[Truncated abstract] Centrifugal pumps are designed to operate at a capacity that maximizes the efficiency of the pump. Operation below this design capacity results in reduction of pump efficiency as the geometric configuration of the impeller and casing no longer provide an ideal flow pattern. Consequently there are changes in the flow field within the pump, including flow separation and regions of localized, non-uniform, unsteady flow. This flow interacts with rotating and stationary components inside the pump creating additional disturbance and hydraulic excitation. It is anticipated that the local hydrodynamic and global hydroacoustic excitation due to partial-flow operation will affect the structural vibration measured on the pump. In this study, the effects of partial-flow operation on the vibration signal at the pump bearing housing are measured on a number of industrial double-suction pump units. These are a particular class of centrifugal pump commonly used in high volume applications such as water distribution. The aims are to understand how the vibration signals change at the different operating conditions and to determine which parameters are best suited to monitoring the observed changes. Comparison is made between the response, under similar operating conditions, of pumps both within sets of identical size and design, across sets of similar design and different sizes, and between different designs. The pumps are all in-service industrial units. In double-suction pumps the impeller motion in the axial direction (along the line of the shaft) is not constrained. Due to symmetry in impeller design, axial stability is maintained by equal and opposite hydraulic forces on the two opposing sides of the impeller. The potential for loss of axial hydraulic balance during partial-flow operation is examined from a theoretical perspective, based on a literature review, and by measurement of the axial displacement of the shaft. Structural vibration is measured using accelerometers mounted at the non-drive end bearing housing in the horizontal and axial orientations. Changes in signal contribution and characteristics are examined using a variety of qualitative and quantitative techniques. Test signals are used to assess the limitations of the techniques and the effect of parameter selection on the interpretation of the signals.

Αντικείμενο της παρούσας διδακτορικής διατριβής είναι η πειραματική και η υπολογιστική διερεύνηση της επίδρασης της γωνίας εισόδου των πτερυγίων στη σπηλαίωση και την απόδοση μίας φυγοκεντρικής αντλίας. Στην εργασία αυτή πραγματοποιείται ο σχεδιασμός των πτερυγίων εφαρμόζοντας μία νέα μέθοδο, το σύνθετο διπλό κυκλικό τόξο(Double-Arc Synthetic Method - DASM), η οποία συνδυάζει δύο μεθόδους σχεδιασμού κατά Pfleiderer. Για την υλοποίηση της πειραματικής μελέτης, κατασκευάζονται τρία διαφορετικά στροφεία με γωνία εισόδου των πτερυγίων 9, 15 και 21 μοίρες, από κράμα αλουμινίου και από πλεξιγκλάς. Κατασκευάζεται πειραματική εγκατάσταση αντλίας και εξοπλίζεται με μεγάλης ακρίβειας όργανα μέτρησης. Διαφανή μέρη της πειραματικής εγκατάστασης επιτρέπουν την παρατήρηση της ροής και της σπηλαίωσης στο εξεταζόμενο στροφείο της αντλίας και με τη βοήθεια ενός στροβοσκόπιου φωτογραφίζεται η σπηλαίωση που αναπτύσσεται στα πτερύγια. Η πειραματική ανάλυση επικεντρώνεται στη μελέτη της μονοφασικής ροής και της σπηλαίωσης. Συγκεκριμένα, για την πειραματική μελέτη της μονοφασικής ροής, εξετάζεται η μεταβολή του μανομετρικού και του βαθμού απόδοσης της αντλίας συναρτήσει της παροχής της. Επιπλέον, μελετάται η μεταβολή του μανομετρικού και του βαθμού απόδοσης της αντλίας συναρτήσει της γωνίας εισόδου των πτερυγίων, για τρεις διαφορετικές εξεταζόμενες παροχές. Εξετάζεται η απόκλιση των πειραματικών αποτελεσμάτων του μανομετρικού από τα αντίστοιχα αποτελέσματα που προκύπτουν