11724 Ind. Eng. Chem. Res.

2010, 49, 11724–11731

Transport Phenomena of Falling Liquid Film Flow on a Plate with Rectangular

Holes
Ming Zhu, Chun Jiang Liu,* Wei Wei Zhang, and Xi Gang Yuan
State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Tianjin UniVersity, Tianjin 300072, China

Falling liquid film flow is a sort of ubiquitous transport phenomenon occurring in chemical engineering.
Fundamental research on the flow and mass transfer behavior of falling liquid film flow on plates with different
structures can help engineers to develop more efficient equipment. In this paper, falling liquid film flow on
a plate with rectangular holes is investigated with both numerical and experimental methods. Mass transfer
experiments show that opening rectangle-shaped narrow holes on a plate can enhance the mass transfer
efficiency. Compared to an ordinary plate, the vapor-liquid mass transfer rate on a holed plate can be increased
by 10-20%. To analyze the detailed flow and mass transfer behavior, the computational fluid dynamics
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model (CFD) based on the volume of fluid (VOF) method is developed. In this model, the Marangoni effect
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induced by mass transfer is considered. The new model was demonstrated to give more satisfactory results
than the previous model.

1. Introduction compared with experimental data. Using semianalytical and

Falling liquid film flow is a primary phenomenon occurring
in nature and industry. Many scientists have delved into this
field and many works focused on falling liquid film flow have
been published.1-3 Chemical engineer interest is the mass
transfer behavior of this kind of flow in process equipment, such
as distillation and absorption in packed columns and vapor-liquid
reaction in trickle bed reactor. Experimental results show that
the flow pattern of this kind of flow is of great importance in
determining heat and mass transfer efficiency. By changing the
structure of the media on which falling film flow formed,
velocity profiles including interfacial velocity distribution can
be changed, which will lead to an increase or decrease of mass
and heat transfer efficiency. For corrugated structured packing
used in distillation column, opening holes on packing sheets
can change the falling film flow behavior and increase the
vapor-liquid mass transfer efficiency. Fundamental investiga-
tion of the flow and mass transfer behavior of the falling film
flow on plates with holes is very important for designing a
structured packing column and developing novel structured
packing.
In order to describe the falling liquid film flow behavior in
structured packing, the group of Cerro4-8 carried out a number
of experimental and theoretical studies. In their works, a film
evolution equation with an approximation of the viscous long-
wave for the Navier-Stokes equations was presented. Using
the volume of fluid (VOF)9 method, Szulczewska et al.10 and
Gu et al.11,12 investigated the falling film flow on a corrugated
plate, corresponding to the surface texture of structured packing.
Effects of the plate microstructure, liquid viscosity, surface
tension, and gas flow velocity on liquid flow pattern were
investigated as well. Also using the VOF method, Raynal et
al.13 performed 2D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simula-
tions to determine the liquid thickness on a wavy plate similar
to the packing surface. The results were used to derive the liquid
hold-up on the structured packing. Recently, Raynal and Royon-
Lebeaud14 developed a multiscale approach for CFD calculations
of gas-liquid flow within a large size column equipped with
structured packing. In their work, simulation results were
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: cjliu@
tju.edu.cn.
10.1021/ie9020683  2010 American Chemical Society
Published on Web 09/29/2010
CFD techniques, Valluri et al.15,16 investigated the dynamic
evolution of films over an industrial structured packing surface
at moderate Reynolds numbers. In their work, CFD was used
as a virtual experiment to verify the semianalytical model.
Hoffmann et al.17,18 investigated the two and three phases film
flow behavior for packing. For three-phase flow, their qualitative
comparison showed good agreement of simulations with experi-
ments. Yuan et al.19 developed a two-fluid CFD model to
simulate the two-phase cross/countercurrent flow in the packed
column with a novel internal. Their results showed that the
pressure drop calculated by the CFD model agrees well with
the experimental data at low gas superficial velocity. Yu et al.20
investigated the flow behavior of falling liquid film flow using
the laser doppler anemometry method and measured the surface
wavelengths and wave velocities. To better understand the
enhancement of the mass-transfer process, they also did mass-
transfer studies. In the paper of Ataki and Bart,21 the flat packing
element of Rombopak4M was investigated. CFD simulation
results were used as a basis to derive or modify correlations to
describe the degree of wetting, the effective area, and the liquid
holdup for the Rombopak4M packing. Xu et al.22 investigated
the vertical falling film arrangement using the VOF method, in
which the wave dynamics and the associated mass transfer
phenomena were discussed and compared with experimental
empirical relationships. In the work of Alekseenko et al.,23 a
method for the measurement of liquid film thickness on
corrugated sheets inside a column with a regular packing using
a fiber-optic sensor has been developed. It is shown that inside
a typical geometrical cell, the maximal thickness of a liquid
film is near the contact points of the sheets, where liquid is
redistributed over the corrugated surface. Haroun et al.24
investigated the flow and reactive mass transfer behavior of
gas-liquid flow on structured packing. Their results showed
that mass transfer was increased compared to the transfer for a
plane liquid film. Xu et al.25 simulated the falling liquid film
flow and its mass transfer behavior using a three-dimensional
CFD model. The simulation results showed a good agreement
with the experimental data. On the basis of the work of Gu,11
Chen et al.26 simulated the hydrodynamics and mass-transfer
behavior in a typical representative unit of the structured
 Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., Vol. 49, No. 22, 2010 11725
Table 1. Physical Properties of Vapor and Liquid Phases
viscosity, surface tension,
applied density, µ × 105 σ × 103
system F (kg/m3) (kg/m · s) (N/m) temp (K)
water 998.3 100.4 72.6 293
2-propanol 795.5 231 21.3 293
air 1.2050 1.81 - 293
packing. In their work, the c2 - εc model was used for the
closure of turbulent mass transfer equation.
Although falling liquid film flow behavior has been investi-
gated extensively, very few works have been published concern-
ing falling liquid film flow on plate with holes. But in industry,
many types of structured packing with corrugated sheets have
holes. So investigation on the flow and mass transfer behavior
of this kind of flow is highly desired. On the basis of previous
works,11,12,26 the present work aims at studying details of
transport phenomena of this kind of flow by CFD and
experimental methods.

