Lors de deux dernières décennies, la nano-structuration a permis une augmentation conséquente des performances thermoélectriques. Bien qu’à l’ origine le silicium (Si) ait une faible efficacité thermoélectrique, son efficacité sous forme de nanostructure, et notamment de nanofils, a provoqué un regain d’intérêt envers la conduction thermique au sein de ces nanostructures de Si. Bien que la conductivité thermique y ait été réduite de deux ordres de grandeur, les mécanismes de conduction thermique y demeurent flous. Une meilleure compréhension de ces mécanismes permettrait non seulement d’augmenter l’efficacité thermoélectrique mais aussi d’ouvrir la voie à un contrôle des phonons thermiques, de manière similaire à ce qui se fait pour les photons. L’objectif de ce travail de thèse était donc de développer une plateforme de caractérisation, d’étudier le transport thermique au sein de différentes nanostructures de Si et enfin de mettre en exergue la contribution du transport cohérent de phonons à la conduction thermique. Dans un premier temps, nous avons développé un système de mesure allant de pair avec une procédure de fabrication en salle blanche. La fabrication se déroule sur le site de l’institut de Sciences Industrielles et combine des manipulations chimiques, de la lithographie électronique, de la gravure plasma et du dépôt métallique. Le système de mesure est base sur la thermoreflectance : un changement de réflectivité d’un métal a une longueur d’onde particulière traduit un changement de température proportionnel. Nous avons dans un premier temps étudié le transport thermique au sein de simples membranes suspendues, suivi par des nanofils, le tout étant en accord avec les valeurs obtenues dans la littérature. Le transport thermique au sein des nanofils est bien diffus, à l’exception de fils de moins de 4 μm de long a la température de 4 K ou un régime partiellement balistique apparait. Une étude similaire au sein de structures périodiques 1D a démontré l’impact de la géométrie et l’aspect partiellement spéculaire des réflexions de phonons a basse température. Une étude sur des cristaux phononiques (PnCs) 2D a ensuite montré que même si la conduction est dominée par le rapport surface sur vole (S/V), la distance inter-trous devient cruciale lorsqu’elle est suffisamment petite. Enfin, il nous a été possible d’observer dans des PnCs 2D un ajustement de la conductivité thermique base entièrement sur la nature ondulatoire des phonons, réalisant par-là l’objectif de ce travail. / In the last two decades, nano-structuration has allowed thermoelectric efficiency to rise dramatically. Silicon (Si), originally a poor thermoelectric material, when scaled down, to form nanowires for example, has seen its efficiency improve enough to be accompanied by a renewed interest towards thermal transport in Si nanostructures. Although it is already possible to reduce thermal conductivity in Si nanostructures by nearly two orders of magnitude, thermal transport mechanisms remain unclear. A better understanding of these mechanisms could not only help to improve thermoelectric efficiency but also open up the path towards high-frequency thermal phonon control in similar ways that have been achieved with photons. The objective of this work was thus to develop a characterization platform, study thermal transport in various Si nanostructures, and ultimately highlight the contribution of the coherent phonon transport to thermal conductivity. First, we developed an optical characterization system alongside the fabrication process. Fabrication of the structures is realized on-site in clean rooms, using a combination of wet processes, electron-beam lithography, plasma etching and metal deposition. The characterization system is based on the thermoreflectance principle: the change in reflectivity of a metal at a certain wavelength is linked to its change in temperature. Based on this, we built a system specifically designed to measure suspended nanostructures. Then we studied the thermal properties of various kinds of nanostructures. Suspended unpatterned thin films served as a reference and were shown to be in good agreement with the literature as well as Si nanowires, in which thermal transport has been confirmed to be diffusive. Only at very low temperature and for short nanowires does a partially ballistic transport regime appear. While studying 1D periodic fishbone nanostructures, it was found that thermal conductivity could be adjusted by varying the shape which in turn impacts surface scattering. Furthermore, low temperature measurements confirmed once more the specularity of phonon scattering at the surfaces. Shifting the study towards 2D phononic crystals (PnCs), it was found that although thermal conductivity is mostly dominated by the surface-to-volume (S/V) ratio for most structures, when the limiting dimension, i.e. the inter-hole spacing, becomes small enough, thermal conductivity depends solely on this parameter, being independent of the S/V ratio. Lastly, we were able to observe, at low temperature in 2D PnCs, i.e. arrays of holes, thermal conduction tuning based on the wave nature of phonons, thus achieving the objective of this work.

