La banane plantain est un fruit couramment consommé au Congo-Brazzaville sous la forme cuite en tant qu’accompagnement. Le procédé de friture profonde de la banane plantain est une pratique très répandue, souvent mal maitrisé, compte tenu de l’utilisation prolongée des huiles de friture entrainant la formation de composés néfastes à la santé. En effet, depuis un certain nombre d’années, la consommation d’huiles locales (soja, palme) et leurs dégradations après chauffage constituent une des préoccupations principales pour la sécurité sanitaire du consommateur. Les objectifs de cette thèse consistaient à étudier l’influence du procédé de la friture profonde appliqué à la banane plantain Musa AAB, variété « Harton » au stade de maturité 7, consommée sous la forme de disque. Nous avons dans un premier temps appliqué la méthodologie des surfaces de réponse au procédé de friture profonde, afin de déterminer l’influence de trois paramètres (temps / température / quantité) sur différentes réponses (couleur, dureté, teneurs en huile et en eau des produits frits) en fonction de la nature de l’huile utilisée (soja, palme, huile Frial). Une fois les conditions optimales obtenues sur la banane plantain en condition domestique, l’étude s’est focalisée sur l’évolution de la stabilité des huiles de friture par le suivi des paramètres physico-chimiques de dégradation de ces dernières (composés polaires totaux, acides gras libres, composés primaires et secondaires d’oxydation). Des analyses de la couleur, du point de cristallisation et de la viscosité sont venues compléter l’étude et ont permis d’établir la durée d’utilisation optimale de ces huiles en fonction de la quantité de banane plantain à frire. Enfin, les mécanismes de transfert d’eau et d’absorption d’huile dans la matrice ont été étudiés et modélisés en fonction de la température, de l’épaisseur et du temps d’immersion. / Plantain is a fruit commonly consumed in Congo - Brazzaville in its cooked form, as an accompaniment. The process of deep frying plantain is a widespread practice, often poorly mastered, given the prolonged use of frying oils, leading to the formation of compounds harmful to health. Indeed, for a number of years, the consumption of local oils (soybean, palm) and their degradation after heating are cause of major concern for consumer safety. The objectives of this study were to investigate the influences of the deep frying process applied on the Musa AAB plantain of "harton" variety, maturity level 7, as consumed in sliced form. We initially applied response surface methodology (RSM) to the deep frying process to determine the influence of three parameters (time / temperature / quantity) on different responses (color, hardness, oil uptake and water content) according to the type of oil used (soybean, palm, Frial oils). Once optimal conditions were obtained from the plantain in domestic conditions, the study focused on the evolution of frying oil stability, by monitoring physicochemical parameters of the degradation of the aforementioned (total polar compounds, free fatty acids, primary and secondary oxidation products). Analyses of color, crystallization point and viscosity, were added to the study and helped establish the optimal duration of use for these oils depending on the quantity of plantains fried. Lastly, the mechanisms of water transfer and oil uptake in the matrix has been studied and modeled according to temperature, thickness and immersion time.

Mars est entourée d'une atmosphère ténue, composée à 95% de dioxyde de carbone (CO2). Au cours d'une année martienne, des transferts de masse (jusqu'à 30% du CO2 atmosphérique) entre l'atmosphère et les calottes polaires produisent des variations temporelles à très grande longueur d'onde du champ de gravité, notamment des harmoniques zonaux de son développement en harmoniques sphériques (de fait les coefficients ”composites” de degré 2 et 3). D'un autre côté, le potentiel gravitationnel du Soleil induit des déformations, dites de marée, du volume martien. Ces déformations produisent un potentiel perturbateur en tout point extérieur à la planète, proportionnel à son nombre de Love de degré 2 k2. k2 traduit la réponse élastique de la planète au potentiel solaire et permet de caractériser physiquement le noyau de Mars (sa nature, solide ou liquide, et son rayon). Une manière de quantifier les transferts de la masse atmosphérique et l'état du noyau est de déterminer les perturbations inhérentes sur le mouvement d'un satellite artificiel. Le cycle saisonnier du CO2 et l'état du noyau impliquent aussi des variations de la rotation de Mars. Une autre manière de quantifier les transferts de la masse atmosphérique et l'état du noyau est donc d'observer leurs effets sur la rotation. Des simulations d'observations de trajectographie de satellites (comme celles de Mars Global Surveyor, MGS, Odyssey, MODY) et/ou de la position d'un réseau de stations à la surface de Mars (comme dans l'expérience NEIGE) nous ont permis de voir s'il est possible de restituer précisément les variations des harmoniques zonaux de gravité de bas degré et/ou la rotation. Avec les observations réelles de trajectographie des missions américaines MGS et MODY, on a restitué les variations des harmoniques zonaux de gravité de bas degré et k2.

