In a centrifugal impeller passage, the behavior of passage vortex is strongly influenced by the centrifugal force caused by the curvature of the impeller passage and the Coriolis force induced by the rotation. The passage vortex generates a major part of the losses. In this study, the passage vortex is analyzed numerically by using the rotating curved duct which is considered to be a simplified model for centrifugal impeller channels. The inlet velocity profile is chosen as the major parameter affecting the generation of passage vortex.