από το νόμο ομοιότητας. Τέλος, υπολογίζεται η αβεβαιότητα των μετρήσεων και συγκεκριμένα του μανομετρικού και του βαθμού απόδοσης της αντλίας. Μελετώντας πειραματικά τη σπηλαίωση, επικεντρωνόμαστε στη μεταβολή του μανομετρικού και του βαθμού απόδοσης της αντλίας συναρτήσει του διαθέσιμου καθαρού θετικού ύψους αναρρόφησης, για διάφορες παροχές της αντλίας. Μελετάται η μεταβολή του μανομετρικού και του βαθμού απόδοσης της αντλίας συναρτήσει της γωνίας εισόδου των πτερυγίων, για τρεις διαφορετικές τιμές του διαθέσιμου καθαρού θετικού ύψους αναρρόφησης. Στη συνέχεια εξετάζεται το ποσοστό πτώσης του μανομετρικού τη στιγμή που ξεκινάει η σπηλαίωση, αλλά και το μέγιστο ποσοστό πτώσης του, για τη μεγαλύτερη εξεταζόμενη παροχή. Εξετάζεται η μεταβολή του απαιτούμενου καθαρού θετικού ύψους αναρρόφησης και του κρίσιμου αριθμού σπηλαίωσης συναρτήσει της παροχής της αντλίας, για τις τρεις γωνίες εισόδου των πτερυγίων. Τέλος, υπολογίζεται η αβεβαιότητα των μετρήσεων και συγκεκριμένα του μανομετρικού, του διαθέσιμου καθαρού θετικού ύψους αναρρόφησης και του βαθμού απόδοσης της αντλίας. Επιπλέον, στην παρούσα διδακτορική διατριβή πραγματοποιείται υπολογιστική ανάλυση τρισδιάστατων μοντέλων φυγοκεντρικής αντλίας με δομημένο πλέγμα, χρησιμοποιώντας το υπολογιστικό πακέτο ANSYS CFD-Fluent, για τη μελέτη της μονοφασικής ροής και της σπηλαίωσης των εξεταζόμενων στροφείων της αντλίας. Η υπολογιστική μελέτη της μονοφασικής ροής για τα τρία διαφορετικά εξεταζόμενα στροφεία της φυγοκεντρικής αντλίας επικεντρώνεται στη μεταβολή του μανομετρικού της αντλίας συναρτήσει της παροχής της και εξετάζεται η απόκλιση των υπολογιστικών αποτελεσμάτων του μανομετρικού από τα αντίστοιχα αποτελέσματα που προκύπτουν από τα πειράματα. Μελετάται η κατανομή της απόλυτης πίεσης στο μέσο επίπεδο των εξεταζόμενων στροφείων της αντλίας και η αδιάστατη κατανομή της απόλυτης πίεσης γύρω από το μέσο επίπεδο των στροφείων, για τη μέγιστη εξεταζόμενη παροχή. Η υπολογιστική μελέτη της σπηλαίωσης επικεντρώνεται, κυρίως, στη μεταβολή του μανομετρικού της αντλίας συναρτήσει του διαθέσιμου καθαρού θετικού ύψους αναρρόφησης και εξετάζεται η απόκλιση των υπολογιστικών αποτελεσμάτων του μανομετρικού από τα αντίστοιχα αποτελέσματα που προκύπτουν από τα πειράματα. Εξετάζεται η κατανομή της απόλυτης πίεσης στο μέσο επίπεδο των εξεταζόμενων στροφείων της αντλίας και η αδιάστατη κατανομή της απόλυτης πίεσης γύρω από το μέσο επίπεδο των στροφείων, για τη μέγιστη εξεταζόμενη παροχή. Τέλος, παρουσιάζονται οι κατανομές της σπηλαίωσης, που προκύπτουν από τα υπολογιστικά αποτελέσματα και συγκρίνονται με τις αντίστοιχες φωτογραφίες με σπηλαίωση που ελήφθησαν με τη βοήθεια του στροβοσκόπιου κατά τη διάρκεια των πειραμάτων, για τις τρεις γωνίες εισόδου των πτερυγίων. Από τα αποτελέσματα της πειραματικής και της υπολογιστικής διερεύνησης παρατηρούμε ότι η απόκλιση των υπολογιστικών αποτελεσμάτων από τα αντίστοιχα πειραματικά είναι πολύ μικρή. Επομένως, η υπολογιστική ανάλυση που αναπτύσσεται στην παρούσα εργασία αποτελεί ένα αξιόπιστο εργαλείο διερεύνησης των ροϊκών μεγεθών και της σπηλαίωσης σε φυγοκεντρικές αντλίες και αποσκοπεί σε μελλοντικές μελέτες, όπως την παραμετρική διερεύνηση και τη βελτιστοποίηση του σχεδιασμού μίας αντλίας. / Object of the present doctoral thesis constitutes the experimental and computational study of the effect of the blade leading edge angle to the cavitation and performance of a centrifugal pump. In this study, the blade design is realized, applying a new blade design method (Double-Arc Synthetic Method - DASM), that combines two Pfleiderer' s design methods. For the realization of the experimental study, three different centrifugal pump impellers, with blade leading edge angle of 9, 15 and 21 deg, are constructed by aluminium alloy and plexiglas. A pump test rig is constructed and equipped with high accuracy