2. Experimental Facilities and Procedure

In order to determine the vapor-liquid mass transfer char-
acteristics of falling film flow on a plate with rectangular holes,
a desorption experiment was carried out. In this experiment,
air was supplied as vapor phase, and the liquid phase was a
diluted aqueous solution of 2-propanol. The 2-propanol was
provided by Kewei Chemical Co. Inc. and had a declared purity
of 99.7%. The physical properties of the vapor and liquid phases
are listed in Table 1, and the schematic diagram of the
experimental setup is presented in Figure 1, which includes an
air compressor (1), temperature control system (2), vapor-liquid Figure 2. Geometry and boundary condition of the contactor.
falling film contactor (5), centrifugal pump (7), and piping
mm in length. A stainless steel plate of 80 mm width can be
system.
inserted into the middle of the contactor, and it divides the
The falling film contactor was made of PMMA (polymethyl
contactor into two symmetrical parts of 25 mm in length. The
methacrylate, Figure 2) in which the desorption process oc-
plate has two margins of 15 mm by which to fix it in the contac-
curred. The vapor phase was supplied into the contactor via
tor, so the effective mass transfer area in each part is 50 mm in
the air compressor. In the experiment, two vapor streams with
width. When liquid streams are fed into the contactor, it will
the same flow rate controlled by rotameters were fed into the
spread onto the surface of the stainless steel plate through the
contactor through vapor inlets at the bottom of the contactor
liquid inlet gap of 0.5 mm in width.
and released to the atmosphere after mass transfer with the liquid
Two types of stainless steel plates were used to test their
phase. The liquid phase was supplied by a centrifugal pump.
desorption performance: a holed plate with rectangular holes
Two streams of liquid with the same flow rate were fed into
on the plate and an ordinary plate without holes. Both plates
the contactor through liquid inlets at the top of the contactor.
are 0.2 mm in thickness, 80 mm in width, and 520 mm in length,
When liquid flows down in the contactor as falling liquid film
but for holed plate, rectangular holes 3 mm in height and 50
on the plate, it would contact counter-currently with the vapor
mm in width are opened. The distance between two neighbor
phase, and the desorption process then occurred. After contacting
holes is 12 mm. In our experiment, the surface of the plate was
with the vapor phase, the discharged liquid was collected by a
coated with thin paper, a hydrophilic material that can make
tank under the contactor. All experiments were carried out at a
the liquid film spread evenly. After coating, the reproducibility
pressure of 101.325 kPa and a temperature of 20 ( 0.5 °C, as
of the experiment could be guaranteed.
maintained by a PID controller.
A series desorption experiments was carried out with
Detailed configuration of the falling film contactor is given
triplicates for each treatment. Sampling of the liquid phase was
in Figure 2. It is 520 mm in total height, 80 mm in width, 50
taken at the inlet and outlet of the contactor, and the concentra-
tion was analyzed by gas chromatograph (HP4890) with
Porapak-Q packed column. The oven, injector, and detector
temperatures of GC were 423, 453, and 453 K, respectively.

