Recent trend of minimization in microprocessors has introduced increasing self-heating effects in FinFET and MOSFET transistors. To study these self-heating effects, we developed self-consistent 3D models of FinFET and MOSFET basic logic gates, and simulated steady-state thermal transport for the worst heating case scenario. Incorporating size-dependent effective thermal conductivity of thin films instead of bulk values, these simulations provide a more accurate prediction of temperature rise in the logic gates. Results of our simulations predict higher temperature rise in FinFETs, compared to MOSFETs. Existence of buried oxide layer and confined geometry of FinFET structure are determined to be the most contributing to this higher temperature rise. To connect the results of our simulations to higher scale simulations, we proposed an equivalent thermal conductivity for each basic logic gate. These values were tested and found to be independent of the magnitude of chosen boundary conditions, as well as heat generation rate.

In situ planetary effective thermal conductivity measurements are typically made using a long needle-like probe, which measures effective thermal conductivity in the probe‟s radial (horizontal) direction. The desired effective vertical thermal conductivity for heat flow calculations is assumed to be the same as the measured effective horizontal thermal conductivity. However, it is known that effective thermal conductivity increases with increasing compressive pressure on granular beds and horizontal stress in a granular bed under gravity is related to the vertical stress through Jaky‟s at-rest earth pressure coefficient. No research has been performed previously on determining the anisotropic effective thermal conductivity of dry granular beds under compressive uniaxial pressure. The objectives of this study were to examine the validity of the isotropic property assumption and to develop a fundamental understanding of the effective thermal conductivity of a dry, noncohesive granular bed under uniaxial compression. Two experiments were developed to simultaneously measure the effective vertical and horizontal thermal conductivities of particle beds. One measured effective thermal conductivities in an atmosphere of air. The second measured effective thermal conductivities in a vacuum environment. Measurements were made as compressive vertical pressure was increased to show the relationship between increasing pressure and effective vertical and horizontal thermal conductivity. The results of this experiment show quantitatively the conductivity anisotropy for different materials. Based on the effective thermal conductivity models in the literature and results of the two experiments, a simple model was derived to predict the increase in effective vertical and horizontal thermal conductivity with increasing compressive vertical applied pressure of a granular bed immersed in a static fluid. In order to gain a greater understanding of the anisotropic phenomenon, finite element simulations were performed for a vacuum environment. Based on the results of the finite element simulations, the simple derived model was modified to better approximate a vacuum environment. The experimental results from the two experiments performed in this study were used to validate both the initial simple model and the modified model. The experimental results also showed the effects of mechanical properties and size on the anisotropic effective thermal conductivity of granular beds. This study showed for the first time that compressive pressure-dependent effective thermal conductivity of granular beds is an anisotropic property. Conduction through the fluid has been shown to have the largest contribution to the effective thermal conductivity of a granular bed immersed in a static fluid. Thermal contact resistance has been shown to have the largest influence on anisotropic effective thermal conductivity of a granular bed in a vacuum environment. Finally, a discussion of future work has been included.

Sodium alanate, or the Na-Al-H system, has been the focus of intense research over the past decade due to its ability to hold almost 5 wt% of hydrogen. In this research, the effective thermal conductivity, k, of a sample of titanium-doped sodium alanate is studied over a range of operating conditions pertinent to practical on-board hydrogen storage. A transient technique employing a platinum hot-wire is used to make the measurements. A cylindrical experimental apparatus was designed with the aide of a finite element model that was used to quantify the cylinder boundary effects. The apparatus dimensions were optimized based on the finite element results with the goal of minimizing measurement uncertainty and temperature rise during testing. Finite element results were also used to predict test times and current requirements. A sample of sodium alanate was obtained and loaded into the experimental apparatus which was enclosed in a pressure vessel with a controlled atmosphere. Effective thermal conductivity was measured as a function of pressure at the fully-hydrided and fully-dehydrided states. The results from the pressure-dependence investigation were compared to an existing study that utilized an alternate measurement technique. The results matched well qualitatively — the effective thermal conductivity was highly dependent on pressure, and was found to be significantly higher in the fully-dehydrided state. However, the results of this study were 20 to 30% lower than the existing available data. Additionally, an exploratory investigation used the PCI technique to study the effect of varying composition between the fully-hydrided state and the intermediate decomposition step at a relatively constant pressure. Effective thermal conductivity did not vary significantly over this range of compositions. / Master of Science