instrumentation. Transparent parts of the pump test rig allow the observation of fluid flow inside the examined impeller and the photography of the cavitation that is developed in the blades, using a stroboscope. The experimental analysis is focused on the study of the one-phase flow and cavitation. Concretely, for the experimental study of the one-phase flow, the change of the total head and performance of the pump with respect to the flow rate is examined. Moreover, the change of the total head and performance of the pump with respect to the blade leading edge angle is studied, for three different flow rates. The deviation of the experimental results of the total head from the corresponding results of the affinity law is investigated. Lastly, the uncertainty of the measurements and concretely of the total head and performance of the pump is calculated. Studying experimentally the cavitation, we focus on the change of the total head and performance of the pump with respect to the net positive suction head available, for different flow rates. The change of the total head and performance of the pump with respect to the blade leading edge angle, for three different values of the net positive suction head available is tested. Afterwards, the percentage of the total head drop is examined, when cavitation begins. Moreover, the maximum percentage of the total head drop is studied for the greatest tested flow rate. The change of the net positive suction head required and the crucial cavitation number with respect to the flow rate is studied, for three different blade leading edge angles. Lastly, the uncertainty of the measurements and concretely of the total head, the net positive suction head available and the performance of the pump is calculated. Furthermore, in the present doctoral thesis the computational analysis of three-dimensional centrifugal pump with structured mesh is realized using the computational package ANSYS CFD-Fluent, for the study of both the one-phase flow and the cavitation, of the tested centrifugal pump impellers. The computational study of the one-phase flow for the three different examined centrifugal pump impellers, is focused on the change of the total head with respect to the flow rate. Furthermore, the deviation of the computational results of the total head from the corresponding results of the experimental study is investigated. The absolute pressure distribution inside the tested centrifugal pump impellers at the middle span and the dimensionless pressure distribution around the impellers, at the middle span, are investigated for the greatest flow rate. The computational study of the cavitation, is mainly focused on the change of the total head with respect to the net positive suction head available. Moreover, the deviation of the computational results of the total head from the corresponding results of the experimental study is investigated. The absolute pressure distribution inside the tested centrifugal pump impellers at the middle span and the dimensionless pressure distribution around the impellers, at the middle span, are investigated for the greatest flow rate. Lastly, the vapour distributions are resulted by the computational analysis and are compared with the corresponding photographs of cavitation that were snapped with the aid of the stroboscope, during the experiments, for the three blade leading edge angles. From the experimental and computational results, we observe that the deviation of the computational results from the corresponding experimental results is very small. Thus, the computational analysis that is developed in the present work constitutes a reliable tool of the investigation of the flowfield and cavitation in centrifugal pumps and it aims at future studies, such as parametric investigation and optimization of pump design.

