Tesi sul tema "Expansion de la vapeur"

La vaporisation rapide du sodium liquide surchauffé est supposée être à l’origine des arrêts automatiques pour réactivité négative du réacteur Phénix.Un dispositif expérimental a été mis en œuvre pour reproduire la détente d'un gaz pressurisé, repoussant un liquide dans un canal de section rectangulaire très allongée.L’interface qui sépare les deux fluides, initialement plate, ondule du fait d'instabilités de Rayleigh-Taylor dont le caractère 2D est garanti par le rapport d'aspect de la section du canal. L’aire interfaciale augmente d'un facteur 50.L’expansion du gaz peut être divisée en deux phases principales : une phase dite « de Rayleigh-Taylor » (linéaire et non-linéaire) et une phase dite « à multi-structures » (transitionnelle et chaotique). La première est caractérisée par la dynamique de l'interface et l’aire interfaciale qui en résulte est proportionnelle à l’amplitude des ondulations. La deuxième est influencée par le comportement des structures liquides, dispersées dans la matrice gazeuse et l’aire interfaciale est alors proportionnelle au nombre de structures.La distribution de fraction volumique suggère un modèle d’écoulement composé de trois régions : une région où la frontière des bulles est clairement définie et régulière, une région compartimentée par des membranes liquides issues des frontières des bulles, une région diphasique formée de la queue de ces structures. L’analyse de sensibilité à la tension superficielle confirme que plus la tension est faible, plus les interfaces sont instables. Les ondes sont plus prononcées et plus de structures sont produites, ce qui conduit à une majoration du taux de production de l’aire interfaciale
The sharp vaporization of superheated liquid sodium is investigated. It is suspected to be at the origin of the automatic shutdown for negative reactivity, occurred in the Phénix reactor at the end of the eighties.An experimental apparatus has been designed and operated to reproduce the expansion of overpressurized air, superposed to water in a narrow vertical rectangular section channel.When expansion begins, the initial flat interface separating the two fluids becomes corrugated under the development of two-dimensional Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities. The interface area increases significantly and becomes even 50 times larger than the initial value. Since the channel is very narrow, instabilities along the channel depth do not develop.The gas expansion in a narrow channel can be divided into two main phases: Rayleigh-Taylor (linear and non-linear) and multi-structures (transition and chaotic) phases. The former is characterized by the dynamic of corrugated profile and the interface area results proportional to the amplitude of corrugation The latter is influenced by the behavior of the liquid structures dispersed in gas matrix and the interface area is mainly proportional to the number of liquid structures.The distribution of volume fraction suggests a model of channel flow consisting of three regions: the regular profile of peaks, the spike region and the structures tails. The analysis of sensibility to surface tension confirms that, with a lower surface tension, the fluids configuration is more unstable. The interface corrugations are more pronounced and more structures are produced, leading to a higher increment of the interface area

