Kompartiment

A kompartiment is a distinct, bounded space within a larger system, separated from adjacent regions by membranes, walls, or interfaces. The concept is used across disciplines to describe how materials, energy, or information are organized and constrained within a structure. The term appears in several European languages, including Norwegian and Swedish, and has roots in the French word compartiment.

In biology and medicine, kompartimenter describe physical or functional subdivisions within an organism. Cells contain organelles and regions with specialized functions that form subcompartments. In physiology, the body’s fluids are considered to reside in compartments such as intracellular and extracellular spaces. Pharmacokinetics employs compartment models (for example one-compartment and two-compartment models) to describe how drugs distribute and are eliminated in the body.

In engineering and safety contexts, kompartimenter refer to enclosed sections designed to contain hazards or control flow. Examples include watertight or fire compartments in ships and aircraft, fuel or ballast tanks, and rooms or zones in buildings to improve safety, ventilation, or environmental control.

In ecology and environmental science, compartments are used in models to represent reservoirs of energy or nutrients and the flows between them, helping to study processes like carbon cycling or nutrient turnover.

Overall, the idea of a kompartiment is a bounded, functional unit within a larger system, facilitating analysis, control, and safety by clarifying how different parts interact and are separated.