Abstract

Eighteen months of long hours work is now contained into this tome. It was fulfilled with the support of people involved with it either directly, or indirectly. They are those to whom I dedicate this thesis. My thanks and gratitude to my thesis advisor, Dr. Susan Krumdieck. You helped me with the scientific work, and have always been there to solve issues related to my course study and experimental work. I was impressed by your knowledge, sense of humour and diplomacy. Hope you are pleased with the amount of work done during this period and its quality. Thank you for organising the research and for insuring the funds required to finalise my bit of work. Regards to my course lecturers Dr. Alan Tucker and Dr. Pat Jordan. I will remember what you’ve taught me, not just thermodynamics and fluid dynamics principles. My old friend Leo Markus. Thank you for the help during my most difficult period here. Thank you for helping me to crack-down on the analytical models. I’ve learned from you great deal of scientific things, and what real life and friendly support are about. I have to thank my family, my patience wife and children that spent an impressive amount of time without me around. You had to wait me coming late at night, after long days of struggle with theoretical flow dynamics and vacuum theory concepts, or stubborn experiments. You always trusted me, and can see now that your trust wasn’t in vane. The laboratory technicians and workshop tradesmen, thanks for helping me making things work. To my friends Gwenda, Graham, Lindsey and Mary Ellen. Thank you for the help during