Convective dispersion of blood gases in curved channel exchangers

The rates of hemoglobin saturation and carbon dioxide reduction in blood flowing in a curved channel membrane exchanger were studied theoretically by considering the fluid‐limited process and the wall‐limited process. The fluid‐limited process was studied for laminar flows with and without secondary circulations. The relatively nontraumatic centrifugally induced circulations in the curved channel can reduce the required channel length to less than 1/500 that required for unperturbed flow. Such improvement, however, is practical only if very permeable membranes are available. If thePO2= 715 mm. Hg andPCO2= 0 mm. Hg at the walls, the fluid‐limited analyses show oxygenation to be the slower process and the wall‐limited analyses indicate CO2removal to be the limiting process. If the best available silicone rubber membranes are used, the process will be fluid limited for the unperturbed flow and wall limited for the flow with secondary circulations.