Yes / In this work, a novel concept in freeze desalination (FD) was introduced. Nowadays the total liquefied natural gas (LNG) production capacity has reached 290 Megatons per year. Its enormous cold energy released from re-gasification can be used in the freeze desalination process to minimize the overall energy consumption. A process of FD on flake ice maker utilizing LNG cold energy was designed and simulated by HYSYS software. An ice bucket on flake ice maker was chosen as seawater crystallizer mainly due to its continuous ice making and removing ice without heat source. A dynamic model of the freezing section has been developed and simulated through gPROMS software. The results show that the consumption of 1 kg equivalent LNG cold energy can obtain about 2 kg of ice melt water. In addition, it is shown that the power consumption of this LNG/FD hybrid process is negligible.

Small water ice crystals are the main component of cold tropospheric clouds such as cirrus. Because these clouds cover large areas of our planet, their role in the radiation budget of incoming and outgoing radiation to the planet's surface is important. At present, the representation of these clouds in climate and weather models is subject to improvements: a large part of the uncertainty error stems from the lack of precise micro-physical and radiation model schemes for ice crystal clouds. To improve the cloud representations, a better understanding of the life time dynamics of the clouds and their composition is necessary, comprising a detailed understanding of the ice particle genesis, and development over their lifetime. It is especially important to understand how the development of ice crystals over time is linked to the changes in observable variables such as water vapour content and temperature and how they change the light scattering properties of the crystals. Recent remote and aircraft based in-situ measurements have shown that many ice particles show a light scattering behaviour typical for crystals having rough surfaces or being of complex geometrical shapes. The aim of this thesis was to develop the experimental setup and experiments to investigate this further by studying the surface morphology of small water ice crystals using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The experiments I developed study the growth of water ice crystals inside an SEM chamber under controlled environmental conditions. The influence of water vapour supersaturation, pressure and temperature is investigated. I demonstrate how to retrieve the surface topology from observed crystals for use as input to computational light scattering codes to derive light scattering phase functions and asymmetry parameters, which can be used as input into atmospheric models. Difficulties with the method for studying the growth of water ice crystals, such as the effect of the electron beam-gas ionization and charging effects, the problem of facilitating repeated and localized ice growth, and the effect of radiative influences on the crystal growth are discussed. A broad set of nucleation target materials is studied. In a conclusion, I demonstrate that the method is suitable to study the surface morphologies, but is experimentally very challenging and many precautions must be taken, such as imaging only once and preventing radiative heat exchange between the chamber walls and the crystals to avoid unwanted effects on the crystal morphology. It is also left as a question if a laboratory experiment, where crystals will need to be grown in connection to a substrate, can represent the real world well enough. Deriving the required light scattering data in-situ might be an alternative, easier way to collect data for modelling use.

Icicles are a ubiquitous and picturesque feature of cold winter weather. Their familiar form emerges from a subtle interplay between the solidification dynamics of ice and the gravity-driven flow of the thin water film flowing over their evolving surface. The latent heat released by freezing is advected by the water film and ultimately carried away by the surrounding sub-zero air, which is also flowing. Like many processes far from equilibrium, icicle growth can exhibit nonlinear pattern formation. While scaling theory predicts that icicles converge to `platonic', self-similar shapes, natural icicles often exhibit regular ripple patterns about their circumference, which are due to a morphological instability. This thesis presents a comprehensive experimental study of icicles that sheds new light on the dynamics of their growth and the origin of their form. A table-top apparatus was designed and built for the controlled growth of icicles, under different conditions of temperature, water supply rate, ambient air motion, and water purity. Image analysis and Fourier methods were used to examine their morphology. Contrary to theoretical expectations, ripples do not appear on icicles made from pure water. Instead, ripples grow and travel on icicles made from salt solutions, even at very low concentrations. The addition of non-ionic surfactant or dissolved gases does not produce ripples, unless ionic impurities are also present. The ripple wavelength is independent of time and growth conditions. The ripple amplification rate and traveling velocity vary weakly with the ionic concentration, as do the tip and radial growth speeds of the icicle. While the tip and radial growth also depend on the ambient temperature and input mass flux, the ripple dynamics is not correlated with extrinsic conditions. If the ambient temperature or input mass flux is sufficiently low, the tip growth only advances for a short period of time before it ceases. After cessation, the shape of the icicle deviates increasingly from self-similarity. The most self-similar icicles are made from pure water with the surrounding air gently stirred, whereas icicles made from impure water in still air tend to grow multiple tips.

Icicles are a ubiquitous and picturesque feature of cold winter weather. Their familiar form emerges from a subtle interplay between the solidification dynamics of ice and the gravity-driven flow of the thin water film flowing over their evolving surface. The latent heat released by freezing is advected by the water film and ultimately carried away by the surrounding sub-zero air, which is also flowing. Like many processes far from equilibrium, icicle growth can exhibit nonlinear pattern formation. While scaling theory predicts that icicles converge to `platonic', self-similar shapes, natural icicles often exhibit regular ripple patterns about their circumference, which are due to a morphological instability. This thesis presents a comprehensive experimental study of icicles that sheds new light on the dynamics of their growth and the origin of their form. A table-top apparatus was designed and built for the controlled growth of icicles, under different conditions of temperature, water supply rate, ambient air motion, and water purity. Image analysis and Fourier methods were used to examine their morphology. Contrary to theoretical expectations, ripples do not appear on icicles made from pure water. Instead, ripples grow and travel on icicles made from salt solutions, even at very low concentrations. The addition of non-ionic surfactant or dissolved gases does not produce ripples, unless ionic impurities are also present. The ripple wavelength is independent of time and growth conditions. The ripple amplification rate and traveling velocity vary weakly with the ionic concentration, as do the tip and radial growth speeds of the icicle. While the tip and radial growth also depend on the ambient temperature and input mass flux, the ripple dynamics is not correlated with extrinsic conditions. If the ambient temperature or input mass flux is sufficiently low, the tip growth only advances for a short period of time before it ceases. After cessation, the shape of the icicle deviates increasingly from self-similarity. The most self-similar icicles are made from pure water with the surrounding air gently stirred, whereas icicles made from impure water in still air tend to grow multiple tips.