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Recycled waste materials obtained from industrial and agricultural processes are becoming promising thermal and acoustic insulating solutions in building applications; their use can play an important role in the environmental impact reduction. The aim of the present paper is the evaluation of the thermal performance of recycled waste panels consisting of cork scraps, rice husk, coffee chaff, and end-life granulated tires, glued in different weight ratios and pressed. Six panels obtained from the mixing of these waste materials were fabricated and analyzed. In particular, the scope is the selection of the best compromise solutions from the thermal and environmental points of view. To this aim, thermal resistances were measured in laboratory and a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) analysis was carried out for each panel; a cross-comparative examination was performed in order to optimize their properties and find the best panels solutions to be assembled in the future. Life Cycle Analysis was carried out in terms of primary Embodied Energy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions, considering a ‘‘cradle-to-gate” approach. The obtained thermal conductivities varied in the 0.055 to 0.135 W/mK range, in the same order of magnitude of many traditional systems. The best thermal results were obtained for the panels made of granulated cork, rice husk, and coffee chaff in this order. The rubber granulate showed higher values of the thermal conductivity (about 0.15 W/mK); a very interesting combined solution was the panel composed of cork (60%), rice husk (20%), and coffee chaff (20%), with a thermal conductivity of 0.08 W/mK and a Global Warming Potential of only 2.6 kg CO2eq/m2. Considering the Embodied Energy (CED), the best solution is a panel composed of 56% of cork and 44% of coffee chaff (minimum CED and thermal conductivity).

The work in this research thesis presents a contribution to voltage regulation in electrical networks. By considering adequate active and reactive powers injection into the grid, voltage control and load balancing are provided. These powers are generated from a grid connected renewable energy conversion system : a special attention was paid to the Wind Energy ConversionSystem (WECS) based on Doubly-Fed Induction Generator (DFIG).The typical control strategy for WECS is the maximum power coefficient tracking method. However, this method limits desirable ancillary power services, such as the participation of wind turbines in voltage regulation in the power grid. Therefore, a new method that derives the optimal power coefficient enhancing the participation of WTS in voltage regulation in the network (reactive and unbalanced power compensation), has been developed. The multilevel NPC (Neutral Point Clamped) converter, used for grid interface connection of renewable energy sources systems, has been studied. A predictive control method for the three-level NPC converter, capable of simultaneously compensating the problems of : DC link capacitors voltage balancing, load balancing and power factor correction in the power system, has been proposed. Then, the application of this predictive control was extended to simultaneously achieve multiple objectives: load balancing with power factor correction in the network, DC link capacitors voltage balancing, switching losses minimization and common mode voltage reduction. The switching losses minimization was obtained by proposing a new strategy which consists on exploiting the manufacturer datasheets that gives the evolution of the switching loss energy in function of the circulating current. The experimental curves of the datasheet are expressed in a mathematical model implemented in the predictive control. Simulation and experimental results are presented to evaluate the performance of the proposed method. ; Le travail de cette thèse apporte une contribution aux méthodes de ...

Abstract— The odd nucleoside 4‐thiouridine, which is present in position 8 of 70% of E. coli tRNAs, possesses unusual spectroscopic properties which make it suitable for intramolecular energy transfer studies. Both its luminescence excitation spectrum and the action spectrum (230–380 nm) for the 8–13 link formation have been established in native E. coli tRNA at room temperature. The spectra are identical and present a new unexpected peak around 260 nm. At this wavelength, they are amplified by a factor of nine as compared with the absorption and excitation spectra of the free nucleoside in aqueous solution.The origin of this new peak is discussed and it is concluded that energy transfer does occur from the common nucleosides to the 4‐thiouridine residue. Using the values of the nucleosides to 4‐thiouridine distances inferred from the sets of atomic coordinates obtained on yeast tRNAphe crystals, a satisfactory account of our finding can be obtained assuming singlet‐singlet energy transfer. The efficiency of the mechanism is probably favoured by a good overlap between the emission spectra of the common nucleosides and the absorption spectrum of 4‐thiouridine.

