Este trabalho propõe um modelo de transferência de calor e massa para prever a formação de gelo em um container preenchido com legumes congelados. O problema físico é modelado como um meio poroso composto pelo próprio produto e o ar em seu entorno. O regime de convecção natural é assumido dentro do container, o qual promove o transporte de massa. Como uma primeira validação, o modelo é simulado considerando diferentes temperaturas de ar externo, causadas por flutuações da vizinhança. Resultados para quatro ciclos de temperaturas foram comparados, variando separadamente a temperatura média do ar, amplitude e frequência de oscilação. De modo geral, é observado que a temperatura do produto se comporta assim como era esperado e este resultado é diretamente associado à formação de gelo dentro do container. A formação de gelo cresce com uma maior amplitude de oscilação, porém decresce com um aumento na frequência e na temperatura média. Os parâmetros do modelo foram obtidos para dois diferentes produtos: fatias de cenouras congeladas e vagens congeladas, ambos em meio ao ar. As definições de parâmetros são oriundas de revisão bibliográfica, medições experimentais e simulações numéricas. Os parâmetros encontrados para a caracterização desses meios porosos foram similares para ambos os produtos, mesmo eles possuindo diferentes geometrias. A validação experimental foi feita para as fatias de cenoura considerando dois ciclos de temperatura O modelo numérico é capaz de prever o campo de velocidades do ar, as temperaturas do produto e a formação de gelo local. Os resultados foram validados em relação a um grupo independente de resultados numéricos, tal comparação apresentou uma boa concordância. A circulação de ar encontrada é, de fato, devido à convecção natural. O comportamento da temperatura dos produtos simulados concorda com os valores medidos e os valores de temperaturas diferem por menos de 12%. Com respeito à formação de gelo, o modelo é capaz de prevê-la corretamente nas regiões mais suscetíveis a este fenômeno. Porém, a quantidade de gelo formado prevista pelo modelo (1,56 g/semana) é menor do que a experimental (4,67 g/semana), apesar de serem de mesma ordem de magnitude. O efeito de cada parâmetro no modelo é estudado visando detectar maneiras de aprimorar o modelo. Foi encontrado que os parâmetros mais importantes para a formação de gelo total são a difusividade de massa efetiva e o coeficiente de transferência de calor convectivo dentro do container. Ajustando estes parâmetros duas vezes foi possível encontrar resultados melhores com respeito à formação de gelo (3,09 g/semana). / A model of heat and mass transfer is proposed in order to predict frost formation into a closed container filled with frozen vegetables. The physical problem is modeled as a macroporous media composed by the product itself and the surrounding air. Natural convection air flow is assumed into the container, who promotes water mass transport. As a first validation, the model is simulated for several exterior air temperatures, under environmental fluctuations (boundary conditions). Results of four temperature cycles were compared, varying average air temperature, amplitude and frequency of oscillation, one by one. As a general result, it is observed that the product temperature behavior is as expected, and it is directly associated with frost formation into the container. Frost formation increases with large amplitude of oscillation, but decreases with higher frequencies and higher mean temperatures. Model parameters were obtained for two assembling: frozen slices of carrots and air, and frozen extra thin green beans and air. Parameter definition and evaluation combines literature review, measurements and numerical simulation. In general, parameters which characterize these porous media were similar for both products, even though they display different geometries. The experimental validation is performed for carrot slices with two temperature cycles The numerical model is able to predict air velocity field, air and product temperatures, and local frost formation. Results are validated in respect to a set of independent experimental results that shown a good agreement. Air flow circulation is as expected due to natural convection. Product temperature simulated behavior agrees with measurements, and temperature values differ by less than 12%. Respect to frost formation predictions, the model predicts correctly the most susceptible regions to frost formation. However, the quantity of frost formed predicted by the model (1.56 g/ week)is lower than the experimental one (4.67g/week), despite being of the same order of magnitude. The effect of each parameter in the model is study in order to detect how to improve the model. The most important parameters affecting total frost formation are effective mass diffusivity and convective heat coefficient into the storage container. Adjusting these parameters to twice, better results in terms of frost formation could be obtained (3.09 g/ week).

