Groeten uit... Oslo

Elk jaar vertrekken er B.I.L.-leden naar het buitenland om daar te gaan studeren en een nieuw land te leren kennen. Bij elke BB zullen we aandacht besteden aan deze studenten door per editie iemand te vragen te vertellen over zijn of haar ervaringen met studeren in een ander land. Dit keer is het de beurt aan Sylvia van Oevelen. Ze is op dit moment bachelorstudent en studeert een semester in Oslo

Activiteitenverslag

Ook de afgelopen maanden stonden weer bol van activiteit. De B.I.L. stond niet stil en zal dat evenmin de komende maanden doen. Was je er niet bij? Wees niet getreurd. Hier lees je terug was we de afgelopen maanden hebben beleefd

The Effect of Lateral Thermal Coupling Between Parallel Microchannels on Two‐Phase Flow Distribution

Evaporating flows in parallel channels occurring in a variety of industrial heat exchange processes can encounter non-uniform flow distribution between channels as a result of two-phase flow instabilities. Such flow maldistribution can have a negative impact on the performance, robustness and predictability of these systems. Two-phase flow modeling can assist in understanding the mechanistic behavior of this flow maldistribution, as well as determine parametric trends and identify safe operating conditions. The work described in this paper expands on prior two-phase flow distribution modeling efforts by including and assessing the effect of thermal conduction in the walls surrounding the parallel channels. This thermal conduction has a critical dampening effect on wall temperature gradients. In particular when a channel is significantly starved of flow rate and risks dryout, channel-to-channel thermal coupling can redistribute the heat load from the flow-starved channel to neighboring channels. The model is used to simulate the two-phase flow distribution in a system of two parallel channels driven by a constant flow rate pump. A comparison between thermally isolated and coupled channels indicates that thermally coupled channels are significantly less susceptible to maldistribution. Furthermore, a parametric study reveals that flow maldistribution is only possible in thermally coupled systems beyond a certain critical heat flux threshold. This threshold heat flux increases as the lateral wall conductance is increased, converging to a constant value in the limit of very high lateral conductance

Predicting Two-Phase Flow Distribution and Stability in Systems with Many Parallel Heated Channels

Two-phase heat exchangers are used in a variety of industrial processes in which the boiling fluid flows through a network of parallel channels. In some situations, the fluid may not be uniformly distributed through all the channels, causing a degradation in the thermal performance of the system. Amethodology for modeling two-phase flow distributions in parallel-channel systems is developed. The methodology combines a pressure-drop model for individual parallel channels with a pump curve into a system flow network. Due to the non-monotonicity of the pressure drop as a function of flow rate for boiling channels, many steady-state solutions exist for the system flow equations. A new numerical approach is proposed to analyze the stability of these solutions, based on a generalized eigenvalue problem. The method is specifically designed for analyzing systems with hundreds of identical parallel channels. The method is first applied to analyze the flow distribution and stability behavior in two-channel and five-channel systems. The asymptotic behavior of the flow stability is then analyzed for increasing numbers of channels, and it is shown that the stability behavior of a system with a constant flow-rate pump curve simplifies to the stability behavior for a constant pressure-drop pump curve. A parametric study is conducted to assess the influence of inlet temperature, heat flux, and flow rate on the stability of the uniform flow distribution solution as well as on the severity of flow maldistribution. Below some critical inlet subcooling, uniform flow distribution is always stable and maldistribution does not occur, regardless of heat flux and flow rate. Above this critical inlet subcooling, there is a range of operating parameters for which uniform flow distribution is unstable. With increasing inlet subcooling, this range broadens and the severity of the associated maldistribution increases

Hydrothermal activity, functional diversity and chemoautotrophy are major drivers of seafloor carbon cycling

Hydrothermal vents are highly dynamic ecosystems and are unusually energy rich in the deep-sea. In situ hydrothermal-based productivity combined with sinking photosynthetic organic matter in a soft-sediment setting creates geochemically diverse environments, which remain poorly studied. Here, we use comprehensive set of new and existing field observations to develop a quantitative ecosystem model of a deep-sea chemosynthetic ecosystem from the most southerly hydrothermal vent system known. We find evidence of chemosynthetic production supplementing the metazoan food web both at vent sites and elsewhere in the Bransfield Strait. Endosymbiont-bearing fauna were very important in supporting the transfer of chemosynthetic carbon into the food web, particularly to higher trophic levels. Chemosynthetic production occurred at all sites to varying degrees but was generally only a small component of the total organic matter inputs to the food web, even in the most hydrothermally active areas, owing in part to a low and patchy density of vent-endemic fauna. Differences between relative abundance of faunal functional groups, resulting from environmental variability, were clear drivers of differences in biogeochemical cycling and resulted in substantially different carbon processing patterns between habitats