Abstract Peat starts to decompose more rapidly after drainage, due to exposure to oxygen. While methane (CH4) emissions tend to decrease after drainage, carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from drained peatlands are considerable, especially the if the area is used for cultivation. Drainage and subsequent land management change the physical characteristics and thus hydrology and thermal conductivity of the soil, which affects greenhouse gas production. This thesis examined CH4 and N2O emissions and respiration from a peatland complex in Northern Finland, including a cultivated peatland, a forested peatland, a peat extraction site and a pristine mire. Chambers were used during the snow-free period and the snow gradient method during winter. Peat physical properties at the sites were also measured. The DRAINMOD model was used to assess measured peat hydraulic conductivity compared with the values needed to fit observed groundwater depth fluctuations. Effects of mineral soil content, drainage conditions and temperature on thermal conductivity of peat were examined and well-known equations for thermal conductivity of organic soils were tested. Respiration was highest in the cultivated study site, and this site and the peat extraction site were major sources of N2O. The pristine site was a large source of CH4 during the growing season. During winter, the peat extraction site and the cultivated site emitted CH4. The results suggested that raising mean groundwater level from 60 cm to 40 cm could potentially mitigate the greenhouse gas emissions at the cultivated site. Soil hydraulic conductivity at the drained sites was found to be better predicted by land use type than by soil physical parameters. Hydraulic conductivity values needed for DRAINMOD were at least one order of magnitude higher than those observed in field measurements. This demonstrates the potential role of land use and macropore flow in controlling hydrological processes in peat soils. The samples with the highest mineral soil content and bulk density had the highest thermal conductivity, especially at above-zero temperatures. The best equation for predicting thermal conductivity for unfrozen and frozen mineral soil-enriched peat soils was the Brovka-Rovdan equation, but the deVries equation performed fairly well for unfrozen soils. Soil water content and vegetation cover strongly influenced soil thermal regime. / Tiivistelmä Turve alkaa hajota nopeammin ojituksen jälkeen happipitoisuuden lisääntyessä maassa. Metaanin (CH4) päästöt ovat yleensä vähäisiä ojituksen jälkeen, kun taas hiilidioksidin (CO2) ja typpioksiduulin (N2O) päästöt erityisesti viljellyiltä turvemailta voivat olla merkittäviä. Ojitus ja sen jälkeinen maankäyttö vaikuttavat maan fysikaalisiin ominaisuuksiin ja siten alueen hydrologiaan ja maan lämmönjohtavuuteen, mikä vaikuttaa kasvihuonekaasujen muodostumiseen. Tässä tutkimuksessa mittasimme CH4- ja N2O-päästöjä ja respiraatiota (talvella lumigradientti-menetelmällä ja kasvukauden aikana kammiomenetelmällä) turvemaa-alueella Pohjois-Suomessa. Koealue sisälsi turvepellon, turvemetsän, turvetuotantoalueen ja luonnontilaisen suon. Mittasimme alueilla myös maan fysikaalisia ominaisuuksia. DRAINMOD-mallia käytettiin saatujen hydraulisen johtavuuden mittausarvojen mallinnukseen sopivuuden tarkasteluun. Maan mineraaliaineksen osuuden, ojituksen ja lämpötilan vaikutusta turpeen lämmönjohtavuuteen tutkittiin ja testattiin eräiden tunnettujen lämmönjohtavuusmallien toimivuutta. Respiraatio oli suurinta turvepellolla ja turvetuotantoalue ja pelto olivat merkittäviä N2O-lähteitä. Suo oli sulan maan aikana merkittävä CH4-lähde. Talvella turvetuotantoalue ja pelto olivat CH4-lähteitä. Tutkimus viittasi siihen, että pohjavedenpinnan nostaminen turvepellolla 60 cm tasosta 40 cm tasoon voisi vähentää kasvihuonekaasupäästöjä. Maankäyttö ennusti hydraulista johtavuutta paremmin kuin fysikaaliset parametrit. DRAINMOD-malliin tarvittiin vähintään kertaluokkaa suurempia arvoja kuin kentällä mitatut. Tutkimus viittasi maankäytön ja macrohuokosten mahdollisesti merkittävään vaikutukseen turvemaa-alueiden hydrologiassa. Lämmönjohtavuus oli korkein näytteissä, joissa mineraalimaan osuus ja kiintotiheys olivat korkeita, erityisesti sulissa näytteissä. Brovka & Rovdan- malli oli paras näiden näytteiden kuvaamiseen mutta myös de Vries-malli toimi kohtalaisen hyvin sulille näytteille. Lämmönjohtavuus oli vähemmän merkittävä maan lämpötilojen kannalta kuin maan vesipitoisuus ja kasvillisuuspeite.

