Experimental investigation on the hydrodynamics of falling liquid film flow by nonlinear description procedure

Extending a previous analytical investigation, the effect of wall heating on the hydrodynamics of falling liquid films was studied by calculating the fractal dimensions of reconstructed phase spaces from experimental measurements. The results illustrated that the wall heat flux has a significant influence on the hydrodynamics of falling liquid films, especially in the case of low flow rates. The causes for this effect may be attributable to density variations within the films and thermocapillarity effects acting on the free surface interface of the films, particularly for situations where wall heating is present. The combined effect of these two factors may be more apparent for thin films with a low flow rate than for thicker films with higher flow rates. The results indicated that the hydrodynamics and heat transfer of falling liquid films present a conjugate problem, especially in the case of low flow rates, and that this conjugation should be considered in any the study of heat transfer of falling liquid films.