A compact air separator demonstrator based on centrifugally enhanced distillation has been studied. The full size device is meant to be used on board of a Two Stage To Orbit vehicle launcher. The air separation system must be able to extract oxygen in highly concentrated liquid form (LEA, Liquid Enriched Air) from atmospheric air. The LEA is stored before being used in a subsequent rocket propulsion phase by the second stage of the launcher. Two reference vehicles are defined, one with a subsonic first stage and one with a supersonic first stage. In both cases, oxygen collection is performed during a cruise phase (M 0.7 and M 2.5 respectively). The aim of the project is to demonstrate the feasibility of the air separation system, investigate the separation cycle design, and assess that the separator design selected is suitable for the reference vehicles. The project is described from original base ideas to design, construction, extended testing and analysis of experimental results. Preliminary computations for a realistic layout have been performed and the motivations for the choices made during the process are explained. Test rig design, separator design and technical discussion are provided for a subscale pilot unit. Mass transport parameters and flooding limits have been estimated and experimentally measured. Performance has been assessed and shown to be sufficient for the reference Two Stage To Orbit vehicles. The technology developed is found suitable without further optimization, although some volume and mass reduction would be desirable for the supersonic first stage concept. There are many ways of optimisation that can be further investigated. The aim of this program, however, is not to fully optimize the device, but to demonstrate that a device based on a simple, robust, low-risk design is already suitable for the launch vehicles. On top of that analysis, directions for improvements are suggested and their potentials estimated. A complete assessment of those improvements requires further maturation of the technological concept through further testing and practical implementations. Directions for future work, general conclusions and a vehicle development roadmap have also been provided.

Nitrogen is the major component of biosphere. Paradoxically, nitrogen pollution is the concern globally. Ammonia pollution is due to its unceasing rejection into nature such as groundwater, current water and the atmosphere. This phenomenon constitutes a threat for the humanity, land and aquatic flora, and consequently disturbs the balance of natural ecosystem. Recently, that situation has lead to develop various techniques and/or technologies for ammonia removal from municipal and industrial wastewaters. Particularly in the environmental biotechnology area, two main objectives were recently aimed in many research activities: the development of new configurations of competitive bioreactors and the monitoring of partial nitrification process, which are the fundamental basis of this thesis project. In this study, the partial ammonium oxidation process, also called nitrite route, was studied in a 60 litre jet-loop submerged membrane bioreactor pilot plant. The research was organized around six chapters. An exhaustive literature review of the state-of- art of the biological nitrification process and the membrane technologies was performed. The materials and measurement methods were presented. The colorimetric method, the chromatography analysis, the biomass estimation by the suspended solids (SS), the aggregates size measurement, the gas holdup, the gas-liquid mass transfer, the bubbles gas diameter determination, the medium rheology aspects, etc., and the complete equipment of the bioreactor were studied in detail. The plant automation functioning was also studied. Membrane module (Mitsubishi Sterapore-L) characterization was carried out and three characteristic parameters were estimated: the membrane intrinsic resistance Rm, the membrane permeability Lp and the membrane porosity εm. Estimations revealed good agreement between experimental results and theoretical methods based on the Darcys