels of degradation (14.9% and 13.4%, respectively) during a ~960 hour period of operation, including redox/thermo/thermoredox cycling treatments. Significantly, by exchanging the CGO component for the CeO2 component in the SOFC containing Ni, the degradation over the same time period was almost halved. Most importantly, galvanostatic operation of the SOFC with a Rh/CGO impregnated anode for >3000 hours (without cycling treatments) resulted in an average voltage degradation rate of < 1.9% kh−1 which, to the author's knowledge, has not previously been reported for an alternative, SrTiO3-based anode material. Finally, transfer of the Rh/CGO impregnated LSCT[sub](A-) anode to industrial short stack (5 cells) scale at HEXIS AG revealed that operation in relevant conditions, with low gas flow rates, resulted in accelerated degradation of the Rh/CGO anode. During a 1451 hour period of galvanostatic operation, with redox cycles and overload treatments, a voltage degradation of 19.2% was observed. Redox cycling was noted to briefly recover performance of the stack before rapidly degrading back to the pre-redox cycling performance, though redox cycling does not affect this anode detrimentally. Instead, a more severe, underlying degradation mechanism, most likely caused by instability and agglomeration of Rh nanoparticles under operating conditions, is responsible for this observed degradation. Furthermore, exposure of the SOFC to fuel utilisations of >100% (overloading) had little effect on the Rh/CGO co-impregnated LSCT[sub](A-) anodes, giving a direct advantage over the standard HEXIS SOFC. Finally, elevated ohmic resistances caused by imperfect contacting with the Ni-based current collector materials highlighted that a new method of current collection must be developed for use with these anode materials.

Cette thèse fait l’objet du développement d’un modèle numérique de la phase d’imprégnation d’une préforme lors du procédé de fabrication d’un matériau composite par infusion sous vide de type VARI (Vacuum Assisted Resin Infusion). La caractérisation in situ du comportement mécanique dans l’épaisseur d’une préforme (essais d’infusion réels) est confrontée à sa caractérisation ex situ par une machine de traction/compression. L’effet de différents paramètres est mis en valeur sur le comportement de la préforme (type de chargement appliqué, état de saturation, influence de la viscosité du fluide et de la vitesse de déformation). Les essais ont révélé le caractère viscoélastique d’un renfort de type tissé lors de sa décompression à l’état imprégné et ont permis la définition d’une loi de comportement viscoélastique non-linéaire du renfort lors de cette phase. En vue d’étendre l’usage de cette loi de comportement mécanique à une large gamme de renforts, la même démarche expérimentale est appliquée au cas d’un renfort de type mat, au comportement élastique non-linéaire. La forme générale de la loi de comportement proposée se veut être adaptée à la description des deux types de renforts testés, où les éventuels effets viscoélastiques sont pris en compte selon le renfort étudié. Suite à l’implantation de la nouvelle loi de comportement dans un code numérique dédié à la simulation de la phase de remplissage d’un moule, la comparaison entre les résultats numériques et ceux des essais d’infusion sous vide prouve la fiabilité de ce nouveau modèle pour ces deux renforts à l’architecture bien distincte. / This thesis focuses on the development of a numerical model for the preform impregnation during the VARI (Vacuum Assisted Resin Infusion) process for the manufacturing of a composite material. The in situ characterization of the mechanical behavior in the thickness direction of a preform (real infusion tests) was compared with an ex situ characterization by a universal testing machine. The preform behavior was characterized for different parameters such as loading type, saturation state, influence of fluid viscosity and strain rate. All the tests revealed the viscoelastic behavior of a woven fabric during its decompression in the impregnated state, leading to the definition of a non-linear viscoelastic constitutive law of the woven fabric during this phase. To extend the use of this mechanical constitutive law to a wide range of fabrics, the same experimental approach was applied to the case of a random mat fabric with non-linear elastic behavior. The generalized form of the constitutive law is adapted to the description of the two types of fabrics while the potential viscoelastic effects are taken into account according to the fabric type. After the implementation of the new constitutive law in a numerical code for the simulation of a mold filling process, the comparison between numerical and experimental results has proved the reliability of the new numerical model for these two reinforcements with distinct architectures.

