Measurements of Three-Dimensional Flow in Microchannel With Complex Shape by Micro-Digital-Holographic Particle-Tracking Velocimetry

High time-resolution flow field measurement in two microchannels with a complex shape is performed by a micro-digital-holographic particle-tracking velocimetry (micro-DHPTV). The first microchannel has a Y junction that combines the flow of fluid from two inlets into one outlet. In this case, two laminar velocity profiles from the inlet regions merge into one laminar velocity profile. The second microchannel has a convergence region from where a fluid flows into a divergence region. At this region, two recirculation regions appear. Consequently, approximately 250 velocity vectors in both cases can be obtained instantaneously. For a microchannel with the convergence region, the two recirculation regions that appear at the divergence point are captured from a three-dimensional vector field, with which the axes of recircular vortices have some alignment. The reason why we can observe this phenomenon is that a three-dimensional velocity, including the depth direction, can be obtained by micro-DHPTV.