Contact:
Kaspar Kirstein Nielsen, Associate Professor, DTU Energy
46774758, kaki@dtu.dk
FOSS and DTU Energy are looking for students to do numerical simulation on superparamagnetic beads suspended in bio fluids. DTU Energy has a substantial code based in Matlab ready for this and the project is focused on making an accurate description of the trajectory of superparamagnetic beads exposed to an applied magnetic field. This will be done by setting up the equations of motion for the system including fluid movement and magnetic forces.
FOSS is interested in using small functionalized magnetic beads for biological assays. The beads are typically less than 10 microns in diameter and are thus easily suspended in a liquid. The surface functionalization of the beads can be tailored to a given biological assay. A biological assay will typically involve that the beads are exposed to a multitude of different liquids. Here the super paramagnetic property of the beads become very important since it allow the beads to be manipulated in the flow system in various ways by use of externally imposed magnetic fields.
This project is about numerical simulations of forces acting on beads exposed to different dynamic and static configurations of permanent magnets. The magnetic forces can be superposed with hydrodynamic and buoyancy forces and the bead trajectories can be solved. By evaluating the bead trajectories the interaction of magnetic field with fluidic structures can be optimized. The project will be very relevant for FOSS in terms of ongoing instrument projects and planned advancements in in-house simulation capabilities. The student(s) will be granted access to our modern R&D facilities in Hillerød and will be part of an exciting development environment.
FOSS in brief
FOSS is the leading supplier of innovative analytical solutions for food analysis:
• FOSS employs more than 1370 dedicated people worldwide
• Many employees have a top-level scientific or technical background
• A turnover of €300 million in 2017
• 98 percent of FOSS’ business is generated outside Denmark
• More than 100 patents
• More than 20 world-first product introductions