law and the Carman-Kozeny law applicable in microfiltration system. Hydrodynamics and aeration aspects were studied. The mixing in the jet-loop system was characterized by the mixing time (tmix) and the circulation time (tc), respectively. The results showed that the characteristic times (tmix and tc) decrease with an increase in input gas flowrate and the circulated liquid flowrate. A model correlation involving the air and the combined liquid effects was proposed to describe the circulation time evolution. The classical non-steady state clean water test was used to determine the gas-liquid mass transfer coefficient (kLa). It was found to be influenced by the combined action of air and recirculated-liquid flowrates and a correlation has been proposed to describe their influence. The interpretation of kLa results and the system mixing data showed that the developed reactor corresponds to a near perfect mixing tank. This criterion was satisfactorily verified by literature data. The gas holdup (εg) was directly measured by the volume expansion method. In the absence of liquid circulation, εg ranged between 1 and 4% for the investigated range of gas liquid superficial velocities. It was found to increase linearly with the air superficial velocity, which corresponds to the bubbly flow regime. However, in the presence of liquid flowrate, εg slightly increased (from 1 to 6%) with increase in the superficial liquid velocity. A model has been proposed to correlate εg and the air and the recirculated-liquid velocities. The average diameter of the bubbles gas (dB) in the system was also estimated by the Leibson theoretical model based on the Reynolds number at the orifice of the gas distributor. Finally, biological aspects were studied. Respirometry measurements were conducted to characterize the process medium. The mass transfer, the gas holdup and the medium viscosity were determined. The obtained data allowed estimating the α factor and the β factor, respectively. The interaction of the growth of microorganisms into the process and the membrane performance was also investigated and a correlation model was proposed to describe membrane fouling with time. The optimal conditions for ammonium partial oxidation were determined using process monitoring and simulation. Dissolved oxygen (DO), temperature (T) and hydraulic retention time (HRT) were selected to achieve a high nitrite accumulation in the system. The results obtained showed that the selected parameters should be fixed at DO ≈ 2 mgO2.l-1, HRT ≈ 6 7 h and T = 30°C, respectively. The partial nitrification was simulated by the use of the TwoPopNitrification model included into the BioWin 2.2 software. For these simulations, a sequencing ammonia oxidation assumption was adopted: the nitrozation followed by the nitration step, respectively. The corresponding kinetics and stoichiometric constants were estimated by combining literature data and experimental nitrification results. For these estimates, the ammonium oxidation was monitored on several process samples taken at different times. The estimates were also delivered by monitoring the ammonium oxidation on the process operated in the batch mode. The plotting of simulations and experimental results revealed good agreement. In order to investigate the process performance in terms of biological stability, a long time period (≈ 600 days) was simulated. The results showed that a high stable nitrite accumulation (> 95%) could be achieved when the above optimal conditions are imposed to the system. However, after a long time, the accumulated nitrite is converted into nitrate and then the system is disrupted. For the simulated experimental conditions, the process disruption period was located between 180 and 350 days. At this period, a corresponding theoretical purge flowrate was found to range between 0.15 10-3 m3.d-1 and 3.0 10-3 m3.d-1. Simulations also showed that increasing the purge flowrate decreases the sludge retention time and then favours nitrite accumulation into the process. That is an interesting strategy to increase the performance of the biological partial nitrification process.

