Ferrofluid aggregation and dispersion occurs at several length scales in pulsatile flow applications, e. g., in ferrofluidic pumps, valves, and biomedical applications such as magnetic drug targeting. Because of a yet limited understanding, ferrohydrodynamic investigations involving laboratory-scale studies in idealized geometries are of considerable use. We have injected a ferrofluid into a pulsatile host flow and produced field-induced dissolution (aggregation) using external magnets. A comparison is made with ferrofluid aggregation in a steady flow. Subsequently, the accumulation and dispersion of the ferrofluid aggregates in pulsatile flow are characterized by analyzing their size, mean position, and the flow frequency spectrum. The maximum aggregate size A(max), time to form it t(max), and the aggregate half-life t(half) are found to scale according to the relations A(max) proportional to Re-0.71, t(max) proportional to Re-2.1, and t(half) proportional to Re-2.2. While the experiments are conducted at a macroscopic length scale for useful experimental resolution, the results also enable an understanding of the micro- and mesoscale field-assisted self-assembly of magnetic nanoparticles. (c) 2005 American Institute of Physics.