Les phosphures de métaux de transition nanométriques trouvent de nombreuses applications, notamment en catalyse hétérogène. Les silices mésoporeuses organisées (SMO) de type SBA-15, grâce à leurs paramètres physico-chimiques ajustables (surface spécifique, taille de pores, épaisseur de parois, etc.) et la reproductibilité de leurs synthèses, sont des supports de nanoparticules (NPs) de choix. Dans ce contexte, l'objectif de cette thèse est de synthétiser des NPs de phosphure de cobalt dans les pores de matrices de type SBA-15 à partir de clusters organométalliques comme uniques précurseurs. Dans une première partie, nous étudions le comportement de trois clusters contenant un ou plusieurs ligands phosphorés à haute température. Ceux-ci présentent des rapports Co/P différents, ce qui a un impact direct sur la phase phosphure obtenue après activation. Nous suivons également l'influence de l'atmosphère et de la température sur les phases formées lors du traitement thermique. Pour contrôler la taille et la polydispersité des NPs étudiées, nous avons imprégné le cluster précurseur [Co4(CO)10(µ-NH(PPh2)2)] dans des SMO de type SBA-15. L'atmosphère et la température choisies pour le traitement thermique influent sur la phase obtenue, comme précédemment, mais les conditions ne sont pas identiques. De plus, des phases parasites ferromagnétiques sont formées et des lavages à l'acide chlorhydrique concentré sont nécessaires pour s'en affranchir. Enfin, la préparation de grandes quantités de produit (transfert d'échelle) requiert l'utilisation d'un volume contrôlé lors du traitement thermique, pour assurer une homogénéité dans l'échantillon. / Nanosized transition metal phosphides find applications in various fields, including heterogeneous catalysis. Ordered mesoporous silica (OMS) such as SBA-15 are supports of choice for nanoparticles (NPs), since they feature adjustable microstructural parameters (specific surface area, pore size, wall thickness, etc.) and reproducible synthesis conditions. In this context, the goal of this PhD work is to synthesize cobalt phosphide NPs within the pores of SBA-15-type OMS, starting from organometallic clusters as single-source precursors. First, we study the behavior of three organometallic clusters bearing one or more phosphine-based ligands at high temperatures. Depending on the initial Co/P ratio, those clusters afford different phosphide phases. We also monitored the influence of the atmosphere and the temperature during the thermal treatment on the phases obtained. To control size and polydispersity of the NPs, we impregnated the cluster precursor [Co4(CO)10(µ-NH(PPh2)2)] in SBA-15-type OMS. As in the previous case, atmosphere and temperature influence the obtained phase, but the conditions are different. Moreover, ferromagnetic impurities are formed and it is necessary to wash the samples with concentrated hydrochloric acid to remove them. Finally, larger quantities of product can be prepared (scale-up) but the volume of sample thermally treated at once needs to be controlled precisely to ensure homogeneity of the final product.

