In order to be able to design properly low pressure evaporators for sorption chillers, knowledge on vaporization of the refrigerant under conditions that might occur in these evaporators is fundamental. However, few studies focus on this subject and there is a lack of knowledge about vaporization (boiling or evaporation) phenomena occurring in compact evaporator at low pressure. The aim of the present thesis is thus to go further into the understanding of these phenomena both from a fundamental point of view and from an applicative point of view. In that goal, two experimental test setups were designed and built. The first experimental setup allows the observation of the water behavior at a pressure down to 0.8 kPa in pool boiling configuration. As the hydrostatic pressure is of the same order of magnitude as the vapor pressure, the boiling environment is highly subcooled. This unusual environment has an influence on the bubble size and on the bubble growth: its influence is analyzed. Boiling curves for pressures ranging from 0.8 kPa to 100 kPa were also plotted. Then, in order to be closer to a plate-type heat exchanger configuration, water pool-boiling in vertical configuration first without and then with confinement was studied. Boiling curves for a pressure ranging from 1.2 kPa to 5 kPa, different heights of the liquid level and for different channel thicknesses were plotted and analyzed. The occurrence of a specific boiling regime is observed. The influence of the onset of this specific regime on the heat transfer is shown. The significance of the Bond number, often used in study of boiling in confined space, is also discussed. The second experimental setup allows the observation of the water vaporization inside a channel of a smooth plate-type heat exchanger (0.2 m width x 0.5 m height) in conditions that might occur in sorption chillers (working pressure ranging from 16 kPa to 0.85 kPa, secondary fluid temperature ranging from 10.9 to 23.1 °C, filling ratio ranging from 1/2 to 1/10 of the whole channel height). The methodology of the design of experiments was followed for a thickness of the channel equal to 2 mm and 4 mm. Three mains flow regimes were observed and three different working areas were identified: a pool boiling area, a film evaporation area and a vapor area. The major part of the cooling capacity achieved is obtained in the film evaporation area. In this part, the creation of a liquid film due to the splashing of droplets is observed. These droplets come from the breaks of the membrane of a previously formed large bubble of several centimeters in the pool boiling area, few centimeters above the free surface. Cooling capacities ranging from 0 to 503 W were measured and conditions to obtain the best cooling capacity were determined. Finally, in order to provide some first guidelines for the design of low pressure evaporators, reflexions based on dimensionless numbers are proposed.