3. Theoretical Model and Numerical Methodology

Figure 1. Schematic diagram of the experimental setup for the counter-
current falling film flow: (1) air compressor, (2) temperature control system,
(3) valve, (4) rotameter, (5) falling film contactor, (6) liquid receiver, (7)
centrifugal pump, and (8) raw material tank.
Using a numerical method, the detailed flow and mass transfer
behavior of falling liquid film flow are simulated. In the
experiment, the width of the flow channel is magnificently larger
than thickness of the liquid film (δ/W , 1), so the falling liquid
film flow can be simulated using a two-dimensional model.
3.1. Governing Equations. The basic model equations
including continuity equation, volume fraction equation, mo-
11726 Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., Vol. 49, No. 22, 2010

mentum conservation equation, and species conservation equa-

tion are
∂
continuity equation: (F) + ∇ · (Fu
b) ) 0 (1)
∂t

∂
volume fraction equation: (R ) + b
u · ∇(Rq) ) 0 (2)
∂t q
where q ) L, G.
∂
momentum transport equation: b) + ∇ · (Fu
(Fu bbu) )
∂t
- ∇P + ∇ · [µ(∇u
b + ∇u b )] + Fg
T
b+b F (3)
In published literature,11,25 only the surface tension source
term and drag force source term were taken into consideration
in describing the falling liquid film flow. The temperature-driven
Marangoni effect was considered in Cazabat’s work27 in
describing the fingering of liquid film. In Yu’s20 experiment, it
Figure 3. Surface tension σ changes with 2-propanol concentration.
was found that the concentration driven Marangoni effect is
very important in determining the mass transfer behavior. In the figure, the experimental data can be fit by σ ) 64.7 -
this work, mass transfer induced Marangoni effect was taken 0.018C. Thus, it is reasonable to simplify ∂σ/∂C as a constant.
into account in describing the desorption process of the falling Then, eq 9 becomes
film flow.20 We considered it as a source term in the momentum
transport equation.
1 (∂C/∂xi)
FMa ) A (10)
F ) FVOL + FLG + FMa (4) 2 δ

For a two-phase system, the surface tension source term is The scalar transport equation in this work is the 2-propanol
defined as11 conservation equation:

Fκi∇Ri ∂
FVOL ) σij (5) (R F w ) + ∇(RqFqwqb
u ) ) ∇(Dq∇(RqFqwq)) + SLG
1 ∂t q q q
(F + Fj) (11)
2 i
where F is the volume-averaged density, σ is the surface tension which describes the mass transfer behavior of falling liquid film
coefficient, and κ is the free surface curvature defined in terms flow, where q ) liquid or vapor. In the equation, mass transfer
of the divergence of the unit normal n̂ as in the vapor-liquid interface can be involved in the source term
of the species SLG, where SLG can be defined as
1 n
κ ) ∇ · n̂ ) [(
|n| |n| ) ]
· ∇ |n| - (∇ · n) (6)
SLG ) kLaeMACLT(xA - xAI) (12)
where n̂ ) n/|n| and n ) ∇Rq
The unit surface normal at the live cell next to the wall is or
replaced by the following equation:
SLG ) kGaeMACGT(yAI - yA) (13)
n̂ ) n̂w cos θw + m̂w sin θw (7)

where n̂w and m̂w are the unit vectors normal to and tangential where ae is effective interfacial area per unit volume. In the
to the wall, respectively. The contact angle θw is the angle simulation, ae is defined as the mass transfer area/the volume
between the wall and the tangent to the interface at the wall. of the experimental contactor, which is 40 m2/m3. For equilib-
The so-called dynamic boundary condition results in adjustment rium between vapor and liquid phases,
of the curvature of the surface near the wall.
The drag force source term FLG between two phases can be βxAI
described by the friction pressure drop model. Here, FLG is yAI ) (14)
1 + (β - 1)xAI
defined as follows:25

dp 1 FfLG | b
uL - b bL - b
u G |(u u G) where relative volatility β ) 1.2.
FLG ) ) (8) Substituting eqs 12 and 13 into eq 14 gives
dy 2 δ
The Marangoni effect source term FMa is defined as m1SLG2 + m2SLG + m3 ) 0 (15)

