Study of a laminar falling film flowing over a wavy wall column: Part II. Experimental validation of hydrodynamic model

The interface position of a film flowing over a wavy wall column is experimentally studied by an optical method composed of a charge coupled device (CCD) video camera. The results are compared with theoretical calculations and show a good agreement between results for both the film thickness and the vortex position. However, there exist some discrepancies because the interface is travelled by waves not accounted for in the mathematical model as it is supposed to be flat. Some characteristics of the waves are experimentally noted. Furthermore, the influence of the viscosity on the film thickness is established as well.