The development and implementation of technologies that improves Heating Ventilation & Air Conditioning (HVAC) system efficiency, including unique waste heat recovery methods, are sought while considering financial constraints and benefits. Recent studies have found that through the use of advanced waste heat recovery systems, it is possible to reduce building’s energy consumption by 30%. Oscillating heat pipes (OHP) exists as a serpentine-arranged capillary tube, possesses a desirable aerodynamic form factor, and provides for relatively high heat transfer rates via cyclic evaporation and condensation of an encapsulated working fluid with no internal wicking structure required. In last two decade, it has been extensively investigated for its potential application in thermal management of electronic devices. This dissertation focuses on the application of OHP in waste heat recovery systems. To achieve the goal, first a feasibility study is conducted by experimentally assessing a nine turn copper-made bare tube OHP in a typical HVAC ducting system with adjacent air streams at different temperatures. Second, for a prescribed temperature difference and volumetric flow rate of air, a multi-row finned OHP based Heat Recovery Ventilator (OHP-HRV) is designed and analyzed for the task of pre-conditioning the intake air. Additionally, the energy and cost savings analysis is performed specifically for the designed OHP-HRV system and potential cost benefits are demonstrated for various geographical regions within the United States. Finally, an atypically long finned OHP is experimentally investigated (F-OHP) under above prescribed operating condition. Helical fins are added to capillary size OHP tubes at a rate of 12 fins per inch (12 FPI), thereby increasing the heat transfer area by 433%. The coupled effect of fins and oscillation on the thermal performance of F-OHP is examined. Also, F-OHP’s thermal performance is compared with that of bare tube OHP of similar dimension and operating under similar condition. It was determined that OHP can be an effective waste heat recovery device in terms of operational cost, manufacturability, thermal and aerodynamic performance. Moreover, it was also determined that OHP-HRV can significantly reduce energy consumption of a commercial building, especially in the winter operation.

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The theory of stellar evolution and stellar structure relies on the observation of stars in di erent phases of their evolutionary cycle. The relation between observations and theory can be strengthened by obtaining observational data of a large sample of stars in a particular evolutionary phase. The search for Cephei stars, as conducted in this study, can contribute to the sample of known Cephei stars, where these interesting stars are massive non-supergiant early B-type stars, displaying pulsating behaviour which is not well understood. Stars tend to form in clusters where it can therefore be expected that young massive stars can be found in open clusters. For this reason two young southern open clusters were observed in order to search for B-type pulsating stars. The region of NGC 6204 and Hogg 22 was observed over a period of thirteen nights in Johnson B, V and I bands. NGC 6204 is believed to be the oldest cluster of the two at a distance of 0.8 kpc while the much younger Hogg 22 is more distant at 2.8 kpc. These two open clusters are located 6 arcminutes apart which made it possible to observe them simultaneously with a 12.8 12.8 arcminute eld of view. The observations were done with the newly installed 1600 telescope of the North-West University, South Africa. In order to do a variability search, periodic stars need to be identi ed from the cluster data, where a typical data set may contain thousands of scienti c images. In addition to the main motivation for this study, a pipeline was created in order to automate the photometry and data reduction processes. A Lomb-Scargle transform was applied to the stellar light curves in order to identify periodic sources. 354 signi cantly periodic stars were identi ed from the 3182 observed stars. Amongst them, two new possible Cephei stars were found together with a possible slowly pulsating B star (SPB), and numerous eclipsing binary systems. By using photometry of this region obtained by Forbes & Short (1996), instrumental magnitudes were transformed to a standard system in order to compare photometry results. From the constructed colour magnitude diagram of the two clusters, it could be seen that some stars, indicated by Forbes & Short (1996) to be cluster members, were in fact eld stars belonging to neither cluster. The reduction and photometry pipeline was implemented successfully on the data set, which also highlighted the importance of instrumentation and correct data analysis procedures. Possible improvements were identi ed in order to overcome di culties experienced during this study. / Thesis (MSc (Space Physics))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

