| Title |
An Experimental Study on the Effects of Contact Angle on a Falling Liquid Film |
| Keywords |
Falling liquid film ; 유하액막 ; Contact angle ; 접촉각 Wettability ; 젖음성 ; Vertical flat plate ; 수직 평판 |
| Abstract |
Vertical falling liquid film is extensively used in heat and mass transfer processes of many applications, such as evaporative coolers, cooling towers, and absorption chillers. In such cases, it is required that the falling film spreads widely in the surface forming thin liquid film to enlarge contact surface. An addition of surface active agent to a falling liquid film or hydrophilic surface treatment affects the fluid physical properties of the film. Surfactant addition not only decreases contact angle between the liquid and solid surface but also changes the surface from hydrophobicity to hydrophilicity. In this study, the effects of contact angle on falling film characteristics over a vertical surface have been investigated experimentally. The contact angle is varied either by an addition of surfactant to the liquid or by hydrophilic surface treatment. It is found that the wetted area is increased and film thickness is decreased by the hydrophilic treatment as compared with those of other surfaces. With this hydrophilic treatment, the falling liquid film spreads out widely in the surface. As surfactant concentration is increased, wetted area is also increased and the film thickness is substantially decreased. |