This study aims to simulate a vapor compression refrigeration cycle, working with either butane (R-600) or isobutane (R-600a). For this purpose a computer program is written to design a household refrigerator, by modeling a steady-state, vapor compression cycle, with user defined input data. Each refrigerator component can be designed separately, as well as parts of a single refrigeration system in the program. In order to determine the refrigerant thermophysical properties at different states, least squares polynomial equations for different properties of R-600 and R-600a have been developed. Computer program is used for refrigeration cycle analysis, variable speed compressor design and calculating coefficient of performance (COP) and irreversibility of the cycle. Sample-preliminary designs have been carried out for different refrigeration loads, room and cold space temperatures with the program, to compare the performance characteristics of the refrigerants. Designs have been performed at different refrigeration loads, room and cold space temperatures. It is observed that for the same conditions R-600 has slightly better performance characteristics than those of R-600a.

Submitted by Maria Medeiros (maria.dilva1@ufcg.edu.br) on 2018-11-05T14:38:58Z No. of bitstreams: 1 JOSÉ CARLOS FERREIRA - TESE (PPGEP) 2011.pdf: 2583715 bytes, checksum: 354f3d59e0d3399d607fa4a93fbde40a (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-11-05T14:38:58Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 JOSÉ CARLOS FERREIRA - TESE (PPGEP) 2011.pdf: 2583715 bytes, checksum: 354f3d59e0d3399d607fa4a93fbde40a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-08-05 / Capes / O presente trabalho tem, como objetivo, propor um novo equipamento para obtenção do extrato de soja e desenvolver um novo produto alimentício elaborado com polpa de umbu, extrato de soja e rapadura, de alta qualidade protéica e energética, para suprir as carências nutritivas essenciais da população de baixa renda, principalmente para merenda escolar. O estudo foi dividido em quatro capítulos. No Capítulo 1 se avaliaram o processo de obtenção do extrato de soja com diferentes proporções de água:soja (1:8, 1:10 e 1:12), e o preparo da umbuzada com diferentes concentrações de polpa de umbu (30, 40 e 50%). Avaliaram-se também as características físico-químicas (proteínas, carboidratos, lipídios, pH, acidez total titulável, cinzas, teor de água e valor calórico), termofísicas (condutividades térmica, difusividade térmica, massa específica e calor específico), as propriedades sensoriais (cor, aroma e sabor) do extrato de soja, polpa de umbu e das formulações de umbuzada. No Capítulo 2 estudou-se o comportamento reológico (10, 20, 30 e 40 oC) do extrato de soja, da polpa de umbu e das formulações da umbuzada e se avaliou dentre os modelos de Ostwald-de-Waelle e Casson qual apresentava o comportamento reológico. No Capítulo 3 foram estudadas a cinética de congelamento e o efeito das condições de congelamento sobre as características físico-químicas, sensoriais e microbiológicas das formulações de umbuzada. Ademais, avaliaram-se as formulações da umbuzada em condições de armazenamento nas temperaturas de (-20 oC, a -170 oC até -50 oC em vapor de nitrogênio líquido e a -196 oC até - 50 oC por imersão em nitrogênio líquido). No Capítulo 4 estudou-se a cinética de secagem por liofilização das formulações de umbuzada congeladas em três condições (-20 oC e até -50 oC em vapor e por imersão em nitrogênio líquido) e se avaliou dentre os modelos de Cavalcanti Mata, Page e Midilli, qual representa o comportamento das curvas de secagem com precisão e se quantificou o efeito das temperaturas de congelamento e do percentual de polpa de umbu nas características físico-químicas e sensoriais da umbuzada liofilizada. Com base nos resultados obtidos verificou-se que o extrato de soja na proporção soja:água de 1:8 apresentou as melhores características físicoquímicas e sensoriais. A condutividade térmica e a difusividade térmica diminuem e a massa específica aumenta com a elevação da concentração de polpa de umbu. Os modelos de Ostwalt-de-waelle e Casson foram, de maneira geral, os que melhor representaram o comportamento reológico do extrato de soja, da polpa de umbu e das formulações nas temperaturas estudadas. O congelamento até -50 oC por imersão em nitrogênio líquido, apresentou o menor tempo de congelamento. A difusividade efetiva média aumentou de acordo com a ordem do método de congelamento apresentada: -20 oC, a 50 oC em vapor de nitrogênio e a 50 oC por imersão em nitrogênio líquido. A formulação com 50% de polpa de umbu apresentou a maior taxa de secagem por liofilização e o modelo de Cavalcanti Matta foi o que melhor representou o comportamento das curvas de secagem por liofilização. / The present work has the aim to propose a new device to get the soybean extract and develop a new food product made with umbu pulp, soymilk and brown sugar, highquality protein and energetic, to supply the main nutritional needs of low-income population, especially for school lunches. The