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Summary Lecture Notes Biofluidics | KU Leuven | 2025/26

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These lecture notes cover Biofluidics at KU Leuven's Bachelor in Bioengineering Sciences program, spanning foundational concepts through advanced applications. Topics include multiscale modeling, heat transfer mechanisms (conduction, convection, radiation), dimensionless numbers (Reynolds, Nusselt, Rayleigh, Womersley, Dean, Sherwood, Schmidt, Knudsen), molecular dynamics simulations, ion channel kinetics, and kinetic gas theory with the Boltzmann equation. The notes combine theoretical principles with biological examples like voltage-gated potassium channels and are well-organized by chapter, making them ideal for exam preparation and understanding complex fluid dynamics phenomena in biological systems.

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Biofluidics


INTRODUCTION (CHAPTER 1)

Multiscale modeling: a system is described and analyzed across
multiple spatial and or temporal scales at the same time  phenomena at
smaller scales influence behavior at larger scales (& omgekeerd), so a
single model at only one scale is often insufficient

Thermal conductivity k: measures how well a material conducts heat
(bv metals: k = high)

Convective heat transfer coefficient h: describes how efficiently heat
is removed/supplied by a fluid (heat transfer between solid surface & fluid)

Thermal diffusivity alfa: how fast heat spreads through a material
compared to how much heat the material can store  high = heat spreads
quickly  measures speed of T equalization inside material

NUMBERS:

Fourrier number: how far heat has diffused through a material over time
(>>1 = SS)

Biot number: compares internal conduction resistance to external
convection resistance  is heat transfer limited by conduction on inside or
convection on outside?
 Low Bi = easy conduction (k high)

Reynolds number: characterizes nature of fluid flow  laminar/turbulent,
compares inertial forces & viscous forces
 High Re = inertia dominates  turbulent flow
 Low Re = viscosity dominates  laminar flow

Prandtl number: compares momentum diffusion to thermal diffusion in
fluid  does momentum diffuse faster than heat?
 High Pr = momentum move faster
 Low Pr = heat diffuses faster

Nusselt number: measures how strong convection is compared to pure
conduction at surface  how much does fluid motion enhance heat
transfer compared to conduction only?
 High Nu = thin thermal boundary layer, strong convection
 = 1 = pure conduction through fluid
 >1 = convection enhances a bit


1

,Grashoff number: measures strength of buoyancy driven flow (for free
convection)  compares buoyancy forces (due to density differences) vs
viscous forces
 <<1: free convection negligible
 Laminar/turbulent free convection

Rayleigh number: how strong free convection is when buoyancy & heat
diffusion are taken into account
 High Ra = strong free convection
 Low Ra = heat transfer mainly by conduction

Peclet number: compares convective transport to diffusive transport
 <<1: diffusion
 >>1: convection

Womersley number: dimensionless; describes the importance of
pulsatile (time-dependent) flow effects compared to viscous effects in
oscillatory flows, especially blood flow in arteries  displays parabolic
tendencies (chapter 6)
 <1 = low frequency, parabolic velocity profile (capillaries)
 >10 = high frequency, flat profile (aorta)
o Proportional with vessel radius R

Dean number: quantifies the importance of secondary flow in curved
pipes or blood vessels (secondary flow = velocity of fluid in
radial/tangential direction)
 Low = flow like in a straight pipe
 High = very asymmetric profile

Sherwood number: characterizes convective mass transfer at a surface
(mass transfer analog of Nu-number)
 = 1 = transport dominated by diffusion
 >1 = convection enhances mass transfer

Schmidt number: compates momentum diffusion to mass diffusion
(mass transfer analog of Pr-number)
 High Sc = momentum diffuses faster than mass (thin concentration
boundary layer)
 Low Sc = mass diffuses quickly

Knudsen number: tells you whether a fluid can be treated as a
continuum or whether molecular effects become important

 < 10-2 = continuum
 >10 = free molecular flow




2

, CHAPTER 2

Heat transfer: transfer of energy due to T difference
 Conduction, convection, radiation (dia 33-34)

Temperature: measure of movement of molecules

Fourrier’s law: heat flux is proportional to (negative) T gradient

Newton’s law of cooling: flux at boundary is proportional to difference
of T at surface & T in fluid

Boundary conditions: what happens at the boundary of something
(zonder deze heb je oneindig veel opl)

 Dirichlet (fixed T): T is fixed & known at boundary: T = Ts
 Neumann (prescribed flux): flux at boundary is prescribed, you
know how much heat flows through boundary
o When insulated/adiabatic boundary: flux = 0
 Convection: heat transfer at boundary is governed by convection to
a surrounding fluid  heat loss depends on T difference between
surface & fluid
o Warmte die door conduction uit materiaal komt & aan
oppervlakte komt (dus eerst conduction in solid) = warmte die
door convectie via fluid wordt afgevoerd

 Radiation: heat transfer by thermal radiation between surface &
surroundings (no medium needed)  Stefan-Boltzmann law gives
heat flux at surface
o Warmte die door conduction uit materiaal komt & aan
oppervlakte komt (dus eerst conduction in solid = warmte die
door radiation wordt afgevoerd

Steady state: when T no longer changes in time, cte in time (it may vary
in space tho)  vanaf dia 43

Free vs forced convection:

- Free: no external forces cause flow of fluid, flow because of density
differences
o Gr, Ra
- Forced: with external forces  higher h
o Re
- Both: Nu (to get h for convection)

CHAPTER 3


3

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