The High Pressure Test Unit (HPTU) forms part of the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) Heat Transfer Test Facility (HTTF). One of the test sections that forms part of the HPTU is the Braiding Effect Test Section (BETS). This test section allows for the evaluation of the so–called ‘braiding effect’ that occurs in fluid flow through a packed pebble bed. The braiding effect implies an apparent enhancement of the fluid thermal conductivity due to turbulent mixing that occurs as the flow criss–crosses between the pebbles. The level of enhancement of the fluid thermal conductivity is evaluated from the thermal dispersion effect. The so–called thermal dispersion quantity r K is equivalent to an effective Peclet number eff Pe based on the inverse of the effective thermal conductivity eff k . This thesis describes the experiments carried out on three different BETS test sections with pseudo–homogeneous porosities of 0.36, 0.39 and 0.45, respectively. It also provides the values derived for the enhanced fluid thermal conductivity for the range of Reynolds numbers between 1,000 and 40,000. The study includes the following: * Compilation of a literature study and theoretical background. * An uncertainty analysis to estimate the impact of instrument uncertainties on the accuracy of the empirical data. * The use of a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model to simulate the heat transfer through the BETS packed pebble bed.* Application of the CFD model combined with a numerical search technique to extract the effective fluid thermal conductivity values from the measured results. * The assessment of the results of the experiments by comparing it with the results of other investigations found in the open literature. The primary outputs of the study are the effective fluid thermal conductivity values derived from the measured data on the HPTU plant. The primary variables that were measured are the temperatures at radial positions at different axial depths inside the bed and the total mass flow rate through the test section. The maximum and minimum standard uncertainties for the measured data are 10.80% and 0.06% respectively. The overall effective thermal conductivities that were calculated at the minimum and maximum Reynolds numbers were in the order of 1.166 W/mK and 38.015 W/mK respectively. A sensitivity study was conducted on the experimental data and the CFD data. A maximum uncertainty of 5.92 % was found in the calculated effective thermal conductivities. The results show that relatively high values of thermal dispersion quantities or effective Peclet numbers are obtained for the pseudo–homogeneous packed beds when compared to randomly packed beds. Therefore, the effective thermal conductivity is low and it can be concluded that the radial mixing in the structured packing is low relative to the mixing obtained in randomly packed beds. / Thesis (M.Ing. (Mechanical Engineering))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

The High Pressure Test Unit (HPTU) forms part of the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) Heat Transfer Test Facility (HTTF). One of the test sections that forms part of the HPTU is the Braiding Effect Test Section (BETS). This test section allows for the evaluation of the so–called ‘braiding effect’ that occurs in fluid flow through a packed pebble bed. The braiding effect implies an apparent enhancement of the fluid thermal conductivity due to turbulent mixing that occurs as the flow criss–crosses between the pebbles. The level of enhancement of the fluid thermal conductivity is evaluated from the thermal dispersion effect. The so–called thermal dispersion quantity r K is equivalent to an effective Peclet number eff Pe based on the inverse of the effective thermal conductivity eff k . This thesis describes the experiments carried out on three different BETS test sections with pseudo–homogeneous porosities of 0.36, 0.39 and 0.45, respectively. It also provides the values derived for the enhanced fluid thermal conductivity for the range of Reynolds numbers between 1,000 and 40,000. The study includes the following: * Compilation of a literature study and theoretical background. * An uncertainty analysis to estimate the impact of instrument uncertainties on the accuracy of the empirical data. * The use of a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model to simulate the heat transfer through the BETS packed pebble bed.* Application of the CFD model combined with a numerical search technique to extract the effective fluid thermal conductivity values from the measured results. * The assessment of the results of the experiments by comparing it with the results of other investigations found in the open literature. The primary outputs of the study are the effective fluid thermal conductivity values derived from the measured data on the HPTU plant. The primary variables that were measured are the temperatures at radial positions at different axial depths inside the bed and the total mass flow rate through the test section. The maximum and minimum standard uncertainties for the measured data are 10.80% and 0.06% respectively. The overall effective thermal conductivities that were calculated at the minimum and maximum Reynolds numbers were in the order of 1.166 W/mK and 38.015 W/mK respectively. A sensitivity study was conducted on the experimental data and the CFD data. A maximum uncertainty of 5.92 % was found in the calculated effective thermal conductivities. The results show that relatively high values of thermal dispersion quantities or effective Peclet numbers are obtained for the pseudo–homogeneous packed beds when compared to randomly packed beds. Therefore, the effective thermal conductivity is low and it can be concluded that the radial mixing in the structured packing is low relative to the mixing obtained in randomly packed beds. / Thesis (M.Ing. (Mechanical Engineering))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