The theory of stellar evolution and stellar structure relies on the observation of stars in di erent phases of their evolutionary cycle. The relation between observations and theory can be strengthened by obtaining observational data of a large sample of stars in a particular evolutionary phase. The search for Cephei stars, as conducted in this study, can contribute to the sample of known Cephei stars, where these interesting stars are massive non-supergiant early B-type stars, displaying pulsating behaviour which is not well understood. Stars tend to form in clusters where it can therefore be expected that young massive stars can be found in open clusters. For this reason two young southern open clusters were observed in order to search for B-type pulsating stars. The region of NGC 6204 and Hogg 22 was observed over a period of thirteen nights in Johnson B, V and I bands. NGC 6204 is believed to be the oldest cluster of the two at a distance of 0.8 kpc while the much younger Hogg 22 is more distant at 2.8 kpc. These two open clusters are located 6 arcminutes apart which made it possible to observe them simultaneously with a 12.8 12.8 arcminute eld of view. The observations were done with the newly installed 1600 telescope of the North-West University, South Africa. In order to do a variability search, periodic stars need to be identi ed from the cluster data, where a typical data set may contain thousands of scienti c images. In addition to the main motivation for this study, a pipeline was created in order to automate the photometry and data reduction processes. A Lomb-Scargle transform was applied to the stellar light curves in order to identify periodic sources. 354 signi cantly periodic stars were identi ed from the 3182 observed stars. Amongst them, two new possible Cephei stars were found together with a possible slowly pulsating B star (SPB), and numerous eclipsing binary systems. By using photometry of this region obtained by Forbes & Short (1996), instrumental magnitudes were transformed to a standard system in order to compare photometry results. From the constructed colour magnitude diagram of the two clusters, it could be seen that some stars, indicated by Forbes & Short (1996) to be cluster members, were in fact eld stars belonging to neither cluster. The reduction and photometry pipeline was implemented successfully on the data set, which also highlighted the importance of instrumentation and correct data analysis procedures. Possible improvements were identi ed in order to overcome di culties experienced during this study. / Thesis (MSc (Space Physics))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

Ce travail de thèse est constitué de l'étude de deux problèmes inverses associés à des équations paraboliques à coefficients périodiques. Dans la première partie, on a considéré une équation parabolique à coefficients et condition initiale périodiques. Notre travail a consisté à aborder le cas de coefficient à régularité faible et à minimiser les contraintes d'observations requises pour établir notre résultat de reconstruction du potentiel. On a commencé par établir un résultat d'existence et d'unicité de la solution dans un espace d'énergie adéquat. Ensuite, on a énoncé un principe du maximum adapté aux hypothèses du problème étudié et on a travaillé avec des coefficients mesurables et bornés. Enfin, on a reconstruit le potentiel en établissant une inégalité de Carleman. Le résultat d'identification a été obtenu via une inégalité de stabilité de type Lipschitz. Dans le second travail, on s'est intéressé à la détermination d'un coefficient périodique en espace du terme de réaction dans une équation de réaction-diffusion définie dans l'espace entier $mathbb{R}$. On établit un résultat d'unicité en utilisant un nouveau type d'observations. La nature du problème étudié, posé dans l'espace $mathbb{R}$, nous a permis d'utiliser la notion de vitesse asymptotique de propagation. On a prouvé l'existence de cette vitesse et on l'a caractérisé. On a surdéterminé le problème inverse en choisissant une famille de conditions initiales à décroi-ssance exponentielle. Notre principal résultat est que ce coefficient est déterminé de façon unique, à une symétrie près, par l'observation d'un continuum de vitesses asymptotiques de propagation. / This thesis consists in the study of two problems associated to inverse para-bolic equations with periodic coefficients. We are interested in identifying one coefficient by using two different methods. In the first part, we consider a parabolic equation with periodic coefficients and periodic initial condition. Our work consists to consider the case of coefficient with weak regularity and to minimize the constraints of observations which are required to establish our reconstruction result. We establish a result of existence and uniqueness of the solution in adequate energy space. Then we prove a maximum principle adapted to the hypothesis of the problem studied and we work with measurable and bounded coefficients. Finally, we reconstruct the potential by establishing a Carleman estimate. The identification result was achieved via an inequality of stability. In the second work, we are interested to determine a periodic coefficient of the reaction term defined in the whole space $mathbb{R}$. We establish a uniqueness result by using a new type of observations. The nature of the studied problem allowed us to use the notion of asymptotic speed of propagation. We prove the existence of this speed and we give its characterization. We overdetermin the inverse problem by choosing a family of initial conditions exponentially decaying. Our main result is that the coefficient is uniquely determined up to a symmetry, by the observation of a continuum of asymptotic speed of propagation.