In the field of regenerative medicine, regeneration of cartilage defects (caused either by injury or age-related degeneration, such as osteoporosis) has become a widely discussed topic. Nanofibrous scaffolds provide a suitable environment for cell adhesion, proliferation, differentiation, and also local involvement of bioactive substances. Nanofibrous scaffolds mimic the extracellular matrix (ECM) of hyaline cartilage and thus have the potential to treat cartilage defects. The aim of the work was modulation of chondrogenic differentiation medium through finding the ideal concentration of chondrogenic supplements, composed of ascorbate-2- phosphate and dexamethasone, in the culture of primary chondrocytes of pig origin seeded on a nanofibrous polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffold. The effect of different concentrations of the chondrogenic supplements on chondrocyte adhesion to the scaffold and their proliferation and differentiation was studied. Firstly, the influence of each of the supplements alone in the medium was studied, followed by study of effects of their combinations. Then, the supplements were incorporated into the nanofibers and their effect upon their release from the nanofibers was investiaged. The supplements were studied in 21-day experiments. The chondrogenic re- differentiation was best...

Cette étude a pour objectif d’étudier différentes approches de modélisation de la turbulence sur un compresseur centrifuge industriel à fort taux de pression afin d’essayer d’élargir notre compréhension des différents phénomènes physiques mis en jeu et leur interaction avec la turbulence. D’abord, la sensibilité au maillage et au modèle turbulence est évalué sur des calculs RANS. Une analyse de simulations LES est ensuite effectuée. En particulier, une étude de l’effet de la turbulence sur l’écoulement et une comparaison aux résultats RANS et expérimentaux est réalisée. Enfin, deux approches hybrides DES sont étudiées afin d’exposer les problèmes rencontrés par ces modèles sur cette configuration. Il en résulte une évaluation des différentes méthodes et de leur applicabilité future dans un contexte industriel. / This study aims to assess the abilities of existing numerical simulation methods to predict the complex physical phenomena occurring in an industrial centrifugal compressor and especialy the effect of turbulence on the different flow features. RANS simulations are first performed using various turbulence model, then LES simulations and finally, two simulations using RANS/LES hybrid models of DES type are carried out. The whole compressor operating range is simulated using RANS, but because of LES and DES high computational costs, attention is focussed on the nominal operating point. Particular care is devoted to determine the impact of grid refinement on the simulation results. To this end, simulations are performed on three grids, respectively composed of over 8, 26 and 165 million cells. Even though the grids used do not fulfill the mesh refinement criteria recommended in the litterature for an accurate wall-resolved LES simulation, the simulation performed on the denser grid provides interesting conclusions on the turbulence generation and its interaction with the mean flow.The hybrid DES approches used involve a shield function to prevent the boundary layers to be computed in LES. However, this function is found to be unsuited to this centrifugal compressor flow. Indeed, the RANS and LES regions are not correctly located and most of the tip leakage flow is resolved using a RANS approach, preventing the development of turbulence.This work allowed us to evalute the various approches and highlight some of the problems and advantages of each for the simulation of this centrifugal compressor.