The physiological benefits of flaxseed against pathological disturbances, such as cancers and heart diseases, are mainly attributed to its high lignan content. This study (Experiment 1) examined the application of pressurized low polarity water (PLPW) for extraction of lignans, proteins and carbohydrates from defatted flaxseed meal. Key processing conditions included temperature (130, 160, 190°C), solvent pH (4, 6.5 and 9), solvent to solid ratio (S/S) (90, 150 and 210 mL/g) and introduction of co-packing material (0 and 3 g glass beads). The addition of 3 g glass beads as co-packing material facilitated extraction by enhancing surface contact between the liquid and solid thus shortening extraction time. Elevated temperature accelerated the extraction rate by increasing the solid diffusion coefficient thereby reducing the extraction time. The maximum yield of lignans (99 %) was obtained at temperatures ranging from 160°C to 190°C, with solvent volume of 180 mL (90 mL/g meal) at pH 9. Optimal conditions for protein extraction (70 %) were pH 9, extraction volume of 420 mL (210 mL/g meal) and 160°C. Total carbohydrates yield was maximized at 50% recovery at pH 4 and 160°C with 420 mL solvent (210 mL/g meal). Increased temperature accelerated extraction, thus reducing solvent volume and time to reach equilibrium. For the extraction of proteins, however, a temperature of 130-160°C is recommended, as proteins are vulnerable to thermal degradation due to heat decomposition. The effects of flow rate and geometric dimensions for extraction of lignans and other flaxseed meal bioactives were further investigated in Experiment 2, based on the variables optimized in the previous experiment. Defatted flaxseed meal was extracted with pH 9 buffered water with meal to co-packing glass beads ratio of 1:1.5 at 5.2 MPa (750 psi) and 180°C. The aqueous extracts were analyzed for lignan, protein and carbohydrate using HPLC and colorimetric methods. The optimal extraction yields for lignan, protein and carbohydrate were found at flow rates of 1 to 2 mL/min with bed depth between 20 and 26 cm and a S/S ratio of 40 to 100 mL/g. The combination of low flow rate and high bed depth allowed the use of lower S/S ratio with reduced total solvent volume consumption. This study also evaluated the mass transfer kinetics governing the process of lignan extraction from flaxseed meal in a fixed bed extraction cell. Diffusion of solute into the continuously flowing solvent was mainly responsible for the mass transfer mechanism as flow rate did not increase proportionally with the yield and rate of extraction. The extraction kinetics were studied on the basis of two approaches: Fick’s diffusion equation and a two-site exponential kinetic model. The proposed two-site exponential kinetic model corresponding to the two-stage extraction (rapid and slow phases) successfully described the experimental data. Diffusivities attained from Fick’s diffusion model ranged from 2 x 10-13 to 9 x 10-13 m2s-1 while mass transfer coefficients were between 4.5 x 10-8 and 2.3 x 10-7 ms-1 for extraction of lignans at 180°C, pH 9 with 1:1.5 meal to co-packing material ratio. / February 2007

Calibration methods for quantitative on-site sampling using solid phase microextraction (SPME) were developed based on diffusion mass transfer theory. This was investigated using adsorptive polydimethylsiloxane/divinylbenzene (PDMS/DVB) and Carboxen/polydimethylsiloxane (CAR/PDMS) SPME fiber coatings with volatile aromatic hydrocarbons (BTEX: benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and o-xylene) as test analytes. Parameters that affected the extraction process (sampling time, analyte concentration, water velocity, and temperature) were investigated. Very short sampling times (10-300 s) and sorbents with a strong affinity and large capacity were used to ensure a 'zero sink' effect calibrate process. It was found that mass uptake of analyte changed linearly with concentration. Increase of water velocity increased mass uptake, though the increase is not linear. Temperature did not affect mass uptake significantly under typical field sampling conditions. To further describe rapid SPME analysis of aqueous samples, a new model translated from heat transfer to a circular cylinder in cross flow was used. An empirical correlation to this model was used to predict the mass transfer coefficient. Findings indicated that the predicted mass uptake compared well with experimental mass uptake. The new model also predicted rapid air sampling accurately. To further integrate the sampling and analysis processes, especially for on-site or <i>in-vivo</i> investigations where the composition of the sample matrix is very complicated and/or agitation of the sample matrix is variable or unknown, a new approach for calibration was developed. This involved the loading internal standards onto the extraction fiber prior to the extraction step. During sampling, the standard partially desorbs into the sample matrix and the rate at which this process occurs, was for calibration. The kinetics of the absorption/desorption was investigated, and the isotropy of the two processes was demonstrated, thus validating this approach for calibration. A modified SPME device was used as a passive sampler to determine the time-weighted average (TWA) concentration of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in air. The sampler collects the VOCs by the mechanism of molecular diffusion and sorption on to a coated fiber as collection medium. This process was shown to be described by Fick's first law of diffusion, whereby the amount of analyte accumulated over time enable measurement of the TWA concentration to which the sampler was exposed. TWA passive sampling with a SPME device was shown to be almost independent of face velocity, and to be more