Analyses of heat and mass transfer between different materials and phases are essential in numerous fundamental scientific problems and practical engineering applications, such as thermal and chemical transport in porous media, design of heat exchangers, dendritic growth during solidification, and thermal/mechanical analysis of additive manufacturing processes. In the numerical simulation, interface treatment can be further divided into sharp interface schemes and diffuse interface schemes according to the morphological features of the interface. This work focuses on the following subjects through computational studies: (1) critical evaluation of the various sharp interface schemes in the literature for conjugate heat and mass transfer modeling with the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM), (2) development of a novel sharp interface scheme in the LBM for conjugate heat and mass transfer between materials/phases with very high transport property ratios, and (3) development of a new diffuse-interface phase-field-lattice Boltzmann method (PFM/LBM) for dendritic growth and solidification modeling. For comparison of the previous sharp interface schemes in the LBM, the numerical accuracy and convergence orders are scrutinized with representative test cases involving both straight and curved geometries. The proposed novel sharp interface scheme in the LBM is validated with both published results in the literature as well as in-house experimental measurements for the effective thermal conductivity (ETC) of porous lattice structures. Furthermore, analytical correlations for the normalized ETC are proposed for various material pairs and over the entire range of porosity based on the detailed LBM simulations. In addition, we provide a modified correlation based on the SS420-air and SS316L-air metal pairs and the high porosity range for specific application. The present PFM/LBM model has several improved features compared to those in the literature and is capable of modeling dendritic growth with fully coupled melt flow and thermosolutal convection-diffusion. The applicability and accuracy of the PFM/LBM model is verified with numerical tests including isothermal, iso-solutal and thermosolutal convection-diffusion problems in both 2D and 3D. Furthermore, the effects of natural convection on the growth of multiple crystals are numerically investigated.

This study addressed the numerical modelling of flow and diffusion in packed beds of mono-sized spheres. Comprehensive research was conducted in order to implement various numerical approaches in explicit1 and implicit2 simulations of flow through packed beds of uniform spheres. It was noted from literature that the characterization of a packed bed using porosity as the only geometrical parameter is inadequate (Van Antwerpen, 2009) and is still under much deliberation due to the lack of understanding of different flow phenomena through packed beds. Explicit simulations are not only able to give insight into this lack of understanding in fluid mechanics, but can also be used to develop different flow correlations that can be implemented in implicit type simulations. The investigation into the modelling approach using STAR-CCM+®, presented a sound modelling methodology, capable of producing accurate numerical results. A new contact treatment was developed in this study that is able to model all the aspects of the contact geometry without compromising the computational resources. This study also showed, for the first time, that the LES (large eddy simulation) turbulence model was the only model capable of accurately predicting the pressure drop for low Reynolds numbers in the transition regime. The adopted modelling approach was partly validated in an extensive mesh independency test that showed an excellent agreement between the simulation and the KTA (1981) and Eisfeld and Schnitzlein (2001) correlations' predicted pressure drop values, deviating by between 0.54% and 3.45% respectively. This study also showed that explicit simulations are able to accurately model enhanced diffusion due to turbulent mixing, through packed beds. In the tortuosity study it was found that the tortuosity calculations were independent of the Reynolds number, and that the newly developed tortuosity tests were in good agreement with techniques used by Kim en Chen (2006), deviating by between 2.65% and 0.64%. The results from the TMD (thermal mixing degree) tests showed that there appears to be no explicit link between the porosity and mixing abilities of the packed beds tested, but this could be attributed to relatively small bed sizes used and the positioning and size of the warm inlet. A multi-velocity test showed that the TMD criterion is also independent of the Reynolds number. It was concluded that the results from the TMD tests indicated that more elaborate packed beds were needed to derive applicable conclusions from these type of mixing tests. The explicit BETS (braiding effect test section) simulation results confirmed the seemingly irregular temperature trends that were observed in the experimental data, deviating by between 5.44% and 2.29%. From the detail computational fluid dynamics (CFD) results it was possible to attribute these irregularities to the positioning of the thermocouples in high temperature gradient areas. The validation results obtained in the effective thermal conductivity study were in good agreement with the results of Kgame (2011) when the same fitting techniques were used, deviating by 5.1%. The results also showed that this fitting technique is highly sensitive for values of the square of the Pearson product moment correlation coefficient (RSQ) parameter and that the exclusion of the symmetry planes improved the RSQ results. It was concluded that the introduction of the new combined coefficient (CC) parameter is more suited for this type of fitting technique than using only the RSQ parameter. / Thesis (M.Ing. (Mechanical Engineering))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012