La pertraction est une technologie émergente d’extraction liquide-liquide utilisant une barrière membranaire comme surface d’échange entre la phase aqueuse et le solvant. Un solvant très émulsif et/ou constitué par un extractant pur peut ainsi être utilisé sans la contrainte d’un écart de densité avec la phase aqueuse. Utiliser un extractant pur est d’un grand intérêt dans la perspective d’avoir une forte capacité de charge du solvant (>100 g.L-1). A ce titre, l’étude de la faisabilité de l’usage d’un extractant pur comme solvant dans le procédé de pertraction apparait pertinent. Cette thèse a donc pour objet l’étude du procédé de pertraction pour l’extraction des métaux d’intérêt en utilisant un solvant sans diluant. L’extraction des terres rares (néodyme (Nd), praséodyme (Pr) et dysprosium (Dy)) a été choisi comme objet de cette étude, par une démarche visant tout d’abord la sélection d’un solvant spécifique des lanthanides (le Nd comme modèle), le montage et l’optimisation d’un module de pertraction, et enfin la mise en œuvre d’un modèle de transfert de matière pour étudier l’influence des différents paramètres qui gouvernent le procédé. Le choix du solvant s’appuie ainsi sur 3 critères : son affinité pour le Nd, sa viscosité ainsi que sa solubilité en phase aqueuse. Pour la sureté du procédé son point éclair a également été pris en compte dans la sélection. Par cette approche, le N, N dibutylacétamide (DBAc) a été retenu pour sa viscosité modérée (< 5 mPa.s) mais son utilisation a nécessité l’addition de sels de nitrates en phase aqueuse pour augmenter son affinité pour le Nd par le déplacement de l’équilibre d’extraction dans le sens de la formation des complexes DBAc-Nd. Avec une capacité de charge supérieure 126 g.L-1, une application remarquable du DBAc s’oriente vers le recyclage des terres rares à partir d’un lixiviat de déchet d’aimant NdFeB, précisément dans la récupération sélective du Nd, du Pr, du Dy à partir d’un lixiviat nitrique contenant le fer, le bore, le cobalt et le nickel comme métaux compétiteurs. Les essais de pertraction ont tout d’abord été effectués à co-courant et en circuit fermé sur un module à monofibre creuse en polypropylène hydrophobe. Un modèle de transfert de matière a été développé sur la base des hypothèses classiques de la théorie des résistances en série afin de décrire le mécanisme de transfert à travers la membrane et prédire le profil de concentration du Nd en fonction du temps. L’utilisation du modèle a requis entre autres paramètres d’entrée le coefficient de diffusion du Nd en phase aqueuse et dans le solvant. La technique d’Analyse de la Dispersion de Taylor (TDA) a été développée pour la détermination expérimentale des valeurs du coefficient de diffusion. Les résultats expérimentaux de l’étude du système DBAc pur / Nd sont jugés en bon accord avec les données du modèle. Les valeurs des coefficients de transfert de matière dans les films et dans la membrane indiquent que l’étape limitante dans le transfert de matière est la diffusion des complexes Nd-DBAc dans le solvant, précisément à l’intérieur des pores de la membrane et dans le film coté solvant. Cette limitation pourrait s’expliquer par une viscosité relativement plus importante du DBAc pur en comparaison de la viscosité de la phase aqueuse. Pour rappel, le coefficient de diffusion est inversement proportionnel à la viscosité dans la corrélation de Stock-Einstein. Une perspective de développement de la pertraction comme technique d’extraction/recyclage est la récupération de métaux réfractaires comme le tantale et le niobium. Les études préliminaires de recherche d’un solvant de forte affinité et de grande sélectivité présentent la propriété de la méthylacétophénone pure (MAcPh) à extraire sélectivement le tantale à partir d’un lixiviat fluorhydrique de déchet de condensateur contenant du fer, du manganèse, du nickel et de l’argent comme impuretés, avec une capacité de charge supérieure à 150 g.L-1. / Pertraction is an emerging liquid-liquid extraction technology which use a membrane barrier as surface area between the aqueous phase and solvent. It thus offers the possibility to use very emulsive solvent and / or consisting of a pure extractant without any necessity of different density with the aqueous phase. The advantage of using a pure extractant is the possibility to have a high loading capacty of solvent (>100 g.L-1). So, we have studied the feasibility of pertraction of metals of interest by using a pure extractant as solvent. The extraction of rare earth metals (neodymium (Nd), praseodymium (Pr) and dysprosium (Dy)) was chosen as the aim of this study. The approach was defined