Environ 10% des étoiles de type spectral O, B ou A ont un champ magnétique fort, détectable, stable et à grande échelle à leur surface, qui ressemble le plus souvent à un dipôle. Des modèles théoriques et des simulations numériques prédisent ces champs magnétiques vus en surface pénètrent aussi dans les zones radiatives et influencent la structure interne. Les modèles prédisent que ces champs magnétiques imposent une rotation uniforme dans les zones radiatives et peuvent supprimer la pénétration convective autour du cœur. Cela a des conséquences sur l’évolution de ces étoiles chaudes magnétiques. Pour ce faire, l’astérosismologie est la meilleure méthode car les paramètres des pulsations stellaires sont directement liés aux conditions physiques internes. Plusieurs types de pulsations stellaires sont connus et classés en fonction de leur force de rappel. Parmi eux, les plus à même de sonder les régions proches du cœur des étoiles, sur lequel se concentre notre intérêt dans cette thèse sont les modes de gravité, qui sont gouvernés par la force d’Archimède.Notre premier objectif était d’identifier des étoiles chaudes, pulsantes et magnétiques et de caractériser leurs propriétés magnétiques et sismiques. Des étoiles ont été sélectionnées grâce à des diagnostics observationnels indirects de la présence d’un champ magnétique qou nous confirmons grâce à de la spectropolarimétrie optique à haute résolution obtenue avec ESPaDOnS, Narval et ESPaDOnS. Pour deux étoiles magnétiques connues, HD43317 et o Lup, nous avons caractérisé la géométrie et l’intensité du champ magnétique aves des séries temporelles spectropolarimétriques. Pour toutes les étoiles de notre échantillon, nous avons également obtenu des séries temporelles photométriques très précises grâce aux télescopes spatiaux BRITE, CoRoT ou K2 pour étudier leur variabilité (périodique) cohérente. Seulement HD43317 a révélé des dizaines de fréquences de pulsations stellaires, pointant plutôt vers des modes de gravité.Nous nous sommes ensuite concentrés sur HD43317 dans pour déterminer observationellement la structure interne de cette étoile magnétique chaude. Nous avons fait usage de modélisation sismique: les fréquences des modes de pulsations observées dans les données CoRoT, couvrant 150j, ont été ajustées à celles des modes gravito-inertiels calculés avec le code de pulsations GYRE couplé aux modèles MESA. Nous avons pu associer les fréquences des modes de pulsations à des séries de modes (l,m) = (1,−1) et (2,−1) se chevauchant. La petite zone de pénétration convective dans la zone radiative telle que déduite du modèle MESA optimal s’avère cohérente avec les prédictions théoriques. Néanmoins, les intervalles de confiance sur certains paramètres physiques issus des modèles sont très larges et compatibles avec les valeurs de la littérature pour des étoiles chaudes et pulsantes mais non-magnétiques. Nous en concluons que la série temporelle de 150j de données CoRoT est trop courte pour déterminer d’une manière non-équivoque la structure interne des étoiles magnétiques chaudes, et par conséquent pour distinguer leur structure interne de celle des étoiles chaudes non-magnétiques.Malgré nos efforts de modélisation détaillée de la meilleure étoile chaude pulsantemagnétique HD43317, nous n’avons pas pu corroborer observationnellement les prédictions théoriques d’une structure interne altérée pour les étoiles chaudes magnétiques. Des simplifications et des approximations ont dû être faites au cours de la modélisation sismique en raison de la résolution en fréquence limitée des données CoRoT. D’autres efforts pour inclure le magnétisme dans les codes de pulsations ou le magnétisme, la rotation et le transfert du moment cinétique dans les modèles d’évolution stellaire seront nécessaires afin de déterminer si les signatures magnétiques sont présentes pour