Please read the abstract in the dissertation Copyright / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / Chemical Engineering / unrestricted

Transition metals (Ti, Zr, Hf, Mo, W, V, Nb, Ta, Pd, Pt, Cu, Ag, and Au) are essential building units of many materials and have important industrial applications. Therefore, it is important to understand their thermal and physical behavior when they are subjected to extreme conditions of pressure and temperature. This dissertation presents: An improved experimental technique to use lasers for the measurement of thermal conductivity of materials under conditions of very high pressure (P, up to 50 GPa) and temperature (T up to 2500 K). An experimental study of the phase relationship and physical properties of selected transition metals, which revealed new and unexpected physical effects of thermal conductivity in Zr, and Hf under high P-T. New phase diagrams created for Hf, Ti and Zr from experimental data. P-T dependence of the lattice parameters in α-hafnium. Contrary to prior reports, the α-ω phase transition in hafnium has a negative dT/dP slope. New data on thermodynamic and physical properties of several transition metals and their respective high P-T phase diagrams. First complete thermodynamic database for solid phases of 13 common transition metals was created. This database has: All the thermochemical data on these elements in their standard state (mostly available and compiled). All the equations of state (EoS) formulated from pressure-volume-temperature data (measured as a part of this study and from literature). Complete thermodynamic data for selected elements from standard to extreme conditions. The thermodynamic database provided by this study can be used with available thermodynamic software to calculate all thermophysical properties and phase diagrams at high P-T conditions. For readers who do not have access to this software, tabulated values of all thermodynamic and volume data for the 13 metals at high P-T are included in the APPENDIX. In the APPENDIX, a description of several other high-pressure studies of selected oxide systems is also included. Thermophysical properties (Cp, H, S, G) of the high P-T ω-phase of Ti, Zr and Hf were determined during the optimization of the EoS parameters and are presented in this study for the first time. These results should have important implications in understanding hexagonal-close-packed to simple-hexagonal phase transitions in transition metals and other materials.

As existing energy sources have been depleting at a fast pace, thermoelectric (TE) materials have received much attention in recent years because of their role in clean energy generation and conversion. Thermoelectric materials hold promise in terrestrial applications such as waste heat recovery. Bismuth selenide (Bi2Se3), lead telluride (PbTe), skutterudites CoSb3, and Bi-Sb alloys are among the widely investigated thermoelectric materials. Synthesis of above mentioned thermoelectric materials in nanostructured form and their characterization were investigated. Highly crystalline Bi2Se3, undoped and indium (In) doped PbTe, unfilled and ytterbium (Yb) filled CoSb3 nanomaterials were synthesized using hydrothermal/solvothermal technique and Ca-doped Bi-Sb alloy was synthesized using ball milling method. The mechanism of indium doping to the PbTe matrix was investigated using X-ray diffraction, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and a first principle calculation. It was found that indium doping, at a level below 2%, is substitution on Pb site. The effects of the amount of sodium borohydride (NaBH4) as the reducing agent and the annealing treatment on the phase transition of CoSb3 were investigated. It was found that a sufficient amount of NaBH4 along with the specific annealing condition was needed for the formation of pure phase CoSb3. Thermoelectric properties of Bi2Se3 and Ca-doped Bi85Sb15 were also investigated. A lower thermal conductivity and a higher Seebeck coefficient were achieved for a Bi2Se3 sample prepared in dimethyl formamide (DMF) at 200ºC for 24 h as compared to bulk Bi2Se3. The decrease in thermal conductivity can be attributed to the increased phonon scattering at the interfaces of the nanostructures and at the grain boundaries in the bulk nanocomposite. The increase in the Seebeck coefficient of Bi2Se3 nanostructures is likely the result of the quantum confinement of the carriers in nanostructures. The effect of calcium doping on Bi85Sb15 nanostructures were investigated. It was found that 2% calcium doped Bi-Sb alloy showed the best TE efficiency due to the enhanced power factor and reduced thermal conductivity.

No description available.