La maitrise de la composition et de la ségrégation chimique est essentielle lors de l’élaboration de matériaux à forte valeur ajoutée, comme les alliages de zirconium à destination de l’industrie nucléaire. L’élaboration sous vide permet d’obtenir des lingots d’une très grande pureté mais elle présente aussi une contrainte supplémentaire concernant la maitrise de la teneur en éléments d’alliage volatiles. Les travaux présentés dans ce document visent à améliorer la prédiction de la cinétique d’appauvrissement en espèces métalliques volatiles lors de l’élaboration sous vide et en particulier lors de la refusion VAR (Vacuum Arc Remelting ou refusion à l’arc sous vide) du Zircaloy-4, un alliage de Zr. Dans un premier temps, nous étudions la cinétique d’évaporation et l’expansion de la vapeur métallique produite lors de la fusion sous vide. L’étude est effectuée par une combinaison d’expériences en four à bombardement électronique et de la simulation numérique du comportement de la vapeur par une méthode particulaire (FPM). Nos études sur l’évaporation de métaux purs, Ti et Zr, montrent l’importance des collisions au-dessus du liquide sur l’expansion de la vapeur et sa recondensation. La caractérisation de l’expansion de la vapeur de Fe et Sn lors de la fusion sous vide de Zy4, combinée à la simulation particulaire, nous a permis de déterminer la valeur des coefficients d’activité thermodynamique de ces éléments dans le Zy4 liquide. Dans un second temps, nous présentons la simulation de l’expansion de la vapeur métallique dans les conditions du procédé VAR en nous intéressant particulièrement aux flux de condensation sur les différentes surfaces. L’application de ce modèle au Zircaloy-4 montre que la composition du dépôt sur la paroi interne de la lingotière est très différente de celle de l’alliage. Enfin, le modèle particulaire est couplé à une modélisation de la croissance du lingot et nous étudions l’influence de l’évaporation, condensation et réincorporation de la collerette sur la composition et la ségrégation des éléments d’alliage volatils. Le couplage offre aussi une première prédiction de l’épaisseur et de la composition de la collerette que nous comparons pour la refusion du Zyrcalloy-4 avec des prélèvements industriels
Composition and chemical segregation control is primordial when producing high value-added materials, such as zirconium alloys for nuclear industry. Vacuum processing allows production very high purity ingot, however it also presents an additional problematic concerning control and prediction of alloy elements evaporation. This PhD dissertation aims at improving prediction of volatile metallic species evaporation during vacuum elaboration, especially during Zircaloy 4 VAR (Vacuum Arc Remelting).First, the evaporation kinetics and the expansion of the metal vapour produced during vacuum melting is investigated. The study is done with a combination of volatilisation experiments using an experimental electron beam furnace and particle based numerical simulation (FPM) of vapour behaviour. Our volatilisation studies on pure metals, Ti and Zr, show the importance of collisions above the liquid on the vapour expansion and its recondensation. Determination of Fe and Sn vapour expansion during Zy4 vacuum melting combined with particle simulation, allowed us to determine thermodynamic activity coefficients values for these elements in liquid Zy4.Then, metallic vapour expansion under VAR conditions is studied, with particular interest shown to condensation flows on the different surfaces. Application of our numerical model to Zy4 shows that the vapour deposited on the mould has a very different composition compared to the alloy. Finally, the particle model is coupled to an ingot growth model and we study the influence of evaporation, condensation and crown reincorporation with regard to volatile solute segregation and depletion. This coupling also provides a first prediction of crown thickness and composition and we compare them to industrial crown samples