study was divided into four chapters. In Chapter 1 we evaluated the process of obtaining the soybean extract with different proportions of water: soybean (1:8, 1:10 and 1:12), the preparation of umbuzada with different concentrations of umbu pulp (30, 40 and 50%). Still, we evaluated the physico-chemical characteristic (protein, carbohydrates, lipids, pH, total acidity, ash, moisture content and calorific value), thermophysical (thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity, density and specific heat), the sensory properties (color aroma and flavor) of soymilk, umbu’s pulp, umbuzada’s formulations. In Chapter 2 we studied the Rheological behavior (10, 20, 30 and 40 °C) of the soymilk of umbu’s pulp and umbuzada’s formulations and it was evaluated from the model Ostwald-Waelle and Casson which represented the rheological behavior. In Chapter 3 we studied the freezing kinetics and the effect of freezing conditions on the physico-chemical characteristic, sensory and microbiological umbuzada’s formulations. Moreover, the formulations were evaluated in the umbuzada storage conditions at temperatures of (-20 °C, the -170 °C to -50 °C in nitrogen steam liquid and -196 °C to -50 °C by immersion in liquid nitrogen). In Chapter 4, we studied the kinetics of drying by lyophilization umbuzada’s formulations frozen in three conditions (-20 °C and -50 °C in steam and immersion in liquid nitrogen), they were evaluated from the models Cavalcanti Mata, Page and Midilli which represents the behavior of the drying curves with precision, and quantified the effect of freezing temperatures and the percentage of umbu’s pulp in physico-chemical and sensory umbuzada lyophilized. Based on the results obtained the soy extract in proportion soybean: water 1:8 showed better physico-chemical and sensory. The thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity decreases and density increases with concentration increasing of umbu’s pulp. Models Ostwalt-of-Waelle and Casson were, in general, those which better represent the behavior rheology of the soy extract, the umbu’s formulations and temperatures studied. Freezing to -50 °C by immersion in liquid nitrogen had the lowest freezing time. The average effective diffusivity increased according to the order of presented freezing method: -20 °C to 50 °C in nitrogen steam and 50 °C by immersion in liquid nitrogen. The formulation with 50% umbu’s pulp show the highest rate of drying by lyophilization and Cavalcanti Mata model was the one that best represented the behavior of drying curves by lyophilization.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-08T14:59:32Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 2230755 bytes, checksum: ca3daa0f19b4271abeb34495fd22c22f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-04-07 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / The analysis of the properties of heat and mass transfer in foods has been studied for many researchers due to their need for knowledge to feed the codes of optimization calculations and equipment design involving the addition and removal of energy. This work deals with the solution of an inverse problem of parameter estimation to estimate the thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity of a sample of acerola jam. The direct problem is solved numerically using finite differences and the system of algebraic equations arising from the method is solved by explicit method. The experimental transient temperature profile required for the solution of the inverse problem is obtained by a thermal pulse method, specifically, via flash method. The experimental procedure consists of submitting a sample of acerola jelly confined in a cylindrical cavity with a thermal disturbance of short duration on one side (front) and measure the transient temperature evolution on the other side (back side). The acerola jelly was specially produced and analyzed physical and chemical for this purpose. For the thermal disturbance of the sample we used a device called a micro-flash, LFA model 457, manufactured by Netzsch. The pulse of short duration is from a power system that releases an energy equivalent to 15 joules per pulse and records the evolution of temperature using an infrared sensor, type ISB. This equipament has a system for generating laser pulse. The results are shown in terms of thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity and are compared with the values available in literature for similar products. The values found for the thermal diffusivity of 0,121 to 0,148 mm2s-1 and the thermal conductivity of 0,372 to 0,497Wm-1 are in agreement with the values found by other techniques. / A estimação das propriedades termodinâmicas e de transportes tem sido objeto de estudo de diversos pesquisadores devido à necessidade de seu conhecimento para alimentar os códigos de cálculos de otimização e projetos de equipamentos que envolvam adição e remoção de energia. Esse trabalho trata da solução de um problema inverso de estimação de parâmetros para estimar a difusividade térmica e a condutividade