by tree steps : identification of selective solvent for lanthanids (Nd as model), set-up and optimization of pertraction module, mass transfer modeling. The screening of solvent was governed by namely three criteria : its affinity for Nd, its viscosity and solubility in water. To avoid fire risk, the flashpoint of solvent was also taken into account in the selection. In this framework, N, N-dibutylacetamide was selected especially for its moderate viscosity (<5 mPa.s) but its employment required the use of nitrates for increase its affinity for Nd. With high loading capacity (> 126 g.L-1), a remarkable application of DBAc could be its use for selectively extract Nd, Pr, Dy and separate them each other from magnet waste containing impurities such as iron, boron, nickel, cobalt. Pertraction of Nd by DBAc pure has been made in recycle mode on polypropylene hollow fiber module. The mass transfer model has been developed on the basis of conventional assumptions of resistances in series theory in order to predict the concentration of Nd at different times. It has required some input parameters such as diffusion coefficient of Nd in aqueous and organic phases. Taylor dispersion analysis (TDA) has been used for the experimental determination of diffusion coefficients. Experimental data and model results were found to be in good agreement for the system DBAc/Nd. The values of mass transfer coefficients in films and membrane indicate that the mass transfer limiting step is the diffusion of DBAc-Nd in the solvent present in the membrane pores and in the diffusional film of the solvent. This can be explained by the relative high viscosity of solvent because diffusion coefficient is inversely proportional to viscosity in Stock-Einstein correlation. A development perspective of pertraction as liquid-liquid technology is the recovery of refractory metals like tantalum (Ta) and niobium (Nb). Preliminary studies for identify selective solvent present the properties of methylacetophenone pure (MAcPh) to extract selectively Ta from hydrofluoric solution of capacitor waste containing iron, manganese, nickel and silver as impurities with a loading capacity superior than 150 g.L-1.

<p>Ispitivan je proces osmotske dehidratacije mesa<br />svinja u tri osmotska rastvora (vodeni rastvor<br />natrijum hlorida i saharoze, kombinacija<br />vodenog rastvora natrijum hlorida i saharoze i<br />melase i melasa &scaron;ećerne repe) različitih<br />koncentracija, na tri temperature (20&deg;C, 35&deg;C i<br />50&deg;C) i pri tri vremena trajanja procesa (1, 3 i<br />5h). Mereni i računati odzivi procesa osmotske<br />dehidratacije bili su: sadržaj suve materije,<br />gubitak vode, prirast suve materije, indeks<br />efiksanosti procesa, vrednost aktivnosti vode.<br />Rezultati ispitivanja pokazuju da povećanje<br />tehnolo&scaron;kih parametara temperature i vremena<br />procesa, kao i koncentracije osmotskih rastvora<br />dovode do intenziviranja prenosa mase u<br />procesu i povećanja vrednosti odzivnih<br />parametara procesa, u oba slučaja, istostrujne i<br />protivstrujne osmotske dehidratacije.<br />Na osnovu dobijenih rezultata razvijeni su<br />modeli zavisnosti odziva procesa od<br />primenjenih tehnolo&scaron;kih parametara za<br />istostrujne i protivstrujne procese osmotske<br />dehidratacije. &ldquo;Score&rdquo; analizom određene su<br />vrednosti tehnolo&scaron;kih parametara koje su za<br />rezultat dale optimalnu efiksanost procesa.<br />U radu je ispitan enegetski bilans procesa<br />osmotske dehidratacije i upoređen sa<br />konvektivnim su&scaron;enjem, gde su se kao<br />energentski najefikasniji pokazali procesi na<br />temperaturi od 20&deg;C.<br />Karakteristike osmotski dehidriranog svinjskog<br />mesa su pokazale da dolazi do pobolj&scaron;anja<br />mikrobiolo&scaron;kog, hemijskog i nutritivnog profila<br />mesa nakon procesa, kao i promene boje i<br />teksture, gde je melasa &scaron;ećerne repe kao<br />osmotski rastvor, iskazala najbolje uticaje na<br />promene karakteristika dehidiranog mesa.<br />Na osnovu svih ispitanih uticaja variranih<br />parametara kao optimalni parametri procesa<br />mogu da se defini&scaron;u: protivstrujni proces, u<br />trajanju od 5 časova na temperaturi od 20&deg;C, u<br />melasi kao osmotskom rastvoru. Ovakav proces<br />dovodi do sveukupnog pobolj&scaron;anja<br />karakteristika svinjskog mesa uvodeći nutritivna<br />pobolj&scaron;anja iz hemijskog sastava melase u<br />ljudsku ishranu.