Browsing by Author "KERBOUA Kaouther (Encadrant)"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    Étude et vérification du fonctionnement de la colonne de dépropanisation de l’unité Gaz Plant 1 (U30) de la raffinerie de Skikda (RA1K) par rapport au design, à l’aide du logiciel Aspen HYSYS.
    (Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Technologie et d’Ingénierie-Annaba, 2025) LATRECHE Oumeima; GHAZIOUI Safa; KERBOUA Kaouther (Encadrant)
    Ce travail de fin d’études porte sur la modélisation et l’optimisation de la colonne de dépropanisation de l’unité Gas Plant 1 (U30) de la raffinerie RA1K de Skikda, à l’aide du logiciel Aspen HYSYS. L’objectif principal était d’évaluer les performances réelles de l’unité, d’identifier les pertes de propane, et de proposer des ajustements sur les paramètres critiques afin d’améliorer la séparation C₃/C₄. Les simulations ont montré un écart initial de pureté du propane en tête de colonne (0,906 contre 0,985 industriel), traduisant une sous-performance. Une analyse approfondie a permis d’identifier une perte de propane de 162,28 kg/h dans le fuel gas en tête du dééthaniseur. En ajustant le débit de fuel gas à 302,33 kg/h, la pureté du propane a été portée à 0,9064, et le débit récupéré à 10,25 m³/h, très proche des valeurs industrielles. Le taux de reflux optimal a été confirmé à 6, assurant un bon compromis entre efficacité de séparation et consommation énergétique. L’analyse de sensibilité a mis en évidence l’impact majeur du débit de fuel gas et du taux de reflux sur la performance. Des recommandations ont été proposées, notamment le maintien du reflux à 6, la stabilisation de la pression, et l’étude à long terme de l’ajout de plateaux pour améliorer la séparation. Ces résultats démontrent la pertinence de la simulation pour le diagnostic et l’optimisation des colonnes de distillation dans un cadre industriel, et offrent une base solide pour des actions d’amélioration continue.
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    Modeling a zero-gap asymmetric electrolyzer: a fundamental approach to overcome the geometric limits
    (National Higher School of Technology and Engineering-Annaba, 2025) SELMANI Abderrahmane; KERBOUA Kaouther (Encadrant)
    The widespread use of reverse osmosis (RO) for seawater desalination has intensified the issue of brine disposal, raising environmental concerns due to its high salinity and chemical load. This study investigates a sustainable valorization route by coupling industrial field data from the UTE Desaladora plant in Skikda, Algeria, with a numerical model of asymmetric zero-gap electrolysis for the recovery of valuable products, notably hydrogen (H₂) and hydroxide ions (OH⁻). A MATLAB-based simulation tool was developed to assess the performance of the electrolyzer under various operational parameters, including voltage, temperature, gas bubble accumulation, Faradaic efficiency, and hydroxide capture factor effects. Polarization curve, has demonstrated that anode activation significantly enhanced the system's efficiency, reducing internal resistance of nearly 70% and increasing performance by up to 65%. The performance assessment showed strong agreement between simulation and experimental results in hydrogen production while greater deviations were observed in current evolution over tome, mainly due to gas bubble accumulation and simplified assumptions in the model. The parametric study revealed that temperature increase reduced cathodic resistance by 46% and increased H₂ output by more than 60%. Similarly, bubble coverage beyond 30% drastically increased ohmic losses, while a hydroxide capture factor above 0.9 severely hindered conductivity and gas production. Discrepancies between simulation and experimental data highlighted the impact of real-world phenomena such as bubble coverage and side reactions, emphasizing the need for more comprehensive and dynamic modeling.