tolerant of high and low analyte concentrations and long and short sampling times, because of the ease with which the diffusional path length could be changed. Environmental conditions (temperature, pressure, relative humidity, and ozone) had little or no effect on sampling rate. When the SPME device was tested in the field and the results compared with those from National Institute of Occupational Health and Safety (NIOSH) method 1501 good agreement was obtained. To facilitate the use of SPME for field sampling, a new field sampler was designed and tested. The sampler was versatile and user-friendly. The SPME fiber can be positioned precisely inside the needle for TWA sampling, or exposed completely outside the needle for rapid sampling. The needle is protected within a shield at all times hereby eliminating the risk of operator injury and fiber damage. A replaceable Teflon cap is used to seal the needle to preserve sample integrity. Factors that affect the preservation of sample integrity (sorbent efficiency, temperature, and sealing materials) were studied. The use of a highly efficient sorbent is recommended as the first choice for the preservation of sample integrity. Teflon was a good material for sealing the fiber needle, had little memory effect, and could be used repeatedly. To address adsorption of high boiling point compounds on fiber needles, several kinds of deactivated needles were evaluated. RSC-2 blue fiber needles were the more effective. A preliminary field sampling investigation demonstrated the validity of the new SPME device for field applications.

Calibration methods for quantitative on-site sampling using solid phase microextraction (SPME) were developed based on diffusion mass transfer theory. This was investigated using adsorptive polydimethylsiloxane/divinylbenzene (PDMS/DVB) and Carboxen/polydimethylsiloxane (CAR/PDMS) SPME fiber coatings with volatile aromatic hydrocarbons (BTEX: benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and o-xylene) as test analytes. Parameters that affected the extraction process (sampling time, analyte concentration, water velocity, and temperature) were investigated. Very short sampling times (10-300 s) and sorbents with a strong affinity and large capacity were used to ensure a 'zero sink' effect calibrate process. It was found that mass uptake of analyte changed linearly with concentration. Increase of water velocity increased mass uptake, though the increase is not linear. Temperature did not affect mass uptake significantly under typical field sampling conditions. To further describe rapid SPME analysis of aqueous samples, a new model translated from heat transfer to a circular cylinder in cross flow was used. An empirical correlation to this model was used to predict the mass transfer coefficient. Findings indicated that the predicted mass uptake compared well with experimental mass uptake. The new model also predicted rapid air sampling accurately. To further integrate the sampling and analysis processes, especially for on-site or <i>in-vivo</i> investigations where the composition of the sample matrix is very complicated and/or agitation of the sample matrix is variable or unknown, a new approach for calibration was developed. This involved the loading internal standards onto the extraction fiber prior to the extraction step. During sampling, the standard partially desorbs into the sample matrix and the rate at which this process occurs, was for calibration. The kinetics of the absorption/desorption was investigated, and the isotropy of the two processes was demonstrated, thus validating this approach for calibration. A modified SPME device was used as a passive sampler to determine the time-weighted average (TWA) concentration of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in air. The sampler collects the VOCs by the mechanism of molecular diffusion and sorption on to a coated fiber as collection medium. This process was shown to be described by Fick's first law of diffusion, whereby the amount of analyte accumulated over time enable measurement of the TWA concentration to which the sampler was exposed. TWA passive sampling with a SPME device was shown to be almost independent of face velocity, and to be more tolerant of high and low analyte concentrations and long and short sampling times, because of the ease with which the diffusional path length could be changed. Environmental conditions (temperature, pressure, relative humidity, and ozone) had little or no effect on sampling rate. When the SPME device was tested in the field and the results compared with those from National Institute of Occupational Health and Safety (NIOSH) method 1501 good agreement was obtained. To facilitate the use of SPME for field sampling, a new field sampler was designed and tested. The sampler was versatile and user-friendly. The SPME fiber can be positioned precisely inside the needle for TWA sampling, or exposed completely outside the needle for rapid sampling. The needle is protected within a shield at all times hereby eliminating the risk of operator injury and fiber damage. A replaceable Teflon cap is used to seal the needle to preserve sample integrity. Factors that affect the preservation of sample integrity (sorbent efficiency, temperature, and sealing materials) were studied. The use of a highly efficient sorbent is recommended as the first choice for the preservation of sample integrity. Teflon was a good material for sealing the fiber needle, had little memory effect, and could be used repeatedly. To address adsorption of high boiling point compounds on fiber needles, several kinds of deactivated needles were evaluated. RSC-2 blue fiber needles were the more effective. A preliminary field sampling investigation demonstrated the validity of the new SPME device for field applications.