</p> / <p>Process of osmotic dehydration of pork meat in<br />three different osmotic solutions (sodium<br />chloride and sucrose dissolved in water, mixture<br />of sodium chloride, sucrose dissolved in water<br />and molasses and sugar beet molasses) of<br />different concentrations, at three temperatures<br />(20&deg;C, 35&deg;C &amp; 50&deg;C) and three different times<br />of duration of the process (1, 3 &amp; 5h) was<br />investigated.<br />Measured and calculated responses of the<br />osmotic dehydration process were: dry matter<br />content, water loss, solid gain, dehydration<br />efficiency index and value of water activity.<br />The results showed that the increase of<br />technological parameters: time and temperature<br />of the process, as well as the concentration of<br />the osmotic solutions led to the intensified mass<br />transfer in the process and increased values of<br />process responses, in either co-counter or<br />current processes of osmotic solutions.<br />Based on obtained results mathematical models<br />of dependence of process responses from<br />applied technological parameters for co- and<br />counter-current processes of osmotic<br />dehydrations were developed. By the means of<br />&ldquo;Score&rdquo; analyses the values of technological<br />parameters which produced optimal efficiency<br />of the process were calculated.<br />In this research process energy balance was<br />investigated by comparison to the convective<br />drying, where the highest energy efficiency was<br />determined in the processes at the temperature<br />of 20&deg;C.<br />Characteristics of osmo-dehydrated pork meat<br />were also investigated, pointing at the<br />improvement of microbiological, chemical and<br />nutritive profile of the meat after the process, as<br />well as the change of color and texture, where<br />sugar beet molasses, as an osmotic solution, had<br />shown the best effects on changes of dehydrated<br />meat characteristics.<br />Based on all investigated effects of varied<br />parameters, the optimal process parameters can<br />be defined as: counter-current process, of 5<br />hours duration, at 20&deg;C, in molasses as an<br />osmotic solution. Process like that leads to the<br />total improvement of pork meat characteristics<br />introducing nutritive benefit from molasses<br />chemical composition into human nutrition.</p>

Nesta tese de doutorado é utilizada a técnica híbrida analítico-numérica, conhecida internacionalmente por GITT (Generalized Integral Transform Technique), para modelagem e simulação da equação de conservação das espécies químicas, na investigação do escoamento laminar incompressível, newtoniano e permanente em tubos permeáveis. O escoamento é aplicado ao processo de filtração tangencial com membranas e foram realizados dois estudos relacionados à equação convectiva-difusiva elíptica e parabólica, para as quais são utilizadas as mesmas condições de fronteira. Na modelagem a velocidade na parede permeável é considerada uniforme e os perfis de velocidade para a região de entrada do escoamento são obtidos na literatura. O modelo matemático utiliza originalmente uma expressão para a espessura da camada limite de concentração, com uma metodologia que determina a taxa assintótica, com a qual se estabelece a espessura da camada de concentração. Os resultados são apresentados com análise de convergência através de tabelas e com gráficos para o fluxo transmembrana local e médio, a correlação de Sherwood e a espessura da camada limite de concentração e ainda são comparados com outros resultados e metodologias reportadas na literatura. / In this doctoral thesis, the analytical-numerical hybrid technique, internationally known as GITT (Generalized Integral Transform Technique), is used for the modeling and simulation of the equation of chemical species conservation, in the investigation of the incompressible, Newtonian and permanent laminar flow in permeable tubes. The flow is applied to the cross-flow process with membranes and two studies related to the elliptic and parabolic convective-diffusive equation were accomplished, for which the same boundary conditions are used. In the modeling, the velocity on the permeable wall is considered uniform and the velocity profiles for the entrance region flow are obtained from the literature. The mathematical model originally uses an expression for the concentration boundary layer thickness, with a methodology that determines the asymptotic ratio, establishing the concentration boundary layer thickness. The results are presented with convergence analysis through tables and with graphs for the mean local transmembrane flux, Sherwood correlation and the concentration boundary layer thickness, and they are also compared with other results and methodologies reported in the literature.