Este trabalho apresenta a quantificação da expansão e suas características, principalmente a influência da sucção, em amostras de materiais sedimentares argilosos provenientes da Formação Corumbataí, aflorantes no interior do estado de São Paulo. Foram testadas amostras indeformadas, e amostras destorroadas e compactadas em diferentes umidades, em ensaios de pressão de expansão a volume constante por inundação, e também, com sucção controlada por meio da técnica da transferência de vapor. Foram ensaiadas, ainda, misturas compactadas desse material com bentonita em diferentes proporções, e misturas de bentonita com material não expansivo arenoso oriundo da Formação Botucatu. O controle de sucção foi realizado pelo uso de soluções salinas de NaCl em concentrações preparadas para impor sucções de 40.000, 25.000, 10.000 e 5.000 kPa. Para a realização dos ensaios, construiu-se um sistema de aplicação de cargas e de aquisição automática dos dados de pressão. Para acelerar o processo de umedecimento por vapor, utilizou-se um reservatório externo ligado em uma bomba de ar adaptada para promover a circulação do vapor de ar para dentro da célula edométrica, especialmente construída para esta pesquisa. Os resultados de expansão nos ensaios com inundação mostraram pressões de expansão crescentes com a diminuição dos teores de umidade, e consequente aumento da sucção inicial das amostras ensaiadas, bem como crescentes com o aumento na proporção de bentonita nas misturas, com valores máximos em torno de 700 kPa para o ensaio com a bentonita pura compactada seca. A análise da microestrutura das amostras por meio da porosimetria por intrusão de mercúrio permitiu constatar que as amostras indeformadas apresentaram variação, apenas, nos macroporos após a expansão; e as compactadas na umidade ótima e, posteriormente secas ao ar, não mostraram evolução significativa após a expansão. Na microscopia eletrônica de varredura (MEV) foi possível verificar a mudança nos vazios das amostras, bem como, visualizar a variação na estrutura e na textura. Além disso, no MEV foram confirmados, também, os argilominerais determinados na caracterização mineralógica. Os resultados dos ensaios de expansão com sucção controlada mostraram ausência de pressão de expansão para as amostras da Formação Corumbataí nas condições indeformada, e na condição compactada na umidade ótima e posteriormente seca ao ar. No entanto, esse material, quando compactado seco na forma de pó, e também, compactado seco misturado com bentonita em diferentes proporções, revelou pressões de expansão com a transferência de vapor, assim como, as misturas de bentonita com material não expansivo da Formação Botucatu. A ausência de expansão foi justificada pela forma lenta de umedecimento proporcionada pela transferência de vapor que, apesar de promover o aumento do teor de umidade das amostras, não mobilizou variação volumétrica suficientemente capaz de transmitir como pressão de expansão. Portanto, os ensaios de expansão, com a utilização da técnica de transferência de vapor, foram efetivos para avaliar a expansão somente nos casos em que argilominerais com potencial expansivo estavam presentes em proporções consideráveis.
This thesis presents the quantification and characterization of expansion, especially the influence of suction on samples of sedimentary materials from Corumbatai Formation that occurs in Sao Paulo. Undisturbed and compacted samples with different moisture contents were tested with swelling pressure tests at constant volume method by flooding, and also with suction control by vapour transfer technique. Compacted mixtures of this material with bentonite in differents proportions, and mixtures of bentonite with sandy non-expansive material from the Botucatu Formation were also tested. The suction control was performed by the use of NaCl salt solutions at concentrations prepared to perform 40,000, 25,000, 10,000 and 5,000 kPa suctions. For the tests, it was developed a system for load application and automatic retrieval of pressure. To accelerate the wetting process by vapour, we used an external reservoir connected to an air pump adapted to promote air circulation inside the edometric cell, specially made for this study. The expansion results in flooding tests showed increasing swelling pressure with decreasing moisture content. Consequently there was an increase in the initial suction of the tested samples, which kept increasing as the rate of bentonite was raised in the mixtures, with a peak of ca. 700 kPa for the test with dry pure bentonite compacted. In the microstructure analysis of the samples by mercury intrusion porosimetry, the samples showed variation only in macropores after swell; and the ones compacted at optimum moisture, and subsequently air dried, showed no significant change after the swell. In scanning electron microscopy (SEM) it was possible to verify the change in the voids of the samples, as well as to visualize the variation in the structure and texture. In addition, the SEM confirmed clay minerals deterninated in mineralogical characterization. The results of controlled suction with swell tests showed absence of swell pressure for Corumbatai samples tested in undisturbed conditions, and compacted condition at optimum moisture content, and then air dried. However, when compacted in the form of dry powder, as well as when compacted dry, mixed with different proportions of bentonite, this material showed swelling pressures with vapor transfer technique, as well as mixtures of bentonite with non-expansive material of Botucatu Formation. The absence of swell was explained by the slow damping provided by the vapor transfer that although promoting increasing dampen, did not sufficiently mobilized volume variation capable of transmitting blowing pressure. Therefore, the swell tests with the vapor transfer technique were effective to evaluate the swelling just in cases where clay minerals with swell potential were present in significant proportions.

Cette travail de thèse est lié au besoin de modélisation des écoulements diphasiques en générateurs de vapeur (entrée liquide et sortie vapeur). La démarche proposée consiste à faire le choix d'une modélisation hybride de l'écoulement, en scindant la phase gaz en deux champs, modélisés de manières différentes. Ainsi, les petites bulles sphériques sont modélisées avec une approche dispersée classique avec le modèle eulérien à deux fluides, et les bulles déformées sont simulées à l'aide d'une méthode de localisation d'interface. Le travail effectué porte sur la mise en place, la vérification et la validation du modèle dédié aux larges bulles déformées, ainsi que le couplage entre les deux approches pour le gaz gaz, permettant des premiers calculs de démonstration utilisant l'approche hybride complète.

Metal clusters have been produced by condensation of metal atoms on or inside small argon clusters and by collision of supersonic atomic argon beams with atomic metal vapours. A key parameter in both processes is the metal atom particle density. For iron, metal particle densities above a thermal open crucible-type evaporator were determined using quartz-micro-balance mass flux measurements, revealing a point-source-like dependence on the distance from the crucible. For silver atoms the particle densities were also determined using scattering from small argon clusters. Formation and soft-deposition of iron nanoparticles was first attempted using a supersonic beam of argon atoms that was blown into a vapour of iron atoms. Transmission electron microscopy showed the presence of iron nanoparticles whose size depended on the deposition time, showing that aggregation takes place after deposition. The deposition rates were of the order of 0.01 nm/s. In the second part of the study argon clusters containing on average 21 atoms were directed through vapours of xenon or silver atoms. Time-of-flight mass spectrometry showed the presence of xenon and silver clusters when the xenon or silver particle densities were increased. The xenon clusters contained up to four atoms whereas silver would only formdimers. The mass spectra also showed argon atoms attached to the xenon clusters, but not to the silver dimers, which was attributed to the high temperature of the silver dimers.