1 ∂σ/∂xi 1 (∂σ/∂C)(∂C/∂xi)
FMa ) ) (9) where
2 δ 2 δ
β-1
In Figure 3, the experimental data of surface tension vs m1 ) (16)
concentration is given (using OCA15, Dataphysics Co.). From kLkGCLTCGT(aeMA)2
 Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., Vol. 49, No. 22, 2010 11727

Figure 5. Simulation data changes with grid size (liquid inlet velocity 0.111
m/s, superficial vapor velocity 0.333 m/s).
Figure 4. Two-dimensional hybrid grid around the film flow region and interface regions, quadrilateral grid elements are used. The
the vapor-liquid interface. quadrilateral-shaped grids are either parallel or normal to flow

[ ]
(β - 1)yA - β (β - 1)xA + 1 and mass transfer direction; thus, they have the minimum effect
m2 ) - (17) on numerical diffusion and can minimize the simulation
kLaeMACLT kLaeMACLT discrepancy. On the contrary, using other shaped grids such as
triangle grids will lead to difficulty in convergence.9 But in
m3 ) {βxA - [(β - 1)xA + 1]yA} (18)
regions out of liquid film and vapor-liquid interface regions,
unstructured triangle grids are used because the momentum and
and the source term SLG can be calculated from
concentration gradients are very small, and triangle grids are
more flexible to suit the computational domain.
-m2 + √m22 - 4m1m3 Furthermore, the accuracy of simulation is not only deter-
SLG ) (19)
2m1 mined by grid shape but also by grid size. In the liquid film
flow region, the momentum and concentration gradients are
The discrepancy between the experimental data and the larger than those in other regions, thus deserving more clustered
penetration theory is small, so mass transfer coefficients in eqs grid to reduce the discretization errors.29 The size of the grid
12 and 13 are defined as follows:28 in the film flow region must be less than the Nusselt film
thickness δN (nearly 0.2 mm in this case). A finer grid can lead

DL to more accurate simulation. To balance simulation accuracy
kL ) 2 (20) and computing cost, four different types of grid strategies are
πt
investigated. The simulation results of these grid strategies are
compared with experimental results as demonstrated in Figure