Les travaux présentés dans cette thèse concernent la modélisation, le dimensionnement et la commande d'un coffre composé de supercondensateurs et d'un convertisseur DC/DC permettant d’alimenter les auxiliaires d’un trolleybus ou les moteurs de traction lors des coupures de la ligne aérienne. Dans la première partie, nous nous sommes intéressés au dimensionnement du système destockage pour une application du type récupération de l'énergie au freinage d'un trolleybus. Les modèles directes et inverses de la chaine cinématique ont été étudiés afin de définir une stratégie de dimensionnement du coffre s'appuyant sur le plan de Ragon. La seconde partie aborde la problématique de la fiabilité de l'élément de stockage. Le but est d'évaluer les contraintes que subissent les supercondensateurs en cours de fonctionnement et de prédire le vieillissement de ces derniers. Pour ce faire, nous avons développé et validé un modèle électrothermique du coffre de supercondensateurs. Ce modèle électrothermique a également été couplé à des lois de vieillissement permettant ainsi de prendre en compte les variations paramétriques majeures de ce système. Les résultats de ce couplage montrent l'impact de la dispersion des températures à l'intérieur du coffre sur la durée de vie de chaquesupercondensateur et du système de stockage. Finalement, le contrôle du convertisseur statique (hacheur Buck/Boost) associé auxsupercondensateurs est abordé. Une étude théorique a été menée pour synthétiser des lois de commande par mode de glissement et par PI appliqués au mode élévateur du hacheur (Boost). Ces lois de commande ont été validées sur un banc de test constitué d'un hacheur réversible, d'une alimentation DC, d'une charge résistive et de huit supercondensateurs. La comparaisondes résultats expérimentaux mettre en évidence l'intérêt de la commande par mode glissant enraison de sa robustesse et de sa réactivité par rapport à une commande classique (PI). / The studies presented in this thesis concern the thermal modeling, sizing and control of a stack composed of supercapacitors and DC/DC converter that feeds the auxiliaries or traction motors of the trolleybus in the case of electrical microcuts. In the first part, we were interested in the sizing of the storage system for an application concerning the recovering braking energy of a trolleybus. Direct and inverse models of the kinematic chain were studied in order to define a design strategy based on the Ragon. The second part concerns the reliability of the storage system. The aim is to evaluate the stresses on supercapacitors during cycling and to predict the aging of the components. Toachieve this goal, we have developed and validated an electrothermal model of the stack. This model was then coupled to aging laws allowing taking into account the major parametric variation of the system. The results show the impact of the dispersion of temperatures inside the stack on the life time of each supercapacitors in the storage system. Finally, the control of the static converter (Buck/Boost converter) combined with supercapacitors is analyzed. A theoretical study was conducted to synthesize PI and sliding mode controller applied to a boost converter. This control laws has been validated on a test bench consisting of a reversible converter, a DC power supply, a resistive load and eight supercapacitors. The experimental results show the advantage of sliding mode control in terms of robustness and reactivity compared to a classical PI control.