O projeto Intimidades possui dois desdobramentos: um prático, que corresponde a um filme de cinquenta e cinco minutos, e um teórico, que é representado pelo presente texto. O filme pretende ouvir as pessoas que realizam trabalhos considerados desprezíveis na nossa sociedade: são os homens e mulheres do labor, nossos pequenos escravos assalariados. Tendo este objetivo, buscou-se encontrar uma forma plástica (estética) para o filme que conseguisse escapar às determinações do poder, que são representadas pela televisão e pelo cinema comercial. Para tanto, recorreu-se a conceitos e ideias desenvolvidas pelo filósofo Gilles Deleuze e pelo teórico do cinema André Bazin. Conceitos como o de intercessores, de potências do falso, de falência do esquema sensório-motor, de plano centrífugo e de plano sequência foram articulados no presente texto e serviram como base teórica para se encontrar a forma do filme. Neste movimento entre a teoria e a prática, o projeto Intimidades colocou o pensamento da filosofia em contato com o campo extra-filosófico da arte, através do exemplo prático do filme / The intimacy project has two deployments: a practical one consisting in a film lasting fifty-five minutes and a theoretical one represented by this text. The film is intended to hear people whose works are considered worthless in our society: they are men and women of labour, our little wage slaves. Aiming that, we have sought to find a plastic form (aesthetic) for the film which would be able to escape from power determinations represented by television and by commercial cinema. For this, we resort to concepts and ideas developed by the philosopher Gilles Deleuze and by the cinema critic André Bazin. Concepts like intercessors, powers of the false, collapse of the sensorial-motor scheme, centrifugal plan and sequential plan were articulated in this text serving as a theoretical basis for finding the film form. In that movement between theory and practice, the intimacy project put the philosophical thinking in contact with the extra-philosophical field of art by means of the practical example of the film

The correct use and distribution of correctives and fertilizers on growth areas, setting right the soil or returning the nutrients exported by the crops, is one of the most important techniques to increase and maintain the agricultural income. The centrifugal broadcasters of solid products are increasingly used because of its practicality, simplicity and high operational capacity. Its main use is on the application of corrective and fertilization products of agricultural soils, which can apply calcareous, agricultural gypsum, mineral fertilizer and, once these resources are finite, they demand a rationalization on the use and, as a consequence, the correct application becomes indispensable. The development of virtual prototypes has been a great successful and reliable tool in the last years, offering the opportunity to verify the viability of a prototype by simulation without the need to build it. In this context, the present study intent to evaluate the real behavior of projected prototypes in track conditions compared with a conventional disk. The prototypes used in search were developed in a master thesis of the Postgraduate Program in Agricultural Engineering by the academic Mech. Eng. Elton Neves da Silva. Based on the graphics of distribution analyzes obtained from the simulations, it was chosen for the prototypes called Conic 6 Wings Middle and Plan 6 Wings Middle, which were the ones that presented the best results. The observations demonstrated that the width of work for a conventional disc, in the position 50% of wings course, was the one that presented a higher value, getting to 25 meters, in a right alternate system. The Conic prototype presented, for the CV of 15%, a width inferior to 10 meters, independent of the work method used, and the Plan prototype presented the smallest value of work width, getting, at maximum, 7,5 meters for the CV stipulated of 15%. At the evaluation of the longitudinal profile of distribution, as for the conventional disc in three positions as for the Conic and Plan prototypes, both presented a uniformity of distribution. In comparison between the conventional disc and the prototypes, the conventional disc revealed better results for all the work methods. / A correta utilização e distribuição de corretivos e fertilizantes nas áreas de cultivo, corrigindo o solo ou repondo os nutrientes exportados pelas culturas, é uma das mais importantes técnicas para incrementar ou manter o rendimento agrícola. Os distribuidores centrífugos de produtos sólidos são cada vez mais utilizados pela sua praticidade, simplicidade e alta capacidade operacional. Seu principal uso é na aplicação de produtos de correção e adubação de solos agrícolas, podendo distribuir calcário, gesso agrícola, adubo mineral e, como estes recursos são finitos, necessitam de uma racionalização no seu uso, sendo que, para isso, a aplicação correta torna-se indispensável. O desenvolvimento de protótipos virtuais tem sido uma ferramenta de grande sucesso e confiabilidade nos últimos anos, em função de oferecer a possibilidade de se verificar a viabilidade de um protótipo por meio de simulações, sem a necessidade de construí-lo. Nesse contexto, o presente estudo teve por objetivo avaliar o real comportamento de protótipos projetados, em condições de pista, em comparação com um disco convencional. Os protótipos utilizados na pesquisa foram desenvolvidos em uma dissertação de mestrado do Programa de Pós Graduação em Engenharia Agrícola (PPGEA) pelo acadêmico Engenheiro Mecânico Elton Neves da Silva. Com base na análise dos gráficos de distribuição obtidos nas simulações, optou-se pelos protótipos denominados Cônico 6 Aletas Meio e Plano 6 Aletas Meio, os quais apresentaram os melhores resultados. As observações mostram que a largura de trabalho para o disco convencional, na posição 50% do curso das aletas, foi a que apresentou maior valor, chegando aos 25 metros no sistema alternado direito. O protótipo cônico apresentou, para o CV de 15%, uma largura inferior aos 10 metros, independente do método de trabalho utilizado, e o protótipo plano apresentou o menor valor de largura de trabalho, chegando a, no máximo, 7,5 metros para o CV estipulado de 15%. Na avaliação do perfil de distribuição longitudinal, tanto o disco convencional, nas 3 posições, quanto os protótipos cônico e plano, mostraram uma distribuição uniforme. Na comparação entre o disco convencional e os protótipos, o disco convencional mostrou melhores resultados para todos os métodos de trabalho.