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    Modelling and simulation of an integrated process for the valorisation of reverse osmosis brine
    (NATIONAL HIGHER SCHOOL OF TECHNOLOGY AND ENGINEERING -ANNABA, 2024) OUARI Ikram; HAMRAKROUHA Nesrine; KERBOUA Kaouther (Encadrant)
    The brine produced by desalination poses a threat to marine ecosystems because of its high salinity and chemical composition. Hybrid processes and the integration of renewable energies such as solar and wind power are used to optimize the transformation of brine into valuable products, while minimizing environmental degradation. Our project aims to develop a comprehensive mathematical model for the conversion of reverse osmosis brine into hydrochloric acid and hydrogen using PV-electrolysis. The model is validated experimentally and used to optimize the system through a parametric analysis. The obtained preliminary results with conventional power supply demonstrated a high correlation coefficient of 0.995 and also a high determination coefficient of 0.992, suggesting that the simulation model is highly accurate and reliable. The integration of the photovoltaic power supply and the study of the effects of cell temperature, global radiation and electrolyte concentration provided valuable information on system behavior under different conditions. It was found that ambient temperature is optimal for the performance of the membrane electrolyzer supplied by PV, while the highest performance was obtained with high values of solar radiation of 900 W/m². Regarding the concentration of the electrolyte, a concentration factor of 5 conducted to the highest the conductivity, making the electrolyte becomes richer in ions, thus lowering the resistance of the electrolyte and therefore the ohmic resistance in the electrolytic cell.
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    Recovery of acid and base from reverse osmosis brines: An electrochemical engineering solution adapted to UTE Desaladora Skikda station
    (NATIONAL HIGHER SCHOOL OF TECHNOLOGY AND ENGINEERING -ANNABA, 2024) OUARI Ikram; HAMRAKROUHA Nesrine; KERBOUA Kaouther (Encadrant)
    As demand for water increases, seawater desalination is becoming increasingly important, with reverse osmosis being the most commonly used method due to its high energy efficiency. However, the environmental impact of brine discharge is a challenge.The main objective of this project is to design an innovative modular device capable of simultaneously producing sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and hydrochloric acid (HCl) by an integrated process combining electrolysis and photochemical reaction, in partnership with UTE Desaladora desalination plant, Skikda. The system is adaptable to different production scales, starting with laboratory experiments. The work attempts through a parametric study to optimize the process using low-cost electrode materials while maintaining system efficiency and durability. The obtained results allowed the verification of the repeatability of the experiments of both electrolysis of synthetic brine and photochemical synthesis of hydrochloric acid, with a determination coefficient exceeding 92% and a correlation coefficient higher than 95%. The parametric analysis including feeding voltage, cell temperature, photoreactor stirring and electrolysis membrane type, demonstrated the existence of compromises between energy consumption and feeding current, as well as between the kinetic of the photochemical reaction and the dissolution of electrolytic gases in the reactor content. In terms of cell temperature, the positive effect attained a plateau at around 54°C, while N117 was the optimal separator for both synthetic and real brine recovered from the desalination station.
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    Solar electrolysis as an integrated pilot-scale continuous process coupled with reverse osmosis with energy recovery perspectives
    (National Higher School of Technology and Engineering-Annaba, 2025) SELMANI Abderrahmane; KERBOUA Kaouther (Encadrant)
    Reverse osmosis (RO) is a widely adopted desalination method, but its large-scale use raises environmental concerns due to the discharge of concentrated brine into marine ecosystems, reducing dissolved oxygen and harming aquatic biodiversity. This study proposes a valorization pathway using asymmetric zero-gap electrolysis to convert brine into value-added products such as hydrogen (H₂), sodium hydroxide (NaOH), and hypochlorite ions (ClO⁻). The system employs a Nafion Perl 500 diaphragm with low-cost electrodes namely carbon foam (anode) and nickel foam (cathode). A parametric study exploring supply potential, temperature, feed flow rate, and water type effect identified optimal performance using RO water as the electrolyte at 2.3 2.5 V, achieving over 96% Faradaic efficiency. Anode activation using a nickel-based catalyst reduced internal resistance by 80% at 2.3 V and 25% at 6 V, enhancing H₂ and OH⁻ generation kinetics. Synthetic brine provided more stable and efficient results compared to industrial brine, which exhibited greater complexity. Photovoltaic (PV) integration demonstrated the potential for decentralized, off-grid green hydrogen and chemical co-production. However, further investigation is required to elucidate the coupled effects of ion transport, reaction kinetics, and gas evolution in zero-gap architectures.