Os óleos essenciais cítricos possuem uma ampla variedade de aplicações em diversos ramos das indústrias químicas, farmacêuticas, de alimentos, entre outras. Na indústria de cosméticos, mais precisamente no ramo de perfumaria, os ativos naturais cítricos (provenientes dos óleos de bergamota, limão, lima, mandarina, laranja, etc) são empregados nas formulações de colônias, cremes hidratantes e loções. Além disso, estes compostos são largamente utilizados como agentes aromatizantes nas indústrias alimentícias e farmacêuticas e empregados como matéria-prima para as indústrias de aromas. Com o objetivo de melhorar a qualidade dos óleos essenciais e sua capacidade aromatizante, alguns processos têm sido desenvolvidos para enriquecer a mistura com compostos oxigenados, os quais são reportados como os principais responsáveis pelo aroma característico da fruta. Tal processo é comumente conhecido como desterpenação e consiste na concentração destes compostos pela retirada de hidrocarbonetos terpênicos do óleo e pode ser realizado por meio da extração líquida ou extração por solvente. Neste contexto, esta dissertação de mestrado teve como finalidade estudar da viabilidade técnica do processo de desterpenação de óleo essencial cítrico modelo composto por limoneno e linalol. Os experimentos foram conduzidos em coluna de discos rotativos perfurados (PRDC) sob condição de temperatura controlada e pressão ambiente local. O equipamento operou de modo contínuo e contracorrente, utilizado como solventes soluções de etanol com teores de água de 30 e 40% (em massa), velocidade de rotação dos discos de 150, 200 e 250 rpm e razão entre a vazão mássica de solvente e alimentação de 0,5; 1,25; 2,5 e 3,0. Avaliou-se, também, o comportamento da densidade e viscosidade das fases extrato e rafinado oriundas da coluna de extração. Através deste estudo foi possível verificar que a tecnologia de desterpenação de óleos essenciais por meio da extração líquido-líquido é viável podendo ser aplicada à processos contínuos utilizando equipamento PRDC, por exemplo, sendo possível a obtenção de frações enriquecidas do composto oxigenado (linalol). / Citrus essential oils are used in a wide variety of applications in various branches of the chemical, pharmaceutical, food and other industries. In the cosmetics industry, specifically in the field of perfumery, natural citrus assets (from the essential oils of bergamot, lemon, lime, mandarin, orange, etc.) are used in the formulations of colonies, moisturizing creams and lotions. Furthermore, these compounds are widely used as flavoring agents in food and pharmaceutical industries and as raw material for the flavor industry. With the aim to improve the quality of essential oils and its flavoring ability, some processes have been developed to enrich the mixture with oxygenated compounds, which are reported as the main responsible for the characteristic aroma of the fruit. Such process is commonly known as deterpenation, and consists in concentration of these compounds by the removal of terpene compounds from the essencial oil and can be performed by liquid or solvent extraction. In this context, the purpose of this dissertation of master\'s degree was to carry out a study of the technical feasibility of deterpenation process of a citrus essential oil model composed by a mixture of limonene and linalool. The experiments of deterpenation were conducted in a perforated rotating discs contactor (PRDC) under controlled conditions of temperature and local environment al pressure. The equipment was operated in continuously and countercurrently mode, using as solvents ethanol solutions with 30 and 40% of water contents (by mass), rotation of discs speed of 150, 200 and 250 rpm and the mass flow rate of the solvent and feed ratio of 0.5, 1.25, 2.5 and 3.0. The behavior of the density and viscosity of the extract and raffinate phases from the extraction column was also evaluated. It was found that the deterpenation of essential oils by liquid-liquid extraction technology is feasible and can be applied to continuous processes using PRDC column extraction type, for instance, being possible to obtain enriched fractions of oxygenated compounds (linalool).

Periciliary liquid (PCL) is a critical component of the respiratory system for maintaining mucus clearance. As PCL homeostasis is affected by evaporation and mechanical forces, which are in turn affected by various breathing conditions, lung morphology and ventilation distribution, the complex process of PCL depth regulation in vivo is not fully understood. We propose an integrative approach to couple a thermo-fluid computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model with an epithelial cell model to study the dynamics of PCL depth using subject-specific human airway models based on multi-detector row computed-tomography (MDCT) volumetric lung images. The thermo-fluid CFD model solves three-dimensional (3D) incompressible Navier-Stokes and transport equations for temperature and water vapor concentration with a realistic energy flux based boundary condition imposed at airway wall. A corresponding one-dimensional (1D) thermo-fluid CFD model is also developed to provide necessary information to the 3D model. Both 1D and 3D models are validated with experimental measurements, and the temperature and humidity distributions in the airways are investigated. Correlations for the dimensionless parameters of Nusselt number and Sherwood number are proposed for characterizing heat and mass transfer in the airways. As one of the key applications of the thermo-fluid CFD model, the water loss rates in the both 1D and 3D airway models are studied. It is found that the secondary flows formed at the bifurcations elevate the regional heat and mass transfer during inspiration and hence the water loss rate, which can only be observed in the 3D models. Among the three human airway models studied in both 1D and 3D, little inter-subject variability is observed for the