Le bon fonctionnement et les performances des turbines à vapeur sont liés à l'état de la vapeur et notamment au taux d'humidité qu'elle contient. EDF souhaite pouvoir maîtriser les phénomènes spécifiques à ces problématiques afin d'améliorer l'utilisation et l'évolution de ses turbines. Le sujet de recherche concerne la modélisation de la formation de l'humidité dans un corps de turbine et l'étude des couplages entre la phase liquide et les instationnarités. Dans ce contexte, la démarche adoptée est la suivante : la présence d'humidité est prise en compte à l'aide d'un modèle homogène, couplé à des modèles de condensation permettant de prendre en compte les phénomènes hors-équilibre thermodynamique : le grossissement et la nucléation des gouttes d'eau dans la vapeur. Pour mener à bien les calculs, des méthodes numériques adaptées aux gaz réels ont été utilisées et testées à l'aide d'un code monodimensionnel avant d'être intégrées dans le code 3D elsA. Deux types de modèles de condensation ont été mis en œuvre, considérant ou non la polydispersion des gouttes dans la vapeur. Les couplages instationnaires entre la condensation et l'écoulement principal ont été étudiés à différents niveaux d'observations (1D, 1D − 3D, 3D). Il a été montré que la méthode des moments apporte une richesse supplémentaire par rapport à un modèle mono-dispersé, et permet de mieux capter les couplages instationnaires entre l'humidité et le champ principal.

Thesis: Ph. D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2016.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 70-76).
Until the past decade, optical microscopy of biological specimens was strongly limited by diffraction and scattering, affecting imaging resolution and depth, respectively. Now, numerous methods are available to overcome each of these limitations, but sub-diffraction limited resolution imaging over large volumes of scattering tissue is still a challenge. This work concerns the development of a new method, Expansion Microscopy (ExM) for achieving effect sub-diffraction-limited optical images in biological specimens. In ExM, the specimen is embedded in a swellable gel material to which fluorescent probes are chemically anchored. The embedded tissue is strongly digested so that it will not hinder uniform expansion driven by the gel. The gel with embedded, fragmented tissue is washed in water, triggering expansion of around 4-fold in each dimension. A variant of the method, ExM with Protein Retention (proExM) is presented that allows proteins themselves, rather than fluorescent probes, to be anchored by a small molecule cross-linker to the gel, so that the method may be carried out entirely with commercial components and standard antibodies.
by Paul W. Tillberg.
Ph. D.

Hundreds of millions of users each day search the web and other repositories to meet their information needs. However, queries can fail to find documents due to a mismatch in terminology. Query expansion seeks to address this problem by automatically adding terms from highly ranked documents to the query. While query expansion has been shown to be effective at improving query performance, the gain in effectiveness comes at a cost: expansion is slow and resource-intensive. Current techniques for query expansion use fixed values for key parameters, determined by tuning on test collections. We show that these parameters may not be generally applicable, and, more significantly, that the assumption that the same parameter settings can be used for all queries is invalid. Using detailed experiments, we demonstrate that new methods for choosing parameters must be found. In conventional approaches to query expansion, the additional terms are selected from highly ranked documents returned from an initial retrieval run. We demonstrate a new method of obtaining expansion terms, based on past user queries that are associated with documents in the collection. The most effective query expansion methods rely on costly retrieval and processing of feedback documents. We explore alternative methods for reducing query-evaluation costs, and propose a new method based on keeping a brief summary of each document in memory. This method allows query expansion to proceed three times faster than previously, while approximating the effectiveness of standard expansion. We investigate the use of document expansion, in which documents are augmented with related terms extracted from the corpus during indexing, as an alternative to query expansion. The overheads at query time are small. We propose and explore a range of corpus-based document expansion techniques and compare them to corpus-based query expansion on TREC data. These experiments show that document expansion delivers at best limited benefits, while query expansion � including standard techniques and efficient approaches described in recent work � usually delivers good gains. We conclude that document expansion is unpromising, but it is likely that the efficiency of query expansion can be further improved.

