Smoothing Oscillatory Peristaltic Pump Flow with Bioinspired Passive Components

Pulsating flows are common in many industrial, scientific, and natural fluidic systems. However, because the oscillatory flow component disturbs, e.g., optical measurements, deposition, or industrial processes, it is rarely desired. Moreover, in physiological conditions, pulsation control is desired.

We explore the effect of using a plant-inspired nonlinear resistor to smooth the output of a peristaltic pump. Incorporating a 3D printed millifluidic biomimetic device reduces the oscillation amplitudes by 3 orders of magnitude, from 100% to 0.1% of the output flow rate. This represents a tenfold improvement relative to a purely linear resistive-capacitive approach.

The observed flow kinetics compare well to a predictive model of peristaltic transport, allowing the further development of optimized fluid-handling systems driven by pulsatile flow. Applications to particle tracking and jetting are considered.