distributions of temperature and humidity. However, the inter-subject variability could be dramatic for the distribution of water loss rate, as it is greatly affected by airway diameter and regional ventilation. A method is proposed to construct an ion-channel conductance model for both normal and cystic fibrosis (CF) epithelial cells, which couples an existing fluid secretion model with an existing nucleotide and nucleoside metabolism model (collectively named epithelial cell model). The epithelial cell models for both normal and CF are capable of predicting PCL depth based on mechanical stresses and evaporation, and are validated with a wide range of experimental data. With these two models separately validated and tested, the integrated model of the thermo-fluid CFD model and epithelial cell model is applied to MDCT-based human airway models of three CF subjects and three normal subjects to study and compare PCL depth regulation under regular breathing conditions. It is found that evaporative water loss is the dominant factor in PCL homeostasis. Between three types of mechanical forces, cyclic shear stress is the primary factor that triggers ATP release and increases PCL depth. In addition, it is found that that greater diameters of the airways in the 4th-7th generations in CF subjects decrease evaporative water loss, resulting in similar PCL depth as normal subjects. Under regular breathing conditions, the average PCL depths of normal and CF is around 6 to 7 µm, with mechanical forces play a greater role in regulating CF PCL depth. Comparing to 7.68 µm normal base level (considered as optimum PCL depth), this average PCL depth is about 8 to 21% lower. This might suggest that mechanical forces alone cannot entirely balance evaporative water loss, and other mechanisms might be involved.

Poor heat and mass transfer inside the adsorbent bed of thermal wave adsorption cooling cycles cause low system performance and is an important problem in the adsorbent bed design. In this thesis, a new adsorbent bed is designed, constructed and tested to increase the heat and mass transfer in the adsorbent bed. The adsorbent bed is constructed from a finned tube in order to enhance the heat transfer. Additionally, the finned bed geometry is theoretically modeled and the model is solved time dependently by using Comsol Multiphysics software program. The distributions of dependent variables, i.e. temperature, pressure and amount adsorbed, are simulated and plotted in Comsol Multiphysics. In the model, the dependent variables are computed by solving the energy, mass and momentum transfer equations in a coupled way and their variations are investigated two-dimensionally. The results are presented with multicolored plots in a 2-D domain. Furthermore, a parametric study is carried out for determining factors that enhance the heat and mass transfer inside the adsorbent bed. In this parametric study, the effects of several design and operational parameters on the dependent variables are investigated. In the experimental study, the finned tube is tested using natural zeolite-water and silica gel-water working pairs. Temperature, pressure and amount adsorbed variations inside the adsorbent bed at various operating conditions are investigated. After that, a second adsorbent bed with a larger size is constructed and tested. The effect of the particle diameter of the adsorbent is also investigated. The experimental and theoretical results are compared.

Worldwide demand for energy is increasing rapidly, partly driven by dramatic economic growth in developing countries. This growth has sparked concerns over the finite availability of fossil fuels and the impact of their combustion on climate change. Consequently, many recent research efforts have been devoted to the development of renewable fuels and sustainable energy systems. Interest in liquid biofuels, such as ethanol, has been particularly high because these fuels fit into the conventional infrastructure for the transportation sector. Ethanol is a renewable fuel produced through the anaerobic fermentation of sugars obtained from biomass. However, the relatively high energy demand of its production process is a major factor limiting the usefulness of ethanol as a fuel. Due to the dilute nature of the fermentation product stream and the presence of the ethanol-water azeotrope, the separation processes currently used to recover anhydrous ethanol are particularly inefficient. In fact, the ethanol separation processes account for a large fraction of the total process energy demand. In the conventional ethanol separation process, ethanol is recovered using several distillation steps combined with a dehydration process. In this dissertation, a new hybrid pervaporation-distillation system, named Membrane Dephlegmation, was proposed and investigated for use in ethanol recovery. In this process, countercurrent vapour-liquid contacting is carried out on the surface of a pervaporation membrane, leading to a combination of distillation and pervaporation effects. It was intended that this new process would lead to improved economics and energy efficiency for the entire ethanol production process. The Membrane Dephlegmation process was investigated using both numerical and experimental techniques. Multiphase Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) was used to study vapour-liquid contacting behaviour in narrow channels and to estimate heat and mass transfer rates. Results from the CFD studies were incorporated into a simplified design model and the Membrane Dephlegmation process was studied numerically. The results indicated that the Membrane Dephlegmation process was more efficient than simple distillation and that the ethanol-water azeotrope could be broken. Subsequently, a pilot-scale experimental system was constructed using commercially available, hydrophilic NaA zeolite membranes. Results obtained from the experimental system confirmed the accuracy of the simulations.