DG
kG ) 2 (21) 5. It shows that as grid size decreases, the simulation results
πt are more consistent with experimental results. The result of grid
strategy 3 (as given in Table 3) is closer to experimental data
and contact time t is
than strategioes 1 and 2, and grid strategy 4 is almost the same
l as strategy 3, but it needs more computing cost. Therefore, grid
t) (22) strategy 3 is adopted in the rest of this work, which is 0.1 mm
usurf
along the streamwise direction and 0.025 mm (1/8 of Nusselt
3.2. Boundary and Initiative Conditions. Corresponding film thickness δN) along the mass transfer direction.
to the experiment, the simulation model geometry and dimen- 3.4. Simulation Scheme. Since the Reynolds number of the
sions are given in Figure 4 and Table 2. liquid phase in the cases considered is lower than 100 and the
Initially, the liquid inlet gap domain (Figure 4) was filled velocities of the counter-current vapor phase are low, the system
with 2-propanol-water solution, and liquid film with Nusselt can be treated as laminar flow. The FLUENT software package
film thickness was patched over the surface of the stainless steel is used to calculate the falling film flow on various plates. Time
plate. For the rest of the calculation domains, it was filled with step sizes are given as 10-4 s. First-order upwind differencing
vapor. is chosen as the solution of the momentum equation and species
3.3. Grid Strategy. A detailed grid strategy is given in Figure conservation equation. The body force weighted method is
4. In this work, a hybrid grid strategy is used to decrease the adopted for pressure discretization, and PISO is used for
computing cost.29 In the liquid film flow regions and vapor-liquid pressure-velocity coupling. A volume of fluid (VOF) model
and a geo-reconstruct method are used to trace the interface of
Table 2. Boundary Conditions different phases. In addition, the momentum source term is
velocity volume fraction mass fraction implemented by user defined functions (UDF) into each cell at
the interface, which can be determined by a characteristic
liquid inlet uL,x ) 0, uL,y ) uL,in RL ) 1, RG ) 0 wL ) wL,in function of the liquid phase, such as the volume fraction, R.
liquid outlet pressure outlet
vapor inlet uG,x ) 0, uG,y ) uG,in RL ) 0, RG ) 1 The scalar transport equation (eqs 11) is implemented by the
vapor outlet pressure outlet user defined scalar (UDS). The simulation operation procedure
wall no slip, contact angle ) 0° is performed in two steps. First, it is carried out for the case
11728 Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., Vol. 49, No. 22, 2010
Table 3. Grid Quality of Computational Domain
grid shape cell length (mm)
liquid film and vapor-liquid interfacial region quadrilateral
transient region quadrilateral
outer region triangle
without the counter-current vapor flow. When it reaches a
quasistable state, the vapor phase is induced counter-currently
to the liquid phase. Following this, the monitored variables, e.g.,
the mass flow rate at the outlet boundary and the force on the
plate, fluctuate around a certain constant, and the mass source
term and the UDS equations are implemented into the simulations.
4. Results and Discussion
4.1. Validation of the CFD Model. The experimental results
show that when the surface tension gradient due to concentration
difference induced by mass transfer is great enough to trigger
the Marangoni effect, the interfacial instability of the thin liquid
film arises and thus the mass transfer behavior can be en-
hanced.20 However, the simulation by the previously published
model cannot give similarly satisfactory results. Figure 6 gives
the mass transfer enhancement factor simulated by a different
model and its experimental data. It can be seen that the
simulation results of Gu’s model12 (without consideration of
the Marangoni effect) in high concentration difference region
is lower than that of the experimental data. In this work, the
simulation result of the new model fits better with experimental
data than that of the old model, as demonstrated in Figure 6.
So, in the rest of the simulation work, the new model is used
instead of the old one.
4.2. Mass Transfer Behavior. To compare the mass transfer
behavior for different situations, a mass transfer enhancement
factor is used as the criteria. In this work, the definition of mass
transfer enhancement factor (discussed in appendix) is the same
as that given by Yu.20,30
During the experiment, to ensure the accuracy and reproduc-
ibility of the experiment, every single experiment was carried
out several times. Among the data obtained from the experi-
ments, three with close values were selected, and the average
was given. For example, when the vapor superficial velocity is
0.333 m/s, liquid inlet velocity is 0.111 m/s, liquid inlet
concentration is 365.5 mol/m3, three experiments were carried
out, and the liquid outlet sample was recorded as 301.6, 300.4,
295.3 mol/m3, and then we give the average of them as the
final value of this point. According to equations in the Appendix,
the enhancement factor is calculated as 4.83.
Figure 6. Enhancement factor R changes with molar concentration difference
of 2-propanol on an ordinary plate (liquid inlet velocity VL,in ) 0.038 m/s,
superficial vapor velocity VG ) 0.128 m/s).
cell width (mm) grid number % skewness, <0.2
0.1 0.025 101 040 100
0.1 0.05 120 000 100
- - 193 602 99.14
Figure 7 shows the experimental and simulation results at
different vapor flow rates. It is obvious that with an increase of
vapor velocity, the mass transfer enhancement factor for both
plates is increased. This trend is clearer for experimental data.
As the flow rate of the vapor phase increases, the velocity of
the vapor phase in the contactor will increase, the waving of
the liquid phase at the interface will be amplified, and the mass
transfer rate is increased correspondingly. It can be seen from
Figure 7 that the holed plate has a higher mass transfer
enhancement factor than the ordinary plate, which implies that
opening regular holes on a plate can induce flow instability and
change the flow structure of liquid film and thus lead to the
increase of mass transfer rate. There are two factors that affect
the mass transfer efficiency: plate structure and vapor-liquid
velocity. For a holed plate, the plate structure takes the primary
place, and even if the vapor velocity increases to a large extent,
it will not basically change flow pattern of a falling liquid film,
which counts for the close fit of experimental and simulation
results at high vapor velocity. However, for an ordinary plate,
vapor-liquid velocity plays the most important role, and high
vapor velocity will probably change the basic flow pattern of
liquid film and lead to a large discrepancy between experiment
and simulation for the ordinary plate.
Figure 8 demonstrates the mass transfer enhancement factors
at different liquid flow rates. Experimental results show that
when the liquid flow rate increases, the mass transfer enhance-
ment factor decreases. And it decreases more steeply at lower
liquid flow rate. The mass transfer enhancement factor changes
very slowly as flow rate increases when the liquid flow rate is
larger than 0.1 m/s. When the liquid flow rate increases, the
thickness of the falling liquid film will increase. This will lead
to the increase of the mass transfer resistance in the liquid phase
and a corresponding decrease of the mass transfer enhancement
factor. The mass transfer enhancement factor of a holed plate
is bigger than that of an ordinary plate, which is consistent with
the result as demonstrated in Figure 7. Figure 8 shows that for
both plates, the simulation result at lower flow rate has a high
discrepancy from experimental data. In the simulation, it is very
difficult to form a stable liquid film at lower liquid flow rate,
Figure 7. Simulation and experimental data of different plates (inlet
temperature TG,in ) TL,in ) 20 ( 0.5 °C, liquid inlet velocity VL,in ) 0.111
m/s, 2-propanol inlet concentration 365.5 mol/m3).