Les mousses à cellules ouvertes ont diverses applications industrielles, par exemple pour des échangeurs de chaleur, des réacteurs structurés, la filtration, la catalyse, récepteurs solaires volumétriques en raison de leurs propriétés uniques telles qu'une importante porosité et une surface spécifique élevée. Pour déterminer théoriquement la surface spécifique géométrique et les relations entre les paramètres géométriques de mousses, une corrélation mathématique généralisée a été développée. A cet effet, la géométrie de la tetrakaidecahedron a été utilisé et différentes formes de sections transversales de brins de structures en mousse ont été pris en compte de façon explicite. La corrélation dérivée pour prédire les propriétés géométriques peut facilement être étendue à des formes différentes. Des simulations numériques 3-D à l'échelle des pores ont été réalisées pour étudier la perte de charge et la conductivité effective thermique. L'écoulement du fluide à travers la mousse à cellule ouverte a été réalisé dans trois régimes différents: les régimes de Darcy, transitoire et inertiel. L'importance des propriétés géométriques sur les caractéristiques d'écoulement de fluide et leurs inclusions dans les corrélations proposées pour prédire la perte de charge est discutée. La question « Les paramètres d'Ergun peuvent-ils avoir des valeurs numériques constantes ou non ? » est discutée. Trois différentes corrélations étaient dérivées pour prédire la conductivité thermique effective à la fois isotrope et anisotrope des mousses. Les paramètres géométriques de la matrice de mousse étaient introduits dans les corrélations pour prédire la conductivité thermique effective. / Open cell foams have diverse industrial applications e.g. heat exchangers, structured reactors, filtration due to their unique properties such as high porosity and high specific surface area. In order to theoretically determine the geometric specific surface area and relationships between geometrical parameters of isotropic open cell foams, a generalized mathematical correlation was developed. For this purpose the tetrakaidecahedron geometry was used and different shapes of strut cross-sections of foam structures were taken explicitly into account. The derived correlation to predict geometrical properties can be easily extended to different strut shapes. 3-D numerical simulations at pore scale were performed to study the pressure drop characteristics and effective thermal conductivity. Fluid flow through open cell foam was performed in three different regimes: Darcy regime, transition regime and inertia regime. Importance of geometrical properties on fluid flow characteristics and their inclusion in the proposed correlations for predicting pressure drop is discussed. "Can Ergun parameters have constant numerical values or not" is also extensively discussed. Three different correlations were derived to predict the effective thermal conductivity for both, isotropic and anisotropic open cell foams. Geometrical parameters of foam matrix were introduced in the correlations to predict effective thermal conductivity.