les nombreux pulsateurs gravito-inertiels récemment découverts dans la base de données de Kepler. / About ten percent of stars with spectral type O, B or A have a detectable stable strong large-scale magnetic field at their surface, which most often resembles a magnetic dipole. These large-scale magnetic fields extend into the radiative layers of the OBA stars. Theory and simulations predict that they alter the internal structure and physical properties of these stars. In particular, it is expected that these large-scale magnetic fields enforce uniform rotation in the radiative layers and may suppress convective core overshooting. This has consequences for the evolution of these magnetic hot stars and it has implications for galactic evolution. Therefore, we observed and investigated the internal structure of magnetic hot stars. To do so, asteroseismology is the best method as the oscillation properties are directly related to the internal physical conditions. Various types of stellar oscillations are known and they are classified based on their dominant restoring force. Of these, gravity modes are governed by the buoyancy force and have their strongest probing power in the near core region, which is the domain of our interest.Our first objective was to identify pulsating magnetic hot stars and characterize their magnetic and seismic properties. We constructed a sample of magnetic candidate stars, by following indirect observational diagnostics for the presence of a large-scale magnetic field, to confirm with ground-based high-resolution optical spectropolarimetry taken with ESPaDOnS, Narval or HARPSpol. For two known magnetic stars, HD43317 and o Lup, we characterized the geometry and strength of the field in detail by analysing spectropolarimetric time series. For each star in our sample, we obtained high-cadence high-precision space-based photometry from BRITE, CoRoT, or K2 to study (periodic) variability. Only HD43317 revealed tens of stellar pulsations mode frequencies that pointed towards gravity modes. Only a few other stars studied showed a few pulsation mode frequencies, unsuitable for seismic modelling.We investigated the B3.5V star HD43317 in detail to determine the internal structure of a magnetic hot star. We did this by forward seismic modelling, where observed stellar pulsation mode frequencies in the CoRoT data covering ∼150d were fit to those of gravito-intertial modes computed with the pulsation code GYRE, coupled to MESA stellar structure models. We identified the pulsation mode frequencies as overlapping (l, m) = (1,-1) and (2,-1) mode series. The small convective core overshooting region derived from the seismic modelling was in line with the theoretical predictions. Yet, some of the parameters for the best fitted models were also compatible with literature values for non-magnetic pulsators within the derived uncertainties. We conclude that the CoRoT time series of ∼150d is too short to lead to stringent constraints and tests of the stellar interior to discriminate between magnetic and non-magnetic pulsating hot stars.From our detailed modelling efforts of the best studied pulsating magnetic hot star HD43317, we were unable to observationally corroborate the theoretical predictions of an altered internal structure for magnetic hot stars. Simplifications and approximations were made during the forward seismic modelling due to the limited frequency resolution of the CoRoT data in terms of its time base. Further efforts to include magnetism in the pulsation codes, or magnetism, rotation, and angular momentum transport in the evolutionary models, are worthwhile to test whether magnetic signatures are present in the numerous (non-magnetic) gravito-inertial pulsators recently found in the nominal Kepler database (which has a ten times better frequency resolution compared to CoRoT).