Figure 8. Simulation and experimental data on different plates (inlet
temperature TG,in ) TL,in ) 20 ( 0.5 °C, superficial vapor velocity VG )
0.333 m/s, and 2-propanol inlet concentration 365.5 mol/m3).
Figure 9. Flow patterns of liquid film on an ordinary plate (a) 0.30-0.26
m, (b) 0.24-0.20 m, and (c) 0.18-0.14 m to the bottom (liquid inlet velocity
0.111 m/s, superficial vapor velocity 0.333 m/s, 2-propanol inlet concentra-
tion 365.5 mol/m3, computing time 3 s).
Figure 10. Liquid film flow on a holed plate (a) 0.30-0.26 m, (b) 0.24-0.20
m, (c) 0.18-0.14 m to the bottom (liquid inlet velocity 0.111 m/s, superficial
vapor velocity 0.333 m/s, 2-propanol inlet concentration 365.5 mol/m3,
computing time 3 s).
and the same phenomenon was observed in the experiment.
However, at higher liquid flow rate, the simulation data fits more
closely to the experimental results.
4.3. Flow Behavior. Since direct observation of detailed flow
and mass transfer behavior of falling liquid film flow is invalid
at the present experimental conditions, numerical simulation can
be treated as a digital experiment to investigate the information.
Figures 9 and 10 give the flow structure of an ordinary flat
plate and a holed plate. The liquid first flows through the inlet
gap-controlled by the narrow gap, then spreads evenly on the
Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., Vol. 49, No. 22, 2010 11729
Figure 11. Velocity distribution on two types of plates (liquid inlet velocity
0.111 m/s, superficial vapor velocity 0.333 m/s, 2-propanol inlet concentra-
tion 365.5 mol/m3, computing time 3 s).
plate and forms a smooth and continuous liquid film. For an
ordinary plate (Figure 9), liquid film shrinks when it flows out
of the inlet gap (Figure 9a). As the liquid film flows down, small
waves appear. Waves grow larger when the liquid flows down
to the middle part of the plate (Figure 9b). As the liquid film
flows to the lower part of the plate, larger amplitude waves
appear frequently and the film becomes unstable due to the
cooperation of gravity, drag force, and surface tension (Figure
9c). However, flow behavior on a holed plate (Figure 10) is a
little different. From Figure 10a, it can be found that the liquid
film is stretched thinner at the hole region. The regular set of
holes makes waves appear regularly (Figure 10b). Instability
and fluctuation occurred at the lower part of falling film (Figure
10c).
To investigate the detailed flow structure, the velocity
distribution of falling film at a specified position is investigated.
In Figure 11, the simulated velocity profile in the cross section
0.15 mm away from the center of both plates is given. Figure
11 shows that the velocity fluctuated regularly for both plates.
However, the velocity fluctuated more intensely for the holed
plate. When the liquid flow passes the holed region, the velocity
will increase dramatically and the peak value in this region is
larger than that on an ordinary plate. Because the velocity of
the liquid increases, the film thickness in the holed region will
decrease, thus reducing the resistance of the liquid side mass
transfer. This is one reason why the mass transfer enhancement
factor of holed plate is larger.
Opening holes can change the falling film flow structure not
only in velocity magnitude but also in flow pattern. Figure 12
shows the streamline of liquid near holes. This figure was
generated by tecplot 10.0 directly from the simulation data. In
Figure 12, four flow patterns found in simulation are given.
Figure 12a-c can be classified as crossing-flow, that is, flow
stream on one side of plate penetrates through holes and then
reaches to the other side of the plate. In Figure 12d the crossing-
flow phenomenon does not appear. The flow pattern of all 17
holes at 2 and 3 s is given in Table 4. In this table, different
marks correspond to different flow patterns. From Table 4, it
can be found that crossing-flow happens frequently in the lower
position of the plate, and even reversed flow (flow pattern
showed in Figure 12c) appears at the 13th, 14th, and 17th hole.
Comparing flow patterns of the same hole in different times, it
can be found that the flow pattern changes with time. For
example, for the second hole, the flow pattern at 2 s is crossing-
11730 Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., Vol. 49, No. 22, 2010