La microcirculation est constituée d’un réseau vasculaire qui comprend les artérioles, les veinules et les capillaires. La microcirculation cutanée est un paramètre physiologique important pour les applications cliniques avancées comme le syndrome de Raynaud ou la prévention des escarres. De nombreuses méthodes non ambulatoires ont été développées afin de mesurer la microcirculation sanguine. La tendance actuelle dans le domaine des technologies pour la santé est la miniaturisation des capteurs et de leurs instrumentations associées pour les rendre non-invasifs, portables par le patient et ainsi adaptés aux mesures ambulatoires en conditions réelles, ou appelées aussi « écologiques ». Le manuscrit présente la conception et la réalisation d’un système électronique miniaturisé ambulatoire (µHématron), permettant de réaliser un monitoring continu, en temps réel de la conductivité thermique tissulaire qui est l’image de la microcirculation dans les capillaires. La première expérimentation effectuée a pour l’objectif de confronter le système µHématron avec un moniteur de fluxmétrie laser Doppler, au cours d’une étude destinée à évaluer le confort thermique chez l’homme. Ainsi, une étude d’influence de la température de différentes ambiances sur un certain nombre de paramètres de la peau de sujets sains, y compris la microcirculation cutanée, a été réalisée. Les corrélations obtenues entre les variations des deux signaux des deux instrumentations pour les ambiances neutres, chaudes et froides sont présentées. La deuxième expérimentation est consacrée à l’étude préliminaire de l’effet global des bas médicaux de compression sur la microcirculation cutanée des membres inférieurs de sujets sains. Grâce à l’instrumentation ambulatoire, la microcirculation a pu être évaluée de façon continue pour différentes postures des sujets : allongée, assise, débout et en marche, et ce, pour des différentes classes de bas de compression (I, II, et III). Cette étude a permis d’améliorer la compréhension de l’effet de ces bas sur les sujets sains. / The microcirculation consists of a vascular network that includes arterioles, venules and capillaries. Skin microcirculation is an important physiological parameter for advanced clinical applications such as Raynaud's syndrome or the prevention of ulcers. Many non-ambulatory methods were developed to measure blood microcirculation. The current trend in the field of health technology is the miniaturization of sensors and their associated instrumentation to make them non-invasive, portable by the patient and adapted to ambulatory measurements in time real, or also known as « ecological ». The manuscript presents the design and the realization of an ambulatory miniaturized electronic system (μHematron), to achieve continuous monitoring of the effective thermal conductivity in real-time that is the image of the microcirculation in the capillaries. The first experimentation was performed to compare the µHematron system with a laser Doppler flowmetry monitor, during a study which aims to evaluate thermal comfort in humans. A study of the effects of different temperature environments on a group of skin parameters of healthy subjects, including the cutaneous microcirculation, was performed. Correlations between changes in the two signals of both instrumentations for neutral, hot and cold temperatures are presented. The second experimentation is aimed to a preliminary study of the global effect of medical compression stockings on the cutaneous microcirculation of the lower extremities of healthy subjects. Thanks to the ambulatory instrumentation, the microcirculation has been measured continuously for different postures of subject: lying, sitting, standing and walking, and this for different classes of compression stockings (I, II, and III). This study has improved the understanding of the effect of these stockings on healthy subjects.

Coupled Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical (THM) behavior in geological porous media has been a subject of great interest in many geoengineering disciplines. Many attempts have been made to develop numerical prediction capabilities associated with topics such as the movement of pollutant plumes, gas injection, energy storage, geothermal energy extraction, and safety assessment of repositories for radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel. This thesis presents a new numerical modeling approach and a new computer code for simulating coupled THM behavior in geological porous media in general, and compacted bentonite clays in particular, as buffer materials in underground radioactive waste repositories. New governing equations were derived according to the theory of mixtures, considering interactions among solid-phase deformation, flows of water and gases, heat transport, and phase change of water. For three-dimensional problems, eight governing equations were formulated to describe the coupled THM processes. A new thermal conductivity model was developed to predict the thermal conductivity of geological porous media as composite mixtures. The proposed model considers the combined effects of solid mineral composition, temperature, liquid saturation degree, porosity and pressure on the effective thermal conductivity of the porous media. The predicted results agree well with the experimental data for MX80 bentonite. A new water retention curve model was developed to predict the suction-saturation behavior of the geological porous media, as a function of suction, effective saturated degree, temperature, porosity, pore-gas pressure, and the rate of saturation degree change with time. The model was verified against experimental data of the FEBEX bentonite, with good agreement between measured and calculated results. A new finite element code (ROLG) was developed for modeling fully coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical processes in geological porous media. The new code was validated against several analytical solutions and experiments, and was applied to simulate the large scale in-situ Canister Retrieval Test (CRT) at Äspö Hard Rock Laboratory, SKB, Sweden, with good agreement between measured and predicted results. The results are useful for performance and safety assessments of radioactive waste repositories. / QC20100720 / THERESA