Dans le stockage d’énergie, les alternatives aux énergies fossiles sont peu nombreuses. Le stockage d’énergie dans un condensateur, permet d’atteindre de grande puissances électriques, mais pour une densité d’énergie trop faible. La présente thèse à pour objectif la compréhension des nano-céramiques ferroélectriques afin d’augmenter leur densité d’énergie et de se diriger ainsi vers un super-condensateur céramique. Nous avons développé dans un premier temps un modèle par champs effectif moyen du système core-shell. Une fois introduit dans l’énergie libre de Landau, ce modèle donne une idée de la densité d’énergie d’un système ferroélectrique donné. Les calculs – sur quelques pérovskites courantes - indiquent que la densité d’énergie reste relativement faible. Néanmoins nos calculs montrent que l’on peu optimiser le stockage d’énergie dans de telles céramiques en enrobant des grains de forme allongée comme des disques ou des fils. En outre, ce modèle phénoménologique permet d’expliquer de nombreuses mesures expérimentales sur les céramiques, y compris dans le cas ou s’ajoute de la conductivité et de la relaxation de Maxwell-Wagner. Nous nous sommes tournés par la suite vers une modélisation ab-initio : l’Hamiltonien effectif. La modélisation de nano-système core-shell de BaTiO3 a montré la présence d’un paramètre d’ordre particulier : le moment toroïdale. Ce paramètre d’ordre peut impliquer un comportement diélectrique différent. Introduit dans une description phénoménologique de type Landau, ce dernier est responsable de la disparition de la phase orthorhombique dans BaTiO3. La synthèse de nanoparticules de BaTiO3 de formes cubiques et homogènes, nous a permis de faire une série de mesure. Les mesures MET, RAMAN, RX, diélectriques sur les poudres et les céramiques, suggèrent la présences de transitions de phases générées par la présence d’un paramètre d’ordre similaire à celui observé dans modélisation ab-initio. For energy storage applications, fossils energies are difficult to compete. By storing energy in capacitors, one can get a huge electric power. However the density of energy in a capacitor is too weak to be interesting in energy storage application. The present thesis aims to understand the well known core-shell system in ferroelectric nano-ceramics and the influence of the geometry of the grain in order to determine and optimize the density of energy in this kind of dielectric, going toward an ultra-capacitor of ceramics. We have first developed an effective-medium core-shell model. By introducing this model in the phenomenological Landau Free energy of several ferroelectrics, we can get quantitative information about of density of energy in these materials. Our calculation for common ferroelectrics has shown that the density of energy remains too weak to become interesting. However, the density of energy can be optimized by using nano-disks or nano-rods in a structured ceramic. Our model agrees well with experimental results, even with extrinsic phenomena like the Maxwell-Wagner relaxation. To go further, we have modeled the BaTiO3 core-shell system using an effective Hamiltonian. The model shows that a new order parameter is observed in the core-shell system namely the toroidal moment. This order affects the dielectrics behavior of coated dots, and for important coating can lead to significant differences with Landau predictions. Moreover, by introducing the toroidal moment in Landau formalism, we can predict the disappearance of the orthorhombic phase in BaTiO3.The synthesis of homogenized cubic BaTiO3 particles, allowed us to make experimental measurement. The combination of RX, Dielectric and Raman measurements lead to a phase diagram for BaTiO3 that can be explain by the presence of a toroidal moment.

In the context of Abstract geometrical computation, it has been proved that black hole model (and SAD computers) can be implemented. To be more physic-like, it would be interesting that the construction is reversible and preserves some energy. There is already a (energy) conservative and reversible two-counter automaton simulation. In the present paper, based on reversible and conservative stacks, reversible Turing machines are simulated. Then a shrinking construction that preserves these properties is presented. All together, a black hole model implementation that is reversible and conservative (both the shrinking structure and the universal Turing machine) is provided.

Localized energy states such as two-color gap solitons are theoretically and numerically predicted in a periodic structure in the presence of a frequency doubling nonlinearity. These parametric solitons exhibit appealing features as compared to the Kerr case. Novel erects such as merging and all-optical buffering are envisaged.

This paper addresses the study of vibrations induced by turbulent boundary layers (TBLs) flowing over plate-like structures. The aim is here to propose a predictive method in order to evaluate the vibroacoustical behaviour of a plate excited by TBL pressure fluctuations. The ultimate goal is to develop tools for predicting internal cabin noise in an aircraft during flight. Hence TBL is considered. Different TBL models are discussed and compared. A prediction method well suited for mid-high frequencies is also presented. The method called simplified energy method (SEM) is based on local energetic considerations and extends the well-known statistical energy analysis (SEA). Two different SEM formulations are presented. The first one is of heat conduction type, whilst the second is radiative. The TBL source model was integrated in the local energy proposed formulations. When applied to a simple Kirchhoff-Love simply supported plate, SEM allows prediction of averaged energy quantities. Comparisons are drawn between heat and radiative formulations. Good concordance was observed between energy results and pure analytical calculations of the structural response under TBL excitation over a wide frequency range.