The fluctuation of flow pattern due to the perturbation by holes

is another important factor in enhancing the mass transfer.

5. Conclusion
A CFD model based on the VOF method and experiments
are proposed to investigate the flow and vapor-liquid mass
transfer behavior of falling film flow on two type of plates. It
is demonstrated that opening holes on a plate can enhance
vapor-liquid mass transfer. It also shows that under the same
operating condition, mass transfer efficiency on a holed plate
is higher than that of an ordinary plate. In the simulation model,
surface tension, drag force, and Marangoni effect are considered
in the source terms of momentum transport equation. Using the
proposed model, the liquid film flow on different types of plates
are simulated. Detailed analysis of the flow pattern on a holed
plate by CFD simulation reveals the complexity of the flow
behavior and explains why a holed plate gives higher mass
transfer efficiency than ordinary plate.

Acknowledgment
The authors wish to acknowledge financial support by the
National Natural Science Foundation of China (project No.
20676091), the Program for New Century Excellent Talents in
University, and the Program for Changjiang Scholars and
Innovative Research Teams in Universities under file number
IRT 0641.

Appendix
An enhancement factor R that can be derived to reflect the
influence of the Marangoni effect on the liquid mass-transfer
Figure 12. Streamline of falling film on a holed plate near rectangular holes,
17 holes in all, with liquid inlet velocity 0.111 m/s, superficial vapor velocity
process is defined as a ratio of the experimental liquid mass
0.333 m/s, 2-propanol inlet concentration 365.5 mol/m3: (a) left side transfer coefficient to that predicted by penetration theory:20,30
streamflow to right side (hole 2nd from top, computing time 2 s), (b) right
side streamflow to left side (hole 2nd from top, computing time 3 s), (c) KL,exp
crossing-flow with reversed flow (hole 13th from top, computing time 3 s), R)
KL,theo
and (d) no crossing-flow phenomenon (hole 4th from top, computing time
3 s).
where,
Table 4. Flow Behavior of Film on a Holed Plate at 2 and 3 s 1
Computing Timea,b ) (πT)0.5(DL-0.5 + DG-0.5 × m)/2
KL,theo
hole number 2s 3s
QL(CL,in - CL,out)
1 × × KL,exp )
2 f r S(CL - CL*)ln
3 × ×
4 f × given
5 × f
6 r × (CL,in - CG,out /m) - CL,out
7 × f (CL - CL*)ln )
8 f × CL,in - CG,out /m
9 × r ln
CL,out
10 r f
11 r r
12 × r and
13 r fO
14 f rO QL(CL,in - CL,out)
15 × CG,out )
r QG
16 r ×
17 fO r
Nomenclature
a
Liquid inlet velocity 0.111 m/s, superficial vapor velocity 0.333
m/s. b f, left side stream flow to right side, corresponding to Figure A ) constant
12a; r, right side stream flow to left side, corresponding to Figure 12b; ae ) effective interfacial area per unit volume, m2/m3
O, crossing-flow with reversed flow, corresponding to Figure 12c; ×, no C ) molar concentration of 2-propanol in liquid phase, mol/m3
crossing-flow phenomenon, corresponding to Figure 12d. CGT ) molar concentration of all components in vapor phase,
kmol/m3
flow left-to-right and it changes to right-to-left at 3 s. For the CLT ) molar concentration of all components in liquid phase,
fourth hole, crossing-flow occurs at 2 s, but it disappears at 3 s. kmol/m3
 Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., Vol. 49, No. 22, 2010 11731
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