Abstract
In order to investigate flow characteristics of blood flow in a micro tube ($100{\mu}m$ in diameter) according to hematocrit, in-vitro experiments were carried out using a micro-PIV technique. The micro-PIV system consists of a microscope, a 2 head Nd:YAG laser, a 12 bit cooled CCD camera and a delay generator. Blood was supplied into the micro tube using a syringe pump. Hematocrit of blood was controlled to be 20%, 30% and 40%. The blood flow has a cell free layer near the tube wall and its thickness was changed with increasing the flow rate and hematocrit. The hemorheological characteristics such as shear rate and viscosity were evaluated using the velocity field data measured. As the flow rate increased, the blunt velocity profile in the tube center was sharpened. The viscosity of blood was rapidly increased with decreasing shear rate, especially in the region of low shear rate, changing RBC rheological properties. The variation of velocity profile and blood viscosity shows typical characteristics of Non-Newtonian fluids. On the basis of inflection points, the cell free layer and two-phase flow consisting of plasma and suspensions including RBCs were clearly discriminated.