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is the 5th busiest airport in the world, receiving more than 61 million passengers annually. In 2002, LAX was close to capacity in handling international passengers and over 75% capacity in handling domestic passengers. With the next 10 years passenger and cargo travel at LAX is expected to increase 25%. With capacity levels reaching its peak the officials at the Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) that oversees the operations at LAX, Van Nuys, Palmdale and Ontario Airports determined that it was a definite need to expand airports in the Los Angeles region. In order to effectively address air traffic within the Los Angeles region the airports must accommodate for increased traffic, but also address the environmental impact, passenger safety, traffic congestion, and improved security and accessibility. Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), which operates LAX and three other airports, is in the process of redesigning LAX. to make the airport experience more enjoyable, improve airfield safety and reduce its environmental footprint, while maintaining the airport's role as an engine for the regional economy. According to 1995 statistics from the U.S Department of Commerce, the Los Angeles region was equivalent to the 121h largest economy in the world with GDP of 433 Billion Dollars. When addressing the feasibility for expanding air traffic in the Los Angeles area the first option discussed was to expand the other airports owned by LAWA (Ontario, Palmdale, and Van Nuys). Ontario and Palmdale Airports are currently the best options for expansion. Currently Ontario Airport (ONT) can accommodate 20 million passengers annually and can handle up to 20.5 million annual passengers (MAP) in 2020. Ontario Airport reduce some pressures from LAX in terms of domestic flights, but will not be able to lower the total amount of flights from LAX. Palmdale Airport (PMD) has the infrastructure to expand but due to its remote location and lack of interest from the airline industry subsequently dropped Palmdale from consideration. Van Nuys Airport (VNY) was immediately eliminated from contention due to noise restrictions, limited space, and close proximity to Burbank (BUR) airport. Other airports in the region not owned by LAWA; Long Beach (LGB), Santa Ana- John Wayne (SNA), and Burbank (BUR) has expressed interest in obtaining more flights to alleviate some pressure from LAX and have ramped up efforts to increase the daily number of flights. Unfortunately those airports have limited space to expand, strict noise ordinances set by the surrounding communities, and inadequate infrastructure to accommodate large aircraft for long-haul flights. With options decreasing the last choice will be to expand LAX. LAX also has the issue of limited expansion space, noise and environmental concerns, safety implications, and cost concerns. Expansion of this airport will be very challenging and this report will discuss the issues pertaining to the expansion to the Los Angeles International Airport from a Systems Architecture standpoint.

An approach to a new class of compounds known as bridgehead dienone is described. The route is based on a tandem contraction-expansion event in which the contraction triggers the expansion. The two steps involved are a palladium-catalyzed Favorskii contraction and a cis-divinyl cyclopropanone rearrangement. Progress towards these goals is reported.

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2009.
Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains viii, 99 p. : ill. (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 83-90).

Distribution system operators face the challenge to connect users rapidly to the grid and the opportunity to reduce costs for new connections. A method to enhance network operation and planning is dynamic transformer rating (DTR), which considers load and temperature variations to increase the rating of the transformer while maintaining in safe operation. This project investigates DTR application to an existing population of transformers connected to a wind park and proposes a method for adding new turbines to the grid using installed transformers. Five transformer locations and nine units belonging to E.ON AB are used to find the potential of DTR for network expansion. A weather analysis reveals that simultaneous high wind speeds and high temperatures seldom occur. An aging estimation based on the IEC 60076-7 standard shows that the transformers for wind power applications are underused. Considering the transformer thermal model, a sensitivity analysis shows that the parameters that mostly affect the aging rate are the moisture content, the hot spot factor, and the top-oil temperature rise. The maximum load to assure aging below 50 years is calculated for each transformer for different maximum hot-spot temperature levels showing that increasing the maximum allowed temperature reduces curtailment and increases aging. A single node analysis depicts the optimal expansion of wind power from a generator perspective, and a network analysis introduces further restrictions to the network. As a result, the optimal increase factor is around 30 to 50 % and is larger for higher hot-spot temperature limits. Accurate weather measurements and transformer parameters are necessary to make a proper estimation of transformer aging to unlock transformer potential. To use fiber optic temperature sensors in new transformers and on-site temperature measurements can increase the rating of the transformer. A maximum allowed temperature of 110◦C is conservative and limits the potential of the transformer for wind power applications. Finally, society benefits from DTR in wind power applications because there is a more efficient use of resources and additional renewable energy can be introduced to the network.
Eldistributionsnätet står inför en utmaning att snabbt ansluta användare till nätet och en möjlighet att miska kostnaderna i nya ansultnigar. En metod för att förbättra nätverksdrift och planering är dynamisk lastbarhet hos transformatorer, eller dynamic transformer rating (DTR). Metoden beaktar belastings- och temperaturvariationer för att öka transformatorns lastbarhet samtidigt som den upprätthåller säker drift. Detta projekt undersöker tillämpningen av dynamisk lastbarhet till en befintling population av transformatorer kopplade till en vindkraftpark och föreslår en metod för att ansluta ytterligare turbiner till nätet med hjälp av befintliga transformatorer. Fem transformatorplatser och nio enheter som tillhör E.ON AB används för att undersöka potentialen för DTR inom tillämpningar för nätverksexpansion. En vänderanalysis avslöhar att både höga vindhastigheter och temperaturer sällan uppstår samtidigt. En uppskattning av åldrandet baserad på IEC 60076-7-standarden visar att transformatorer för vindkraftstillämpningar är underanvända. Med avseende på den termisk transformatormodellen visar en känslighetsanalys att parametrarna som påverkar minskning av livslängden mest är fuktinnehållet, hot spot-faktorn och ökning av top-olja-temperaturen. Den maximala belastningen för att säkerställa en åldring under 50 år beräknas för varje transformator, för olika värden på den maximala hotspottemperaturen. Detta visar att med ökning av den maximala tillåtna temperaturen minskar produktionsbortfall och ökar åldrandet. En-nods-analys visar den optimala expansionen av vindkraft från en producents perspektiv, och en nätverksanalys introducerar ytterligare begränsningar för nätverket. Detta resulterar i en optimal ökningsfaktor på cirka 30-50% och är större för högre värden på den maximala hotspottemperaturen. Noggranna vädermätningar och transformatorparametrar är nödvändiga för att göra en korrekt uppskattning av transformatorns åldrande. Att använda fiberoptiska temperatursensorer i nya transformatorer och platsspecifika temperaturmätningar kan öka transformatorns lastbarhet. En maximal tillåten temperatur på 110 ◦C är för konservativ och begränsar transformatorns potential för vindkraftstillämpningar. Samhället drar fördel av DTR i vindkraftstillämpningar eftersom det leder till en effektivare resursanvändning och att ytterligare förnybar energi kan introduceras i nätverket.