térmica de uma amostra de geléia de acerola. O problema direto é resolvido numericamente utilizando diferenças finitas e o sistema de equações algébricas advindo da aplicação do método é resolvido pelo método explicito. O perfil de temperatura transiente experimental necessário para a solução do problema inverso é obtido através de um método de pulso térmico, especificamente, via método flash. O procedimento experimental consiste de submeter uma amostra de geléia de acerola confinada em uma cavidade cilíndrica a uma perturbação térmica de curta duração em uma das faces (anterior) e medir a evolução da temperatura transiente na outra face (face posterior). A geléia de acerola foi especialmente produzida e analisada físico-quimicamente com essa finalidade. Para a perturbação térmica da amostra foi utilizado um dispositivo, denominado de micro-flash, modelo LFA 457, fabricado pela Netzsch. O pulso de curta duração é originário de um sistema de potencia que libera uma energia equivalente a 15 Joules por pulso e registra a evolução da temperatura através de um sensor infravermelho, tipo ISb. Esse equipamento dispõe de um sistema de geração de pulso laser. Os resultados são mostrados em termos da difusividade térmica e da condutividade térmica e são comparados com os valores disponíveis na literatura para produtos da mesma natureza. Os valores encontrados para a difusividade térmica de 0,121 à 0,148 mm2s-1 e para a condutividade térmica de 0,372 à 0,497Wm-1°C-1 estão em acordo com os valores encontrados por outras técnicas.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-08T14:59:47Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 ArquivoTotalEdilma.pdf: 3342457 bytes, checksum: ab038da16334ba7acdbbca9aab59c08b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-07-31 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / The estimation of the thermodynamic and transport properties have been studied by many researchers due to the need to input data in calculations and optimization equipment projects that involve adding and removing energy. Transient methods are widely used for determination of thermal transport properties. Usually, these methods are used in homogeneous materials to measure various thermophysical properties, simultaneously or separately. This work deals with the solution of an inverse problem, to estimate thermal properties parameters of whole milk. The direct problem is solved analytically using the Classical Integral Transform Technique (CITT). The proposed algorithm allows the estimation of the thermal conductivity at the interface of a medium composed of three layers through measurements of temperature distribution in one surface, resulting from a transient thermal pulse on the opposite surface. The thermal perturbation of the sample was done using a device known as micro flash LFA model 457, manufactured by Netzsch. The results are shown in terms of thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity and are compared with values available in the literature for products of the same nature, thus providing thermal properties data of whole milk to be applied in dimensioning calculations of industrial processes. / A estimação das propriedades termodinâmicas e de transportes tem sido objeto de estudo de diversos pesquisadores devido à necessidade de seu conhecimento para alimentar os códigos de cálculos de otimização e projetos de equipamentos que envolvam adição e remoção de energia. Métodos transientes são largamente utilizados para determinação de propriedades térmica de transporte. Normalmente estes métodos são usados em meios homogêneos para mensurar várias propriedades termofísicas, simultaneamente ou separadamente. A análise de materiais compostos de múltiplas camadas é mais complicada. O algoritmo proposto permite a estimativa da difusividade térmica na interface de um meio composto de três camadas através da medida da distribuição detemperatura transiente resultante de um pulso térmico na superfície oposta. Esse trabalho trata da solução de um problema inverso de estimação de parâmetros para estimar as propriedades térmicas de produtos lácteos. O problema direto é resolvido analiticamente utilizando a Técnica da Transformada Integral Clássica (CITT). O procedimento experimental consiste de submeter as amostra de produtos lácteos confinada em uma cavidade cilíndrica a uma perturbação térmica de curta duração em uma das faces (anterior) e medir a evolução da temperatura transiente na outra face (face posterior). Para a perturbação térmica da amostra foi utilizado um dispositivo, denominado de micro-flash, modelo LFA 457, fabricado pela Netzsch. O pulso de curta duração é originário de um sistema de potencia que libera uma energia equivalente a 15 Joules por pulso e registra a evolução da temperatura através de um sensor infravermelho, tipo InSb-IR. Esseequipamento dispõe de um sistema de geração de pulso laser. Os resultados são mostradosem termos da difusividade térmica e da condutividade térmica e são comparados com osvalores disponíveis na literatura para produtos da mesma natureza.