Recognizing the increasing complexity of today's farm machinery, and the trend of progression of this feature for new developments it is important to the implementation of models for the structured and systematic approach to information related to the development of new machines or techniques. Errors in defining the problem has caused frustration and wasted time in the development process of agricultural machinery. Thus, design is a set of procedures and specifications that, if implemented, result in something concrete or in a set of information. Distributors centrifugal technology revolutionized the application of solid products in agriculture by great field operational capacity and wide range of doses that can be applied. The study aims, design a centrifugal disk for distribution of urea using the fundamentals of the theory of flow machines. The machines on the market distribute various types of fertilizers and variable rates. What is happening is a great similarity in the principles of solution in the dispenser system / distributor. However, there may this equipment has some disadvantages such as difficulty in applying the material evenly on the working width used even as an apparent ease of adjustment. The methodology for the development of the study is based on exploratory research of existing literature, preliminary design of a disk centrifuge and computer simulation in order to test concepts. Designs were modeled six discs, three format and three plan of conical shape, with variations in the number and length of fins, through the systematization of knowledge among dispensing machines and machines to haul flow. Was obtained between the layouts of the simulation, the disc with tapered curved fins 7, the flat disc with curved vanes 6 alternate, tapered disk with 6 curved vanes and disc cone alternating with 6 curved vanes, able to alter the distribution profile increase the percentage of deposition on the soil and correct the application uniformity by overlapping. / Reconhecida a crescente complexidade das máquinas agrícolas atuais, e a tendência de progressão desta característica para os novos desenvolvimentos torna-se importante a implementação de modelos estruturados e sistemáticos para a abordagem das informações ligadas ao desenvolvimento de novas máquinas ou técnicas. Erros na definição do problema têm causado frustração e desperdícios de tempo em processos de desenvolvimento de máquinas agrícolas. Assim, projetar é estabelecer um conjunto de procedimentos e especificações que, se postos em prática, resultam em algo concreto ou em um conjunto de informações. Os distribuidores centrífugos revolucionaram a tecnologia de aplicação de produtos sólidos na agricultura por apresentarem grande capacidade de campo operacional e pela grande amplitude de dosagens que conseguem aplicar. O trabalho tem por objetivo, projetar um disco centrífugo para distribuição de uréia utilizando os fundamentos da teoria de máquinas de fluxo. As máquinas existentes no mercado distribuem diversos tipos de fertilizantes e em taxas variáveis. O que se verifica é uma grande similaridade nos princípios de solução no sistema dosador/distribuidor. No entanto, este equipamento apresenta alguns inconvenientes, como a dificuldade em aplicar homogeneamente o material na largura de trabalho utilizada, mesmo com uma aparente facilidade de regulagem. A metodologia para o desenvolvimento do estudo está baseada na pesquisa exploratória de bibliografia existente, projeto preliminar de um disco centrífugo e simulação computacional com a finalidade de testar conceitos. Foram modeladas seis concepções de discos, sendo três de formato plano e três de formato cônico, com variações no número e no comprimento das aletas, através da sistematização de conhecimentos entre máquinas de distribuição a lanço e máquinas de fluxo. Obteve-se da simulação entre os leiautes, o rotor cônico com 7 aletas curvadas, o disco plano com 6 aletas curvadas alternadas, o rotor cônico com 6 aletas curvadas e o rotor cônico com 6 aletas curvadas alternadas, capazes de alterar o perfil de distribuição, aumentar o percentual de deposição sobre o solo e de corrigir a uniformidade de aplicação através da sobreposição.