Reef sponges facilitate the transfer of coral-derived organic matter to their associated fauna via the sponge loop

The high biodiversity of coral reefs results in complex trophic webs where energy and nutrients are transferred between species through a multitude of pathways. Here, we hypothesize that reef sponges convert the dissolved organic matter released by benthic primary producers (e.g. corals) into particulate detritus that is transferred to sponge-associated detritivores via the sponge loop pathway. To test this hypothesis, we conducted stable isotope (13C and15N) tracer experiments to investigate the uptake and transfer of coral-derived organic matter from the sponges Mycale fistulifera and Negombata magnifica to 2 types of detritivores commonly associated with sponges: ophiuroids (Ophiothrix savignyi and Ophiocoma scolopendrina) and polychaetes (Polydorella smurovi). Findings revealed that the organic matter naturally released by the corals was indeed readily assimilated by both sponges and rapidly released again as sponge detritus. This detritus was subsequently consumed by the detritivores, demonstrating transfer of coral-derived organic matter from sponges to their associated fauna and confirming all steps of the sponge loop. Thus, sponges provide a trophic link between corals and higher trophic levels, thereby acting as key players within reef food webs

Het 29e bestuur der B.I.L.

Maak kennis met het schittermagische 29ste bestuur der B.I.L.! Een divers team van drie mannen en vier vrouwen, weggetrokken uit de vele illustere huizen en verenigingen die Leiden rijk is, om in Den Haag en Leiden bestuurskundige studenten te voorzien van formele en informele activiteiten

The best solution down the line: an observational study on taurolidine- versus citrate-based lock solutions for central venous catheters in hemodialysis patients

Introduction To prevent infection and thrombosis of central venous catheters (CVCs) in hemodialysis patients, different CVC lock solutions are available. Taurolidine-based solutions and citrate in different concentrations are frequently used, but no definite conclusions with regard to superiority have been drawn. Methods In this retrospective, observational, multicenter study, we aimed to assess the risk for removal of CVC due to infection or catheter malfunction in hemodialysis patients with CVC access for different lock solutions: taurolidine, high-concentrated citrate (46.7%) and low-concentrated citrate (4 or 30%). A multivariable Cox-regression model was used to calculate hazard ratio's (HR). Results We identified 1514 patients (median age 65 years, 59% male). In 96 (6%) taurolidine-based lock solutions were used. In 1418 (94%) citrate-based lock solutions were used (high-concentrated 73%, low-concentrated 20%). Taurolidine-based lock solutions were associated with a significantly lower hazard for removal of CVC due to infection or malfunction combined (HR 0.34, 95% CI 0.19-0.64), and for removal of CVC due to infection or malfunction separately (HR 0.36, 95% CI 0.15-0.88 and HR0.33, 95% CI 0.14-0.79). High-concentrated citrate lock solutions were not associated with a decreased hazard for our outcomes, compared to low-concentrated citrate lock solutions. Conclusion Removal of CVC due to infection or catheter malfunction occurred less often with taurolidine-based lock solutions. We present the largest cohort comparing taurolidine- and citrate-based lock solutions yet. However, due to the retrospective observational nature of this study, conclusions with regard to superiority should be drawn with caution.Clinical epidemiolog

Status and trends in the structure of Arctic benthic food webs

Ongoing climate warming is causing a dramatic loss of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean, and it is projected that the Arctic Ocean will become seasonally ice-free by 2040. Many studies of local Arctic food webs now exist, and with this review paper we aim to synthesize these into a large-scale assessment of the current status of knowledge on the structure of various Arctic marine food webs and their response to climate change, and to sea-ice retreat in particular. Key drivers of ecosystem change and potential consequences for ecosystem functioning and Arctic marine food webs are identified along the sea-ice gradient, with special emphasis on the following regions: seasonally ice-free Barents and Chukchi seas, loose ice pack zone of the Polar Front and Marginal Ice Zone, and permanently sea-ice covered High Arctic. Finally, we identify knowledge gaps in different Arctic marine food webs and provide recommendations for future studie