La radiométrie photothermique (PTR) est une technique standard qui mesure les propriétés thermiques en mesurant la réponse thermique d’un matériau à un échauffement optique. Le travail présenté ici développe la théorie PTR en prenant en compte la dépendance non linéaire des émissions thermiques par rapport à la température. Cette théorie PTR est explorée numériquement et expérimentalement dans ce travail en utilisant la dépendance non linéaire du rayonnement thermique en fonction de la température. Une technique de mesure de l'effusivité thermique et deux nouvelles techniques de pyrométrie sont développées et testées expérimentalement. La première technique de pyrométrie permet une mesure précise de l’augmentation de température lors d'une mesure PTR traditionnelle. Cela a de nombreuses applications lorsque l'échantillon est sensible à l’augmentation de température et peut être endommagé en raison d’une surchauffe. La deuxième technique de pyrométrie ne nécessite pas que l’émissivité soit connue, mesurée ou d’être basée sur l’hypothèse d’un corps gris. Cependant la mesure peut être fortement influencée par une erreur sur la bande passante des filtres optiques utilisés et elle est très sensible à toute non-linéarité dans le système de détection. À partir des résultats expérimentaux, des directives de conception sont fournies pour minimiser ces deux inconvénients. La troisième méthode développée permet une mesure directe et sans contact de l'effusivité thermique d'un matériau homogène. Ce type de mesure n'a encore jamais été réalisé avec d'autres techniques. Les résultats expérimentaux d'effusivité de cette technique montrent un excellent accord avec les valeurs de la littérature. / Photothermal radiometry (PTR) is a standard technique which measures thermal properties by measuring a materials thermal response due to optical heating. PTR measures the emitted thermal radiation from a sample to determine the thermal response. The work presented here further develops the PTR theory by including the nonlinear dependence of thermal emission with respect to temperature. This more advanced PTR theory is numerically and experimentally explored in this work. A thermal effusivity measurement technique and two new pyrometry techniques are developed and experimentally tested using the nonlinear dependence in the PTR theory. The first pyrometry technique allows for accurate temperature measurement during a traditional PTR measurement. This has many applications when the sample is sensitive to an increase in temperature and possibly damaged due to overheating. The second pyrometry technique does not require emissivity to be known, measured, or rely on a gray body assumption. The measurement can be influenced greatly by any error in the bandwidth of optical filters used in the measurement, and it is very sensitive to any nonlinearity in the detection system. From the experimental results, design guidelines are provided to minimize these two drawbacks of the technique for future exploration. The direct thermal effusivity measurement developed allows for a non-contact, direct measurement of thermal effusivity of a homogenous material. This type of measurement has not been achieved with any other technique. The experimental effusivity results from this technique show excellent agreement with literature values.

Orientador: Rubens Maciel Filho / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Química / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-21T23:05:30Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 CelisAriza_OscarJavier_D.pdf: 10909211 bytes, checksum: 25518eb40de039638e4cc39a2cb6790e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012 / Resumo: O potencial aproveitamento dos resíduos de petróleo obtido por destilação atmosférica ou a vácuo tem estimulado a procura de novos processos com a finalidade de transformar estas frações de baixo valor comercial, em derivados nobres de alto valor, tais como a gasolina e o GLP. O craqueamento térmico (viscorredução, coqueamento retardado) ou craqueamento catalítico (FCC, hidrocraqueamento) fazem parte deste grupo de processos amplamente utilizados em todo o mundo. Contudo, um dos desafios é procurar novas técnicas que facilitam a produção destas frações de alto valor, a partir de resíduos que atualmente não têm sido aproveitados para esta finalidade. Uma das desvantagens nos processos convencionais refere-se ao elevado consumo de energia para chegar à temperatura inicial das reações de quebra dos hidrocarbonetos. Porém, uma nova técnica rápida de craqueamento térmico destas frações foi desenvolvida e avaliada. A técnica proposta consistiu na utilização de sistema laser de CO2 e scanner óptico de varredura para focalização do feixe de laser diretamente no resíduo de petróleo com a finalidade de quebrar quimicamente os hidrocarbonetos por meio da energia térmica (aquecimento) gerada pela interação laser/petróleo. Sendo assim, nesta Tese, foi realizado um estudo experimental e de simulação para avaliar as melhores condições de operação do laser (potência, velocidade de varredura e número de varreduras) que permitam um melhor ganho na seletividade dos produtos. Testes experimentais foram desenvolvidos para um resíduo atmosférico chamado ETA e um de seus resíduos obtido pela destilação molecular. Particularmente, foram avaliadas as concentrações da fração gasosa (C1-C4, CO, CO2 e H2), fração líquida (gasóleo atmosférico, leve, pesado e super pesado) e a distribuição da massa molar dos produtos. Na avaliação da técnica foi feita uma prévia caracterização termofísica dos resíduos (por meio de dados experimentais ou modelos empíricos) para a simulação da melhor distribuição de temperatura do laser na superfície e no interior do material, desenvolvida na plataforma comercial computacional ANSYS CFX 13.0 ®. Finalmente, a partir dos dados de simulação e experimentais foi possível obter uma maximização da concentração do gasóleo atmosférico e leve (10 e 2 vezes a mais em comparação à amostra não-irradiada, respectivamente), além de uma minimização da fração de gasóleo pesado. Resultado obtido no ponto ótimo de operação do laser a uma potência de 41,5W, velocidade de varredura 0,6 m/s e número de varreduras de 8. A máxima conversão do resíduo molecular ETA obtido por craqueamento via laser de CO2 foi alcançada em 25%, mas em curtos instantes de tempo e pressão atmosférica. Segundo o grau de conversão, a nova técnica de craqueamento térmico de frações pesadas de petróleo por radiação laser pode ser classificada como uma técnica de craqueamento por viscorredução / Abstract: A better use of petroleum residues obtained by atmospheric or vacuum distillation has stimulated the research for new processes in order to transform these fractions of low commercial value into high value products, such as gasoline and LPG. The thermal cracking (viscobreaking, delayed coking) or fluid catalytic cracking (FCC, hydrocracking) has been part of kind of processes used world widely. However, the main challenge is to find new techniques that facilitate the production of these high-value fractions. One of the disadvantages in the above processes has been the high energy consumption to reach the initial temperature of the hydrocarbon reactions. For this reason, a new technique of rapid thermal cracking of these fractions was developed. The technique proposed consists in use a CO2 laser system with optical scanner to focus and driving the laser beam directly into the petroleum residue in order to crack the hydrocarbons through the thermal energy (heat), which is generated by the laser/petroleum interaction. Therefore, in this thesis, an experimental and simulation studies to evaluate the best laser operational conditions (laser power, scanning speed and number of scans) were proposed. Experimental tests have been employed for an atmospheric residue called ETA and for one of its residues obtained by molecular distillation. Specifically, the gas fraction yield (C1-C4, CO, CO2 and H2), liquid fraction yield (atmospheric, light, heavy and super heavy gas oils) and molar mass distribution of the products were determinated. In order to improve the research, a thermophysical characterization of the residues (by experimental data or empirical models) was developed. This part was an important