Design of a large scale flow-meter test and calibration facility

The design and set up of a large-scale flowmeter calibration and test facility is presented. The facility was designed to handle flowmeters with diameters between 6” and 14”, flow rates up to 0.3 m3/s and to give results less than 1% accurate. The calibration methodology consisted firstly in calibrating the pattern flowmeters, using volume and time primary measurements, and secondly, comparing the pattern to the flowmeters needing calibration. The design and calculation of the primary calibration device is addressed, including numerical simulations of the outflow manifold and the comparison to experimental data. The calibration facility proved to be accurate and reliable in producing renewed calibration data for various tested flowmeter

Design of a flow deflector for an accurate flow meter calibration facility

The design and test of a flow deflector gate used for controlling the flow deviation toward the primary tank in a flow-meter calibration facility is presented. The deflector gate is pneumatically controlled and permits the flow conduction to either the suction tank or to the primary tank. The deflector is designed to approximately compensate the flow deficit towards the primary tank during the opening, with the flow excess while in the shutting process. Numerical simulations are performed to study the flow hydrodynamics during the deflector operation. Results are compared to experimental data, and used to improve the gate design. The enhanced design proved to guarantee the uniformity of the flow through the calibration section and the dramatic reduction of the error in volume measurement during calibration

Design of a large scale flow-meter test and calibration facility

The design and set up of a large-scale flowmeter calibration and test facility is presented. The facility was designed to handle flowmeters with diameters between 6” and 14”, flow rates up to 0.3 m3/s and to give results less than 1% accurate. The calibration methodology consisted firstly in calibrating the pattern flowmeters, using volume and time primary measurements, and secondly, comparing the pattern to the flowmeters needing calibration. The design and calculation of the primary calibration device is addressed, including numerical simulations of the outflow manifold and the comparison to experimental data. The calibration facility proved to be accurate and reliable in producing renewed calibration data for various tested flowmeter

Design of the distribution manifold for a large-scale flowmeter calibration facility

The design and test of the distribution manifold for a large-scale flowmeter calibration facility is presented. The design was intended to have an air-free flow operation and a free-surface flow-like towards the downstream half-body discharge. Back of the envelope calculations are presented for the estimation of the preliminary dimensions. Numerical simulations of the flow during manifold steady state operation are utilized to refine the manifold design. No air entrapment is noticed in the flow simulatio

Evaluation of a quality improvement intervention to reduce anastomotic leak following right colectomy (EAGLE): pragmatic, batched stepped-wedge, cluster-randomized trial in 64 countries

Background Anastomotic leak affects 8 per cent of patients after right colectomy with a 10-fold increased risk of postoperative death. The EAGLE study aimed to develop and test whether an international, standardized quality improvement intervention could reduce anastomotic leaks. Methods The internationally intended protocol, iteratively co-developed by a multistage Delphi process, comprised an online educational module introducing risk stratification, an intraoperative checklist, and harmonized surgical techniques. Clusters (hospital teams) were randomized to one of three arms with varied sequences of intervention/data collection by a derived stepped-wedge batch design (at least 18 hospital teams per batch). Patients were blinded to the study allocation. Low- and middle-income country enrolment was encouraged. The primary outcome (assessed by intention to treat) was anastomotic leak rate, and subgroup analyses by module completion (at least 80 per cent of surgeons, high engagement; less than 50 per cent, low engagement) were preplanned. Results A total 355 hospital teams registered, with 332 from 64 countries (39.2 per cent low and middle income) included in the final analysis. The online modules were completed by half of the surgeons (2143 of 4411). The primary analysis included 3039 of the 3268 patients recruited (206 patients had no anastomosis and 23 were lost to follow-up), with anastomotic leaks arising before and after the intervention in 10.1 and 9.6 per cent respectively (adjusted OR 0.87, 95 per cent c.i. 0.59 to 1.30; P = 0.498). The proportion of surgeons completing the educational modules was an influence: the leak rate decreased from 12.2 per cent (61 of 500) before intervention to 5.1 per cent (24 of 473) after intervention in high-engagement centres (adjusted OR 0.36, 0.20 to 0.64; P < 0.001), but this was not observed in low-engagement hospitals (8.3 per cent (59 of 714) and 13.8 per cent (61 of 443) respectively; adjusted OR 2.09, 1.31 to 3.31). Conclusion Completion of globally available digital training by engaged teams can alter anastomotic leak rates. Registration number: NCT04270721 (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov)