Current hemodialysis techniques rely on hollow-fiber tubes in a tube-and-shell operating approach. The method works satisfactorily; but, technological advantages of this method are already exhausted for a long time. Additional improvements are needed which could provide a way towards improving patient health and quality of life. Patients with renal failure undergo intense filtration sessions approximately three times a week leaving them fatigued. Large oscillations in concentration of various solutes within blood cause detrimental consequences on the overall health of patients.

Flow uniformity between individual channels within a microchannel array can be a significant factor affecting the performance of laminated-sheet chemical microreactors and micro-heat exchangers. Small dead volume and low residence time through the manifold are also typically favorable in these applications. In the specific application where mass transfer is desired between membrane-separated layers of microchannels, the use of shallow microchannels is important for achieving effective diffusion but negatively impacts the flow distribution among the channels. However, by implementing a thoughtful manifold design the manifold volume can be minimized while maintaining flow uniformity. In this study, numerical modeling is used to quantitatively investigate the impact of the geometry of the manifold and the structural parameters of the microchannels on desired uniformity and pressure drop within the low-Reynolds number system. The CFD tool COMSOL is used for the simulations.