Abstract
Three-dimensional (3D) velocity field information of a laminar flow in a curved micro tube of circular cross-section has been measured using a digital micro holographic particle tracking velocimetry (HPTV). The temporal evolution of instantaneous velocity field of a water flow in a curved micro tube of $100\;{\mu}\;m$ and $300\;{\mu}\;m$ in inner diameter was obtained. The 3D mean velocity field distribution was obtained quantitatively by statistical-averaging of instantaneous velocity fields. At low Dean number (De), a secondary flow was not generated in the curved tube. With increasing Dean number, the secondary flow constituted of two large-scale counter-rotating vortices was formed due to enhanced centrifugal force. To reveal the flow characteristics of high Dean numbers, trajectories of fluid particles were evaluated experimentally from the 3D velocity fields data measured by the HPTV technique. The present experimental results, especially the 3D particle trajectories, would be helpful to design and to understand the mixing phenomena in 3D curved passages of various curved micro-tubes or micro-channels.