Thesis (MTech (Chemical Engineering))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2013 / Centrifugal pumps are the most commonly used pumps in slurry transport systems. The design of pumping systems dealing with liquids more viscous than water requires a reliable method of pump performance prediction for the pump selection. For Newtonian fluids, the Hydraulic Institute method is well established, but there is no generally accepted method for non-Newtonian fluids. Many authors have fallen back on using the Hydraulic Institute method for non-Newtonian fluids. This requires a constant viscosity while non-Newtonian fluid viscosity varies with the shear rate. The question arises: What viscosity should be used in this method for non-Newtonian fluids? Two approaches have been developed: the use of a Bingham plastic viscosity made by Walker and Goulas (1984) and the use of the apparent viscosity calculated using an “equivalent hydraulic pipe” diameter, designed by Pullum et al. (2007). Previous results obtained from these two approaches are not in agreement. Therefore, the aim of this study is to explore a suitable procedure to determine a representative non-Newtonian viscosity to be used in the Hydraulic Institute method to predict the pump performance. To achieve this goal, a set of data was experimentally obtained and the existing data were reused. Test work was conducted using the pump test rig in the Flow Process Research Centre at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. A Warman 4/3 pump was tested, using four concentrations of kaolin suspension and three concentrations of CMC solution. Five pump speeds were chosen to run these tests: 1200, 1400, 1600, 1800, and 2000 rpm. An additional data set obtained by testing two submersible centrifugal pumps with eight concentrations of sludge, in Stockholm, Sweden, was also analysed. These sets of data were analysed firstly according to the Walker and Goulas (1984) approach and secondly according to the Pullum et al. (2007) approach. The use of the apparent viscosity led to the better pump head prediction. The results of this prediction were close to those obtained in the Pullum et al. (2007) work, and even better in some cases. On the other hand, the use of the Bingham plastic viscosity showed better pump efficiency prediction, although the Walker and Goulas (1984) efficiency prediction range was achieved only for one pump out of five. The apparent viscosity reflected the non-Newtonian behaviour but it could not represent alone the non-Newtonian viscosity because of the poor efficiency predictions and the sensitivity of the Pullum et al. (2007) approach to a change in viscosity. From the results of this work, it is advisable that the pump performance prediction be done using both apparent and Bingham plastic viscosity, the apparent viscosity for the head prediction and the Bingham plastic viscosity for the efficiency prediction.