Hydrophobic impregnations often referred to as water repellent agents, today mainly consisting of alkylalkoxysilanes, are often used on concrete to prolong the service life of the structure. This is accomplished by protecting the reinforcement bars from chlorides or by changing the moisture content inside. When the concrete is treated with a water repellent agent the properties of the surface layer becomes hydrophobic and thereby water droplets are stopped from entering, still allowing water vapour to pass through. This change can reduce chloride ingress and stop heavy rain from penetrating through the surface layer. This thesis presents results concerning how the properties of concrete are affected by a hydrophobic impregnation. Moisture transport and fixation in the surface layer of the concrete are studied as well as the secondary effects of more practical use such as the effect on chloride ingress, water absorption and humidity level. It also presents results on how the penetration depth and concentration of the water repellent agent (i) depend on a number of parameters, and (ii) affect the outcome of the treatment. Water repellent treatments on a number of different concrete structures in Stockholm, ranging from tunnel to high-rice building, are evaluated as well. The three most important factors for the penetration of any water repellent agent into concrete are time, porosity and degree of saturation. A semi-empirical equation is derived that gives an idea on how much these factors affect the efficient penetration depth of the water repellent agent. The depth and concentration have a major effect on the performance of the treatment. The moisture diffusion coefficient for a water repellent treated concrete is close to constant and not nearly as dependent on the relative humidity (RH) as for untreated concrete. Unlike untreated concrete, where capillary suction plays an important role for the moisture transport at high RH, the vapour transport is the dominant transport mechanism even at high RH for water repellent treated concrete. The moisture fixation is affected by a water repellent treatment and the effect is clearest at high moisture levels. The main reason for this is that the capillary porosity is affected by the treatment to a relatively high degree while the gel porosity to a large extent remains unaffected. A hypothesis is presented which suggests that the RH inside the concrete at the time of the treatment affects not only the depth and concentration but also in which range of pore radii the water repellent agent is present and active. The durability of hydrophobic impregnations can be divided into surface effects and in depth effects. The first is sensitive to the environmental and mechanical loadings and normally disappears within a year while the later can be long lasting if a sufficient depth is reached. Hydrophobic impregnations are not the answer to all problems in concrete related to moisture, but if correctly used it can prolong the service life of the structure which will lead to savings of natural resources and thus both economical and environmental savings for the community. / Vattenavvisande impregneringsmedel, som i dagsläget till största del består av alkylalkoxysilaner, används ofta på betong för att förlänga livslängden på konstruktionen. Detta syfte uppnås genom att armeringen skyddas mot klorider eller att fukthalten inuti betongen sänks. När betongen impregneras ändras ytskiktets fuktmekaniska egenskaper från hydrofila till hydrofoba vilket gör att vattendroppar kan stoppas medan vattenånga tillåts passera. Dessa förändrade egenskaper kan medföra att kloridinträngningen minskar och att kraftiga regn inte tränger genom det impregnerade skiktet. Denna avhandling presenterar resultat om hur betongen påverkas av en vattenavvisande impregnering. Fukttransport och fuktfixering i betongens ytskikt har undersökts men även sekundära effekter som kloridinträngning, vattenabsorption och förändring i fuktinnehåll vilka alla är av större praktisk nytta. Avhandlingen presenterar också resultat om vilka faktorer som påverkar impregneringens inträngningsdjup och koncentration samt vilken betydelse dessa har för funktionen. För att utvärdera impregneringars effekt i olika miljöer har ett stort antal objekt i Stockholm undersökts, innefattande olika konstruktioner från en tunnel till höghus. Impregneringens inträngningsdjup och koncentration har en avgörande betydelse för dess funktion. De tre viktigaste faktorerna för alla impregneringsmedels inträngning i betong är tid, porositet och fuktnivå. En semiempirisk ekvation har tagits fram där det framgår hur dessa tre faktorer påverkar det slutliga inträngningsdjupet för impregneringen. Till skillnad från obehandlad betong är transportkoefficienten för en impregnerad betong nästan oberoende av den relativa fuktigheten (RF) i omgivningen. Vid höga RF, där största delen av fukttransporten i obehandlad betong sker på grund av kapillärkrafter, är ångtransporten fortfarande den dominerande transportmekanismen i impregnerad betong. Fuktfixeringen i betong påverkas av en impregnering och effekten är störst vid höga RF. Det är dock tydligt att en viss mängd fukt finns inuti den impregnerade betongen. Detta kan förklaras med att största delen av kapillärporerna påverkas av impregneringen medan gelporerna förblir obehandlade. Resultaten indikerar också att fuktnivån vid impregneringstillfället avgör vilken del av porsystemet som kan behandlas och inte bara koncentrationen och inträngningsdjupet. Långtidsegenskaperna hos impregneringen kan delas upp i yt- och djupeffekt. Effekten på ytan avtar normalt sett inom ett år på grund av damm och partiklar, UV-ljus, slitage mm. Djupeffekten påverkas däremot inte av dessa faktorer och kan finnas kvar i decennier. Vattenavvisande impregneringar är inte lösningen på alla fuktrelaterade problem i betong, men om de används på rätt sätt så kan det förlänga livslängden på många konstruktioner. Detta leder till ett bättre hushållande med naturresurser och därmed både ekonomiska och miljömässiga besparingar för samhället. / QC20100715

Supercapacitors are important electrochemical energy storage devices for microelectronic and telecommunication systems, electric cars, and smart grids. However, the energy densities of existing supercapacitors are still inadequate for many applications. Vanadium oxides have been studied as viable supercapacitor alternatives, with varying results. Methods are often complicated or time-consuming, and electrode fabrication often includes carbon powder and binder. The objective of this work was to study the effect of processing conditions on specific capacitance of supercapacitors based on vanadium oxides coated on carbon fiber papers. This study was conducted to form easily-fabricated compounds of vanadium oxides which could offer promise as pseudocapacitor material, and to nucleate these compounds directly onto inexpensive carbon fiber without binder. The incipient wetness impregnation technique was used to fabricate the electrodes. Electrochemical performance of the resulting electrodes was tested in a Swagelok-type electrochemical two-electrode cell, and the electrodes were characterized by XRD and SEM. Interesting nanofeatures were formed and the vanadium oxides exhibited pseudocapacitance at a respectable level.