topic to simulate the temperature distribution within the petroleum residue and it was performed by the commercial computational tool ANSYS CFX 13.0®. It was shown by both simulation and experimental data that a maximization of atmospheric and light gas oil yields (respectively, 10 and 2 times more in comparison with the not irradiated sample) was obtained and further a minimization of heavy gas oil yield. These results have been obtained at the best operational condition of laser of CO2, such as: power beam 41,5W, scanning speed of 0,6 m/s and number of scans of 8. A maximum conversion of 25% was obtained for the molecular residue ETA but with short time instant atmospheric pressure. Moreover, according to the conversion degree, the new thermal cracking technique of heavy petroleum fractions by laser radiation can be classified near to the viscobreaking technique / Doutorado / Desenvolvimento de Processos Químicos / Doutor em Engenharia Química

Les nanocomposites à base de polymères sont utilisés depuis plusieurs années dans différents domaines industriels. Ils permettent une amélioration des propriétés des polymères et/ou l'accès à certaines propriétés presque inexistantes sur le polymère de base. Cependant, les polymères utilisés sont souvent d’origine pétrochimique. Au cours des dernières années, l'accumulation de déchets toxiques a, entre autres, conduit à un remplacement progressif de ces matières par des polymères issus des agro-ressources et/ou biodégradables. Notre étude porte sur deux polymères biodégradables utilisés comme matrice dans des nanocomposites, le poly (acide lactique) (PLA) et le poly (butylène succinate) (PBS). Elle a pour but, d'une part, d’améliorer les propriétés barrière aux gaz et à la vapeur d'eau, et d'autre part, de les rendre conducteur de chaleur. Pour ce faire, deux différents types de charges ont été utilisés. La première, la montmorillonite organiquement modifiée (OMMT) a permis d’obtenir une amélioration significative des propriétés mécaniques et barrière du polymère. La seconde, le graphite expansé (EG) a prouvé sa capacité à augmenter les propriétés de transport de chaleur dans les polymères. Une étude bibliographique a révélé que les conditions de mise en œuvre et les affinités entre les deux composés influencent considérablement les propriétés finales du nanocomposite. Ainsi les conditions de mise en œuvre ont été optimisées en faisant varier le temps et les températures de mélange de même que la méthode de mise en œuvre en fonction des charges utilisées. Pour améliorer les interactions entre la matrice et les charges, ces dernières ont été fonctionnalisées par un alkoxysilane, le 3-AminoPropylTrimethoxy-Silane. Les effets de cette fonctionnalisation sur les propriétés mécaniques, barrière, thermiques et thermophysiques des nanocomposites sont présentés. Pour les nanocomposites chargés en EG, l’effet des tailles et de la distribution des tailles des particules sur les conductivités thermiques des nanocomposites a été discuté en se basant sur un modèle de type Maxwell-Garnett basé sur la théorie des champs moyen. / Polymer based nanocomposites have been used for several years in various industrial fields. They allow an improvement of the polymer properties and/or an access to some almost non-existent properties of the neat material. However, the used polymers originated mostly from petrochemical industry. In recent years, the accumulation of toxic waste, among others, led to a gradual replacement of these materials by polymers from agro-resources and/or biodegradables. Our study focuses on two biodegradable polymers used as matrix in nanocomposites, poly (lactic acid) (PLA) and poly (butylene succinate) (PBS). It aims, on one hand, to improve their barrier properties to gases and water vapor, and on the other, to make them heat conductors. To achieve this, two different kinds of fillers were used. The first one, organically modified montmorillonite (OMMT), has achieved a significant improvement in mechanical and barrier properties of the polymer. The second one, expanded graphite (EG), has proven its ability to increase heat transport properties of polymers. A literature review has revealed that the conditions of nanocomposite preparation and the affinities between the two materials greatly influence the final properties of the nanocomposite. Thus the preparation parameters were optimized by varying the melting time and temperature as well as the preparation method according to the fillers used. To improve the interaction between the matrix and the fillers, they were functionalized with an alkoxysilane, 3-aminopropyltrimethoxy-Silane. The effects of this functionalization on the mechanical, barrier, thermal and thermophysical properties of nanocomposites are presented. For EG based nanocomposites, the EG size effect and size distribution on the thermal conductivity of nanocomposites were discussed based on a theoretical model using the Maxwell-Garnett mean-field theory.