Hybrid composites forms an important field of research in the area of composite science and engineering as it gives the advantage of avoiding complex lay-up designs and provides better tuning compatibility to get desired properties in comparison with their mono-fiber counterpart. Further, utilization of composites for low temperature structures has been hindered by inconsistency of material property data and not much is reported on thermal characteristics of hybrid composites at cryogenic temperatures. This research work is focused on development of carbon-glass epoxy hybrid composite and to study the thermal behavior of these materials in comparison to its mono-fiber counterparts especially at cryogenic temperatures. The objectives are classified into the following three parts: Development of a hybrid composite with urethane modified epoxy matrix system (toughening agent used is Propyltrimethoxysilane (PTMO) and Toluene Di-Isocyanate (TDI) is added to get the polyurethane structure), for cryogenic applications. Study and understand the limitations and complexities of the experimental methodologies involved in evaluating the thermal properties of these materials namely thermal conductivity, coefficient of thermal expansion and specific heat. Finally to look into the appropriate theoretical calculations and experimental results to understand the variations, if any, for these materials. Specifically the following contributions are reported in this thesis: Evaluated the modified matrix system for its physical and mechanical properties at 20K. Specimens were prepared with D638 ASTM standard, modified to suit pin loading configuration in the cryostat/Instron machine. After assessing the suitability of the matrix system, mono fibre composites of different types were made and evaluated their thermal properties viz, coefficient of thermal expansion, thermal conductivity and specific heat down to 20K. Based on the results of the above, a hybrid composite configuration was evolved which exhibits optimal thermal characteristics at low temperatures and its characterization for various thermal properties at cryogenic temperatures was carried out. Comparisons of the experimental results were made with macro-mechanical model and micro-mechanical model (rule of mixtures) of composite materials. The present work throws light to the fact that hybrid polymer matrix composites can very well be considered for cryogenic applications where the combination or trade off between properties like strength to conductivity ratio, modulus to conductivity ratio and low cost is to be made. The mechanical properties of hybrid composites also need to be studied to complement the study on thermal properties reported in this thesis. It is essential to have a complete understanding of behaviour of these materials at cryogenic temperatures with respect to both thermal and mechanical properties as it is evident from the available literature that the emerging demands are multi-disciplinary in nature. The present research work is aimed at highlighting the use of hybrid composites to achieve the desirable thermal properties and thereby inviting the attention of scientists and engineers who are engaged in the design of cost effective structures and appliances for cryogenic environments to focus on further research to develop

abstract: Traditionally, for applications that require heat transfer (e.g. heat exchangers),metals have been the go-to material for manufacturers because of their high thermal as well as structural properties. However, metals have some notable drawbacks. They are not corrosion-resistant, offer no freedom of design, have a high cost of production, and sourcing the material itself. Even though polymers on their own don’t show great prospects in the field of thermal applications, their composites perform better than their counterparts. Nanofillers, when added to a polymer matrix not only increase their structural strength but also their thermal performance. This work aims to tackle two of those problems by using the additive manufacturing method, stereolithography to solve the problem of design freedom, and the use of polymer nanocomposite material for corrosion-resistance and increase their overall thermal performance. In this work, three different concentrations of polymer composite materials were studied: 0.25 wt%, 0.5 wt%, and 1wt% for their thermal conductivity. The samples were prepared by magnetically stirring them for a period of 10 to 24 hours depending on their concentrations and then sonicating in an ice bath further for a period of 2 to 3 hours. These samples were then tested for their thermal conductivities using a Hot Disk TPS 2500S. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) to study the dispersion of the nanoparticles in the matrix. Different theoretical models were studied and used to compare experimental data to the predicted values of effective thermal conductivity. An increase of 7.9 % in thermal conductivity of the composite material was recorded for just 1 wt% addition of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Mechanical Engineering 2020

This diploma thesis deals with the design of a structure for heat transfer path of miniaturized heat switch. The focus is on production using SLM additive technology. The aim is to assess the possibilities of using metal 3D printing on a part intended primarily for heat transfer. This work presents several concepts of structure arrangement, which are further analysed and evaluated. The results show the potential of additive technologies in this area and the proposed structures meet the heat transfer requirement according to the calculations used.