Chemical modification is an important way to improve the properties of existing polymers, and one of the important examples is the hydrogenation of nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) in organic solvent by homogeneous catalysis in order to extend its application. This process has been industrialized for many years to provide high performance elastomers (HNBR) for the automotive industry, especially those used to produce components in engine compartments. In the current commercial process, a batch reactor is employed for the hydrogenation step, which is labor intensive and not suitable for large volume of production. Thus, novel hydrogenation devices such as a continuous process are being developed in our research group to overcome these drawbacks. In order to make the process more practical for industrial application, high concentration polymer solutions should be targeted for the continuous hydrogenation. However, many problems are encountered due to the viscosity of the high concentration polymer solution, which increases tremendously as the reaction goes on, resulting in severe mass transfer and heat transfer problems. So, hydrogenation kinetics in high concentration NBR solution, as well as the rheological properties of this viscous solution are very essential and fundamental for the design of novel hydrogenation processes and reactor scale up. In the present work, hydrogenation of NBR in high concentration solution was carried out in a batch reactor. A commercial rhodium catalyst, Wilkinson’s catalyst, was used with triphenylphosphine as the co-catalyst and chlorobenzene as the solvent. The reactor was modified and a PID controller was tuned to fit this strong exothermic reaction. It was observed that when NBR solution is in a high concentration the kinetic behavior was greatly affected by mass transfer processes, especially the gas-liquid mass transfer. Reactor internals were designed and various agitators were investigated to improve the mechanical mixing. Experimental results show that the turbine-anchor combined agitator could provide superior mixing for this viscous reaction system. The kinetic behavior of NBR hydrogenation under low catalyst concentration was also studied. It was observed that the hydrogenation degree of the polymer could not reach 95% if less than 0.1%wt catalyst (based on polymer mass) was used, deviating from the behavior under a normal catalyst concentration. The viscosity of the NBR-MCB solutions was measured in a rotational rheometer that has a cylinder sensor under both room conditions and reaction conditions. Parameters that might affect the viscosity of the solutions were studied, especially the hydrogenation degree of polymer. Rheological properties of NBR-MEK solutions, as well as NBR melts were also studied for relevant information. It is concluded that the hydrogenation kinetics deviates from that reported by Parent et al. [6] when polymer is in high concentration and/or catalyst is in low concentration; and that the reaction solution (HNBR/NBR-MCB solution) deviates from Newtonian behavior when polymer concentration and hydrogenation degree are high.