Ce travail s'interesse a une reaction d'hydrolyse d'un ester qui peut etre catalysee par la soude. On obtient d'abord des equations pour la cinetique de cette reaction en l'absence ou en presence de catalyseur. On s'interesse ensuite a l'identification de modeles thermodynamiques permettant le calcul des equilibres liquide-vapeur et liquide-liquide-vapeur du melange d'especes chimiques concerne. Un chapitre theorique distingue diverses sortes d'equilibres entre phases. Dans une derniere partie on passe a la simulation d'installations effectuant cette hydrolyse

L'etude theorique et appliquee des mecanismes de transport des atomes metalliques mis en phase vapeur dans les methodes de depot physique en phase vapeur (p. V. D. ) fait l'objet de ce travail. Une premiere etude a ete realisee dans le cas de l'evaporation sous vide. Dans ce cas, les atomes emis suivent une trajectoire rectiligne sans subir de collision, et l'etude des phenomenes de transport porte principalement sur les conditions d'emission des atomes. Pour cela, l'influence, de la deformation de la source et de la fonction de distribution spatiale, sur les repartitions en epaisseur, a ete etudiee. L'hypothese de l'existence d'une zone de pression elevee au voisinage de la source permet d'expliquer la deformation des repartitions en epaisseurs experimentales. L'existence d'une telle zone semble etre confirmee par le calcul des pressions au-dessus de la source. La deuxieme partie de ce memoire porte sur la modelisation du transfert des atomes pulverises en pulverisation cathodique magnetron. Dans ce cas, les atomes metalliques subissent des collisions avec les atomes du gaz support de la decharge electrique. Les trajectoires des atomes sont alors simulees par les methodes de monte carlo et une comparaison entre des repartitions en epaisseur theoriques et experimentales permet de valider le modele dans le cas de la pulverisation des metaux purs. Ce modele est ensuite utilise pour determiner les fonctions de repartition en energie et les angles d'incidence des atomes metalliques lorsqu'ils arrivent sur le depot en croissance. Ce modele a egalement ete applique aux cas de depots d'alliages metalliques binaires (aluminium-titane) et de depots de nitrure de titane (tin). L'evolution des rapports atomiques al/ti d'une part et n/ti d'autre part a ete etudiee pour differentes conditions de depot

On a mis au point un dispositif de mesure des faibles pressions, base sur la methode de saturation d'un gaz inerte. Il permet d'effectuer des mesures fiables dans les domaines suivants: 1