The three main components of wood, namely, cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, can be used in various areas. However, since lignin covalently crosslinks with wood polysaccharides creating networks that is an obstacle for extraction, direct extraction of different wood components in high yield is not an easy matter. One potential approach to overcome such obstacles is to treat the wood with specific enzymes that degrade the networks by specific catalysis. However, the structure of wood is so compact that the penetration of the wood fibers by large enzyme molecules is hindered. Thus, the pretreatment of wood prior to the application of enzymes is necessary, for “opening” the structure. One pretreatment method that was performed in this thesis is based on kraft pulping, which is a well-established and industrialized technique. For untreated wood, the wood fibers cannot be attacked by the enzymes. A relatively mild pretreatment was sufficient for wood polysaccharides hydrolyzed by a culture filtrate. A methanol-alkali mixture extraction was subsequently applied to the samples that were pretreated with two types of hemicellulases, Gamanase and Pulpzyme HC, respectively. The extraction yield increased after enzymatic treatment, and the polymers that were extracted from monocomponent enzyme-treated wood had a higher degree of polymerization. Experiments with in vitro prepared lignin polysaccharide networks suggested that the increased extraction was due to the enzymatic untying. However, the relatively large loss of hemicellulose, particularly including (galacto)glucomannan (GGM), represents a problem with this technique. To improve the carbohydrate yield, sodium borohydride (NaBH4), polysulfide and anthraquinone were used, which increased the yields from 76.6% to 89.6%, 81.3% and 80.0%, respectively, after extended impregnation (EI). The additives also increased the extraction yield from approximately 9 to 12% w/w wood. Gamanase treatment prior to the extraction increased the extraction yield to 14% w/w wood. Sodium dithionite (Na2S2O4) is an alternative reducing agent for the preservation of hemicelluloses because it is less expensive than metal hydrides and only contains sodium and sulfur, which will not introduce new elements to the recovery system. Moreover, Na2S2O4has the potential to be generated from black liquor. Na2S2O4 has some preservation effect on hemicelluloses, and the presence of Na2S2O4 also contributed to delignification. The extraction yield increased to approximately 15% w/w wood. Furthermore, Na2S2O4 has been applied in the kraft pulping process of spruce. The yield and viscosity increased, while the Klason lignin content and kappa number decreased, which represents a beneficial characteristic for kraft pulp. The brightness and tensile strength of the resulting sheets also improved. However, the direct addition of Na2S2O4 to white liquor led to greater reject content. This problem was solved by pre-impregnation with Na2S2O4 and/or mild steam explosion (STEX) prior to the kraft pulping process. Following Na2S2O4 pre-impregnation and mild STEX, the obtained kraft pulp had substantially better properties compared with the properties exhibited after direct addition of Na2S2O4 to the white liquor. The wood structure opening efficiency of mild STEX alone was also tested. The accessibility of the wood structure to enzymes was obtained even at very modest STEX conditions, according to a reducing sugar analysis, and was not observed in untreated wood chips, which were used as a reference. The mechanical effect of STEX appears to be of great importance at lower temperatures, and both chemical and mechanical effects occur at higher STEX temperatures. / <p>QC 20140903</p>

Cette thèse discute différentes situations dans lesquelles les interfaces jouent un rôle prépondérant dans la dynamique de gouttes et de fronts liquides. Dans une première partie, nous nous intéressons à des gouttes très mobiles, dans trois situations de mouillage nul. (i) Lorsqu'on dépose un liquide sur une surface portée à une température très supérieure à sa température d'ébullition, un film de vapeur s'intercale entre le liquide et le substrat, empêchant tout contact. (ii) Sur un substrat superhydrophobe, c'est-à-dire un substrat rugueux et hydrophobe, la surface inférieure d'une goutte n'est en contact qu'avec une fraction réduite de solide. (iii) Enfin, lorsqu'on met en contact une goutte avec des grains hydrophobes, elle les capture à sa surface, ce qui l'isole de son substrat. Dans chacun de ces trois cas, nous étudions la friction résiduelle qui se manifeste lorsque ces gouttes dévalent. Nous montrons que le frottement est bien plus faible que celui observé habituellement en mouillage partiel et qu'il a une origine physique différente. Dans une seconde partie, nous étudions des fronts mobiles variés. Lorsqu'un liquide est mis en contact avec des grains, il peut soit l'imprégner si son angle de contact est inférieur à un angle de contact critique, soit rester en surface dans le cas contraire. Dans ce dernier cas, le dévalement d'une goutte entraîne l'érosion du tas de grains : nous nous intéressons à la quantité de grains emportée par la goutte. Par ailleurs, un goutte-à-goutte tombant sur une surface refroidie sous la température de solidification provoque la croissance d'une stalagmite de glace. Enfin, lorsqu'on confine une goutte en caléfaction entre deux plaques parallèles, une série d'instabilités se développe : un anneau se forme, qui grandit ensuite avant de se briser en gouttelettes.

This thesis focused on the modelling of a pulping process. The purpose was to see if an accurate model can be crated based on relatively simple premises and if the errors can be identified or analysed. To realise this, the authors conducted a literature study to identify the current state of the art regarding the chemical pulping process. In addition, flow charts and sample data from a case study were examined. Based on the literature review and case study, model assumptions were derived. The model is divided into sixteen components. Where mixing occurs, lumped conditions are assumed. The model has five validation points, four of which are temperatures and a mass flowrate. These are shown as deviations from the measured values. In conclusions, it was the model could produce stable results over a narrow time frame. More so if the transition period at the start of the simulation is overlooked. Several new model assumptions are presented with the purpose to increase accuracy e.g. account for the components ability to store mass.