In this diploma work, the absorption of CO2 in different liquid solutions was studied by gas absorption in a randomly packed column. To characterize the absorption a few experiments with SO2 absorption were made.The report has resulted due to the large amounts of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere, mainly from fossil-fired power plants. To reduce these emissions, carbon dioxide can be separated from flue gas by different techniques such as CO2 absorption with ammonia. The work consists of a theoretical and a laboratory part of measurements and calculations. In the experimental part a system of absorption and associated test equipment was constructed. Different liquid solutions of pure water, potassium carbonate solution and ammonia in various concentrations were used to catch carbon dioxide by countercurrent absorption. Also SO2 was absorbed in the potassium carbonate solution to determine the gas film constant. The absorption efficiency of CO2 ranged from a few percent in the experiment with water to up to 7% with potassium carbonate solution. The CO2 absorption of ammonia varied with concentration and gave a separation of between 12 and 94%. Ammonia tests were made at both 10 and 20 °C. In general, a higher CO2-capture at 20 °C was obtained as confirmed by theory. / I detta examensarbete har absorptionseffektivitet av CO2 hos olika vätskelösningar undersökts genom gasabsorption i en slumpmässigt packad kolonn. För att karakterisera absorptionen absorberades även SO2 i några experiment. Rapporten är utförd med anledning av de stora mängder koldioxid som släpps ut i atmosfären, främst från fossileldade kraftverk. För att minska dessa utsläpp kan koldioxiden avskiljas från rökgaserna genom olika tekniker t.ex. genom CO2-absorption med ammoniak. Arbetet består av en teoridel och en laborativ del med mätningar och beräkningar. I den experimentella delen konstruerades ett system med en absorptionskolonn och tillhörande mätutrustning. Olika vätskelösningar bestående av rent vatten, kaliumkarbonatlösning och ammoniak i olika koncentrationer användes till att ta upp koldioxid genom motströms absorption. Även SO2 absorberades i kaliumkarbonatlösning för att bestämma gasfilmkonstanten. Absorptionsgraden av CO2 varierade från några få procent i försöket med vatten upp till 7 % med kaliumkarbonatlösningen. CO2-absorptionen av ammoniak varierade med koncentrationen och gav en avskiljning på mellan 12 och 94 %. Ammoniakförsöken gjordes med både vid 10 och 20 °C. Generellt erhölls en bättre CO2-avskiljning vid 20°C, vilket bekräftas av teorin.

A comprehensive study of heat transfer and pressure drop of refrigerant R410A during condensation and supercritical cooling at near-critical pressures was conducted. Investigations were carried out at five nominal pressures: 0.8, 0.9, 1.0, 1.1 and 1.2xpcrit. The refrigerant was tested in commercially available horizontal smooth tubes of 6.2 and 9.4 mm I.D. Heat transfer coefficients were measured using a thermal amplification technique that measures heat duty accurately while also providing refrigerant heat transfer coefficients with low uncertainties. For condensation tests, local heat transfer coefficients and pressure drops were measured for the mass flux range 200 G 800 kg/m2-s in small quality increments over entire vapor-liquid region. For supercritical tests, local heat transfer coefficients and pressure drops were measured for the same mass flux range as in the condensation tests for temperatures ranging from 30 110oC. Condensation heat transfer coefficients and pressure drops increased with quality and mass flux. The effect of reduced pressure on heat transfer is not very significant, while this effect is more pronounced on the pressure gradient. The flow regime transition criteria of Coleman and Garimella (2003) were used to initially designate the prevailing flow regimes for a given combination of mass flux and quality. The condensation data collected in the present study were primarily in the wavy and annular flow regimes. During supercritical cooling, the sharp variations in thermophysical properties in the vicinity of the critical temperature resulted in sharp peaks in the heat transfer coefficients and sudden jumps in the pressure drop. Based on the characteristics of the specific work of thermal expansion (contraction), the data from the supercritical tests were grouped into three regimes: liquid-like, pseudo-critical transition and gas-like regimes. Flow regime-based heat transfer and pressure drop models were developed for both condensation and supercritical cooling. For condensation, the overall heat transfer model predicts 98% of the data within 15% while the overall pressure drop model predicts 87% of the data within 15%. For supercritical cooling, the heat transfer model predicted 88% of the data within 25% while the pressure gradient model predicts 84% of the data within 25%.