The pulsatile flow has been observed to reduce the mass transfer resistance which is existed in the counter-current flow system like hemodialysis (HD). In hemofiltration(HF), it must also be effective for decreasing the thickness of concentration polarization and/or protein gel layer.
The performance of pulsatile flow was examined experimentally both in HD and HF.
The comparison of mass transfer effects between pulsatile flow, blood pump flow and constant flow was done in vitro.
In HD, mass transfer coefficient was increased with higher amplitude and lower constant flow ratio, and had a peak at the frequency of 100min^-1.
In HF, the ultrafiltration rate (UFR) with blood side pulsatile flow was 10% and 20% higher than that with blood pump flow and constant blood flow respectively.