Multiphase flow and transport in fractured rock is of importance to many practical and engineering applications. In the field of groundwater hydrology an issue of significant environmental concern is the release of dense non-aqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs) which can cause long-term groundwater contamination in fractured aquifers. This study deals with two fundamental processes – fluid displacement and interphase mass transfer – concerning the behavior of the multiphase contaminants in fractured media. The focus of this work has been placed on improving the current understanding of small-scale (single fracture) physics by a combined effort of numerical modeling analysis, laboratory experiments and model development. This thesis contributes to the improved understanding through several aspects. Firstly, the effect of aperture variability, as characterized by geostatistical parameters such as standard deviation and correlation length, on the DNAPL entrapment, dissolution and source-depletion behaviors in single fractures was revealed. Secondly, a novel, generalized approach (adaptive circle fitting approach) to account for the effect of in-plane curvature of fluid-fluid interfaces on immiscible fluid displacement was developed; the new approach has demonstrated good performance when applied to simulate previously published experimental data. Thirdly, the performance of a continuum-based two-phase flow model and an invasion percolation model was compared for modeling fluid displacement in a variable-aperture fracture and the dependence of fracture-scale capillary pressure – saturation relationships on aperture variability was studied. Lastly, through experimental studies and mechanistic numerical modeling of DNAPL dissolution, kinetic mass transfer characteristics of two different entrapment configurations (residual blobs and dead-end pools) were investigated. The obtained understanding from this thesis will be useful for predictive modeling of multiphase contaminant behavior at a larger (fracture network) scale. / Flerfasflöde och ämnestransport i sprickigt berg är av betydelse för många praktiska och tekniska problem. Tunga, svårlösliga organiska vätskor (engelska: dense non-aqueous phase liquids: DNAPLs; t.ex. klorerade lösningsmedel) kan orsaka långvarig förorening av vattenresurser, inklusive akviferer i sprickigt berg, och utgör ett viktigt miljöproblem inom grundvattenhydrologin. Denna studie behandlar två fundamentala processer för spridning av flerfasföroreningar i sprickiga medier – utbredning av den organiska vätskan och massöverföring mellan organisk vätska och vatten. Arbetet har fokuserat på att förbättra nuvarande kunskap om de fysikaliska processerna på liten skala (enskilda sprickor) genom en kombination av numerisk modellering, laboratorieexperiment och modellutveckling. Avhandlingen har bidragit till utökad processförståelse i flera avseenden. För det första har arbetet belyst effekterna av sprickaperturens variabilitet, uttryckt med geostatistiska parametrar som standardavvikelse och rumslig korrelationslängd, på fastläggning och lösning av organiska vätskor i enskilda sprickor, samt utmattningsbeteendet hos dessa källor till grundvattenförorening. För det andra har en ny, generell metod (adaptiva cirkelpassningsmetoden) för att ta hänsyn till effekten av krökningen av gränsytan mellan organisk vätska och vatten i sprickplanet utvecklats; denna metod har visats fungera väl i simuleringar av tidigare publicerade experimentella data. För det tredje, har en jämförelse gjorts mellan en kontinuumbaserad tvåfasflödesmodell och en invasions-perkolationsmodell med avseende på hur väl de kan simulera tvåfasflöde i en spricka med varierande apertur. Här studerades även hur relationen mellan kapillärtryck och mättnadsgrad på sprickplansskala beror av variabiliteten i sprickapertur. Till sist undersöktes lösning av den organiska vätskan i grundvatten för två fastläggningsscenarier (fastläggning i immobila droppar och ansamling i fällor – ”återvändssprickor”) både genom experiment och mekanistisk numerisk modellering. Kunskapen som tagits fram i denna avhandling bedöms vara användbar även för att modellera spridningen av flerfasföroreningar på större (spricknätverks-) skalor.