O projeto Intimidades possui dois desdobramentos: um prático, que corresponde a um filme de cinquenta e cinco minutos, e um teórico, que é representado pelo presente texto. O filme pretende ouvir as pessoas que realizam trabalhos considerados desprezíveis na nossa sociedade: são os homens e mulheres do labor, nossos pequenos escravos assalariados. Tendo este objetivo, buscou-se encontrar uma forma plástica (estética) para o filme que conseguisse escapar às determinações do poder, que são representadas pela televisão e pelo cinema comercial. Para tanto, recorreu-se a conceitos e ideias desenvolvidas pelo filósofo Gilles Deleuze e pelo teórico do cinema André Bazin. Conceitos como o de intercessores, de potências do falso, de falência do esquema sensório-motor, de plano centrífugo e de plano sequência foram articulados no presente texto e serviram como base teórica para se encontrar a forma do filme. Neste movimento entre a teoria e a prática, o projeto Intimidades colocou o pensamento da filosofia em contato com o campo extra-filosófico da arte, através do exemplo prático do filme / The intimacy project has two deployments: a practical one consisting in a film lasting fifty-five minutes and a theoretical one represented by this text. The film is intended to hear people whose works are considered worthless in our society: they are men and women of labour, our little wage slaves. Aiming that, we have sought to find a plastic form (aesthetic) for the film which would be able to escape from power determinations represented by television and by commercial cinema. For this, we resort to concepts and ideas developed by the philosopher Gilles Deleuze and by the cinema critic André Bazin. Concepts like intercessors, powers of the false, collapse of the sensorial-motor scheme, centrifugal plan and sequential plan were articulated in this text serving as a theoretical basis for finding the film form. In that movement between theory and practice, the intimacy project put the philosophical thinking in contact with the extra-philosophical field of art by means of the practical example of the film

Les fontes de fer sont des matériaux largement utilisés dans de nombreux domaines allant de l’industrie automobile au secteur de l’énergie en passant par la fabrication des tuyaux d’adduction d’eau. Du fait de la teneur en carbone élevée de ces alliages, du graphite et/ou des carbures de fer précipitent pendant la solidification. Les propriétés finales des pièces dépendent alors de la nature de la matrice, de la présence ou non de carbures et surtout de la forme du graphite. Celui-ci peut cristalliser sous la forme de lamelles, de sphères ou de particules de formes intermédiaires. Les éléments présents à l’état de traces dans le bain de fonte liquide influencent de manière considérable la croissance du graphite et conditionnent sa forme finale. Leur moyen d’action ainsi que le mécanisme de croissance du graphite sphéroïdal sont encore un sujet de débat et cette thèse a pour objectif de contribuer à la compréhension des phénomènes mis en jeu. Les échantillons utilisés ont été élaborés selon le procédé de coulée par centrifugation, son influence sur les mécanismes étudiés est d’ailleurs au cœur de ce projet. Les différents essais et analyses réalisés prouvent que la structure des nodules observés dans les échantillons centrifugés est la même que dans le cas des pièces moulées en sable. De plus, les éléments traces montrent une action similaire lors de la solidification et pendant la croissance en phase solide durant le traitement thermique destiné à éliminer les carbures. Ces résultats suggèrent que le mécanisme de croissance du graphite sphéroïdal est le même lors de la croissance à partir du liquide ou en phase solide par décomposition des carbures. Une proposition est d’ailleurs faite pour expliquer le développement des nodules par une germination continue du graphite sur les plans de base conjuguée à une croissance selon les directions prismatiques. Un modèle mathématique associé à ce mécanisme est présenté et son application au procédé de centrifugation donne des résultats en accord avec les observations expérimentales. / Cast irons are widely used in the foundry industries for applications mainly in the automotive, energy and pipes industries. Because of the high carbon content, graphite and/or iron carbides appear during solidification. The properties of the casting depend on the nature of the matrix, the presence or not of carbides and the shape of the graphite. It can crystallise under the form of lamellae, spheroids or particles with an intermediate shape. Trace elements present in the melt strongly influence graphite growth and shape. Their action and the growth mechanism of the spheroidal graphite are still under debate and the aim of this project is to contribute to the understanding of these phenomena. The samples have been cooled by the centrifugal casting process whose influence on the studied mechanisms is the focus of this project. The different analyses that have been carried out show that the structure of the nodules is the same in centrifugated and sand mold castings. Moreover, the trace elements exhibit a similar action during solidification and solid state growth during heat-treatment for carbide dissolution. These results suggest that the growth mechanism of spheroidal graphite is the same during growth from the liquid and by solid state decomposition of carbides. A schematic is proposed to explain the growth of the nodules by a continuous nucleation on the basal surface of the graphite coupled to a growth along the prismatic directions. A mathematical model associated to this mechanism is presented and its application to the centrifugal casting process gives results in good agreement with experimental observations.