Nous étudions expérimentalement le comportement d'un film liquide, dit de Landau-Levich, lorsqu'il s'évapore dans une atmosphère constituée uniquement de sa vapeur.La dynamique de ce type de film est un paramètre-clef qui gouverne le fonctionnement des caloducs oscillant (en anglais PHP - Pulsating Heat Pipes). Les PHP sont des liens thermiques de forte conductance. Les recherches récentes leur attribuent un pouvoir de refroidissement très élevé, ce qui les rend particulièrement convoités par l'industrie. Leur géométrie est simple : il s'agit d'un tube capillaire enroulé en plusieurs branches entre une partie froide (condenseur) et une partie chaude (évaporateur). Le tube est rempli d'un fluide pur diphasique, c'est-à-dire présent sous la forme d'une succession de bulles de vapeur et de bouchons de liquide. Lorsque la différence de température entre l’évaporateur et le condenseur dépasse un certain seuil, les bulles et bouchons commencent à osciller dans le tube, entre les deux parties, ce qui permet au PHP de transférer la chaleur.Notre installation expérimentale représente un PHP dans sa configuration la plus simple, à branche unique. Une interface liquide-vapeur oscille dans un tube de section rectangulaire, et dépose un film liquide à chaque passage. Nous nous intéressons au mécanisme qui permet l'entretien de l'oscillation de l'interface, et fixe sa fréquence. L'équation de mouvement obtenue prend en compte la dissipation visqueuse engendrée par un écoulement oscillant. Dans les modèles actuels de PHP, l'hypothèse d'un écoulement de type Poiseuille est formulée. Or, notre approche montre que l'hypothèse d'un écoulement faiblement inertiel est mieux adaptée, conduit à une dissipation deux fois supérieure.Le dispositif expérimental permet l'observation du film. Une combinaison originale de méthodes optiques permet également de mesurer sa longueur et son épaisseur, et de reconstruire son profil 3D à chaque instant. Nous pouvons suivre l'évolution du film tout au long de sa durée de vie, et ainsi analyser son comportement dynamique. Le film est presque plat (pente inférieure à 0,1°). Sur toute sa longueur, qui est de quelques centimètres, cela correspond à une variation de son épaisseur de moitié, la valeur moyenne étant de 50 microns. Sous l'effet du chauffage, le film se rétracte progressivement. Dès le début de son évaporation, un bourrelet de démouillage est formé sur le pourtour du film, près de la ligne triple. L'apparition de ce bourrelet est caractéristique d'un démouillage visqueux sous conditions de non-mouillage. Ce comportement est surprenant, dans la mesure où nous avons choisi un fluide mouillant parfaitement la paroi en conditions isothermes. A l'échelle nanométrique, au plus près de la ligne triple, l'angle de contact entre le liquide et la paroi est donc très faible. Nous mesurons cependant un grand angle apparent (c'est-à-dire visible à l'échelle millimétrique), qui augmente avec la surchauffe de la paroi. Dès l'augmentation de cet angle, le bourrelet de démouillage se forme, et le film se rétracte. Ce phénomène est expliqué par l'évaporation à l'échelle microscopique. Les résultats expérimentaux sont en accord quantitatif avec la théorie développée par d'autres chercheurs. / We experimentally study the behavior of liquid films - so called Landau-Levich films - when they evaporate in their pure vapor atmosphere.The dynamics of this film is a key parameter that rules out the functioning of Pulsating Heat Pipes (PHPs). PHPs are high conductive thermal links. Their heat transfert capability is known to be extremely high. For this reason they are promising for numerous industrial applications. Their geometry is simple. It is a capillary tube bent in several branches that meander between a hot part (called evaporator) and a cold part (called condenser), and filled up with a pure two-phase fluid. When the temperature difference between evaporator and condenser exceeds a certain threshold, gas bubbles and liquid plugs begin to oscillate spontaneously back and forth inside the tube and PHP starts transferring the heat.Our experimental setup features the simplest, single branch PHP. A liquid/vapor interface oscillates in a tube. It deposits a liquid film at each passage. We focus first on the mecanism which makes possible self-sustained interface oscillations and defines its frequency. The obtained motion equation accounts for the viscous dissipation caused by oscillatory flow. In existing PHP modelling, a laminar flow is supposed. Yet, our approach shows that the assumption of weakly inertial flow is preferable and leads to a dissipation rate twice larger that the Poiseuille flow.The experimental setup allows the film visualization. An original combination of optical measurement techniques lets us measure the film length, thickness and 3D-profile at all times. The film evolution has been measured during its whole lifetime. The film is nearly flat (its slope is smaller than 0,1°). The film length is of several centimeters, and the average thickness is 50 microns. Thus, along the total length, its thickness decreases by half. Under heating conditions, the film gradually recedes. A dewetting ridge is formed, near the triple contact line. Such a behavior is typical under non-wetting conditions. At the nanometric scale the contact angle between the liquid and the solid wall is very low. However, we measure a large apparent contact angle (visible at the millimetric scale) which increases with the wall superheating. Once this angle increases, the dewetting ridge is formed and the film recedes. The large apparent contact angle is explained by evaporation in the microscopic vicinity of the contact line. The measured apparent contact angle value agrees quantitatively with theoretical results obtained by other researchers.