Pulsed flows in flow analysis: Potentialities, limitations and applications

•Exploitation of pulsed flows as an advanced approach to flow analysis is reviewed.•Analytical applications are carefully selected and critically commented.•Use of acronyms for specifying different modalities of flow analysers is discouraged.•The expression “pulsed flow system” (and derived ones) is suggested.•Aspects arising from the exploitation of turbulent mixing are discussed.

In flow analysis, use of a steady and pulseless flow was considered essential for ensuring a reproducible handling of the flowing sample. To this end, peristaltic and syringe pumps have been the propelling device in the vast majority of the flow analysers. Recently, the number of applications involving pulsed flow has been increasing. Most of them refer to use of solenoid pumps, the essence of the so-called multi-pumping flow systems.This review critically discusses the characteristics, potentialities and limitations of the pulsed flow systems, emphasizing the main advantageous characteristics of the streams involved, such as high radial mass transference and good mixing of the fluids. Diverse contributions ranging from instrumentation development to analytical applications are presented.

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