The aim of this work was to investigate the effect on horizontal ground heat exchanger performance of changing soil and load parameters, and pipe horizontal separation distance for ground-coupled heat pumps under Egyptian conditions.Egypt possesses a variety of energy resources; namely fossil and renewable. The amount of renewable energy available is significant and must be utilized perfectly for the sake of achieving sustainable use of energy resources. Soils in Egypt vary widely from being clay with its thermal conductivity of 1.11 (for clay particles) to sand with its thermal conductivity of 5.77 (for sand particles). Two soil samples were chosen from the literature to be used in the investigation held in this work with boundary conditions that match the weather and ground temperature distribution conditions in Egypt.Conduction heat transfer in soils is a very complicated process especially when it is combined with time dependant boundary conditions and temperature dependent thermophysical properties of the medium. A MATLAB code was used to estimate thermophysical properties of the soil samples with three different moisture contents (0, 0.2, and saturation %) and the upper boundary condition bases on two surface dryness conditions (dry and wet). The results of the code were fed to Abqaus/CAE to analysis and predict the temperature distribution in these soils with implementing the time dependant boundary conditions to investigate the ground thermal behaviour of these soils. Also the temperature distribution around two pipes per trench of horizontal ground heat exchanger with applying synthetic load based on estimated cooling and heating degree days for one set of weather conditions. The horizontal separation distance between pipes was investigated by changing it to be 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, and 0.5 metres.Both the MATLAB code and Abaqus environment were validated against measured data published in the literature and their results agreed well with this data.The results of the simulation showed that the ground thermal behaviour depends mainly on the boundary conditions applied on the model. Dry soils are the worst being affected by the variation of the boundaries, because of its low volumetric heat capacities. The moisture content in the soil should be kept around 0.2 or above to get the most benefits from the presence of moisture in the vicinity of ground heat exchangers. The effect of the soil surface dryness is less significant than that of the moisture content of the entire system but it is more controllable than the moisture content. Also it was found that the horizontal separation distance (HSD) between pipes must be selected on the bases of prior knowledge of the site parameters soil type and moisture level. The results showed that the 0.4m HSD is the optimum HSD for the conditions and load profile included in this study.

CSÁKI, Štefan: Thermophysical and electrical properties of illite-based ceramics. [Doctoral thesis]. Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra. Faculty of Natural Sciences. Charles University. Faculty of Mathematics and Physics. Supervisor: prof. RNDr. Libor Vozár, CSc. (Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra), doc. Ing. Patrik Dobroň, PhD. (Charles University). Nitra & Prague, 2018. 107 p. Illitic clays are of special importance in the ceramic industry. Therefore, a deep knowledge of the thermophysical processes, as well as the electric properties, is of special importance. The illitic clay originated in Northeastern Hungary was used in this thesis. The reactions, occurring during firing, were studied using thermal analyses (Differential thermal analysis, Thermogravimetry, Thermodilatometry) and special attention was paid to the measurement of the electrical conductivity (both DC and AC). Up to 250 řC, where the removal of the physically bond water (PBW) takes place, the dominant charge carriers were the H+ and OH- ions. After the PBW was removed, Na+ and K+ ions became the dominant charge carriers. During dehydroxylation (450 - 750 řC) H+ and OH- ions were freed from the illite structure, which supported the electrical conduction in the samples. At ~ 970 řC glassy phase appeared...

The thermoelectric properties of bismuth telluride based thermoelectric (TE) materials are well-characterized, but comparatively little has been published on the thermomechanical properties. In this paper, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and differential scanning calorimetry data for bismuth telluride based TE materials is presented. The TE materials' tan delta values, indicative of viscoelastic energy dissipation modes, approached that of glassy or crystalline polymers, were greater than ten times the tan delta of structural metals, and reflected the anisotropic nature of TE materials. DMA thermal scans showed changes in mechanical properties versus temperature with clear hysteresis effects. These results showed that the application of DMA techniques are useful for evaluation of thermophysical and thermomechanical properties of these TE materials.