Mastic asphalt is a material which in Sweden mainly is used as coating for bridges, parking decks, courtyards and terraces. Mastic asphalt is a material built-up by a combination of bitumen (a type of binder), well-graded aggregate (consists of both coarse and fine ballast), filler, sand and sometimes also fine graded macadam. Mastic asphalt is described as a material which in Sweden have potential to expand further.  At the same time, it is becoming increasingly popular to construct buildings with solid timber frames. In 2019, the Swedish market for forestry and algaculture was analyzed, after which cross-laminated timber proved to be the construction-material that increases most in popularity. In constructions, mastic asphalt and timber may be combined. In Växjö Sweden for example, a parking deck called Limnologen is constructed with both timber frames and mastic asphalt as pavement. Another example were mastic asphalt and timber have been combined is an enormous car park built in Studen, Switzerland, which have 2142 parking lots. The aim of this master thesis was to develop a temperature-dependent thermal conductivity (for mastic asphalt BPGJA-11) which resulted in temperature development curves that correlated well with the results presented in Ellinor Sanned’s bachelor thesis “Insulation of timber with concrete and cast asphalt”. Sanned performed laboratory work were two different samples of mastic asphalt was tested in a cone calorimeter. The cone calorimeter was set to 51 kW/m2 and Sanned measured the temperature development beneath the mastic asphalt. The thermal conductivities for mastic asphalt were, in this master thesis, developed by using inverse calculation in the finite element program TASEF (Temperature Analysis in Structures Exposed to Fire). To form a reliable setup in TASEF, a sensitivity analysis was initially conducted. Information regarding thermal properties of mastic asphalt at elevated temperatures was in general considered challenging to find. Due to this, assumptions of the parameters set in TASEF had to be made. The thermal conductivities were developed at 0 ℃, 300 ℃ and 660 ℃. The results indicates that the thermal conductivity of the mastic asphalt (BPGJA-11) tested by Sanned decreases between 0 ℃ and 300 ℃, and then more or less stabilizes.  The presented thermal conductivities should however be used with great caution. The reason for this is due to uncertainties in the experimental cone calorimeter results, uncertainties within the setup in TASEF as well as within the specific method used. In particular the application on materials which both melts and boils (such as mastic asphalt) should be made with great care. To increase the reliability of the results, more research and laboratory work should therefore be performed within the area.  The method used within this master thesis (inverse calculation using TASEF) is simple and cost effective when determining the thermal conductivity. / Mastic asphalt (som i denna sammanfattning benämns som gjutasfalt) är ett material som i Sverige huvudsakligen används som beläggning för broar, parkeringshus, gårdsplaner och terrasser. Gjutasfalt är ett material som är byggt upp av en kombination av bitumen (en typ av bindemedel), välgraderat stenmaterial (består av både grov och fin ballast), filler, sand och ibland även finmakadam. Gjutasfalt beskrivs som ett material som i Sverige har stor potential att expandera.  Samtidigt blir det alltmer populärt att konstruera byggnader med solida träkonstruktioner. År 2019 analyserades den svenska marknaden för skog och lantbruk, varpå kors-laminerat trä visade sig vara det konstruktionsmaterial som ökar mest i popularitet.  I konstruktioner kan gjutasfalt och trä kombineras. Parkeringshuset Limnologen i Växjö Sverige är ett exempel på en träkonstruktion som kombinerats med gjutasfalt som beläggning. Ett annat exempel är ett enormt parkeringshus i Studen, Schweiz, som har 2142 parkeringsplatser.  Målet med denna masteruppsats var att bestämma den temperaturberoende termiska konduktiviteten (för gjutasfalt BPGJA-11) vilken resulterar i en temperaturutvecklingskurva som korrelerar väl med resultaten presenterade i Ellinor Sanneds examensarbete ”Isolering av trä med betong och gjutasfalt”. Sanned genomförde en laboration där två olika prov av gjutasfalt testades i en konkalorimeter. Konkalorimetern var inställd på 51 kW/m2 och Sanned uppmätte temperaturutvecklingen på undersidan av gjutasfalten.  De termiska konduktiviteterna för gjutasfalt i denna masteruppsats arbetades fram genom ”inversberäkning” i det finita elementprogrammet TASEF (Temperature Analysis in Structures Exposed To Fire). För att bilda en tillförlitlig uppsättning i TASEF, genomfördes inledningsvis en känslighetsanalys. Information gällande termiska egenskaper av gjutasfalt vid förhöjda temperaturer var generellt sätt svåra att finna. För parametrarna som användes i TASEF gjordes därför antaganden.  De termiska konduktiviteterna arbetades fram vid 0 ℃, 300 ℃ and 660 ℃. Resultaten indikerar att den termiska konduktiviteten för den gjutasfalt (BPGJA-11) som testades av Sanned minskar mellan 0 ℃ och 300 ℃, för att därefter mer eller mindre stabiliseras. De termiska konduktiviteterna som har presenteras bör dock användas med stor försiktighet. Anledningen till detta beror på osäkerhet för de resultat som presenterades av Sanned, osäkerheter för uppsättningen i TASEF samt för den specifika metod som används. Speciellt anbefalles försiktighet med att använda metoden för material som både smälter och kokar (såsom gjutasfalt). För att öka resultatens tillförlitlighet bör därför mer forskning och laboratoriearbete utföras inom området. Metoden som har använts inom denna masteruppsats (inversberäkning med TASEF) är enkel och kostnadseffektiv för att bestämma den termiska konduktiviteten.