Hydrodynamics of the rivulet flow over corrugated sheet used in structured packings

Journal Article · Fri Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 2017 · International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijggc.2017.07.005· OSTI ID:1371998

Singh, Rajesh K.; Galvin, Janine E.; Sun, Xin

We have numerically investigated the breakup of a rivulet falling over a smooth inclined plate using the volume of fluid method. The breakup the rivulet is a complex phenomenon that is dictated by many factors, such as solvent properties, contact angle, inertia, plate inclination, etc. An extensive simulation campaign was conducted wherein these factors were systematically investigated. Regimes for a stable rivulet and an unstable rivulet that leads to the breakup and formation of a droplet are examined in terms of a critical value of the Weber number (Wecr) that delineates these regimes. The effect of plate inclination on the breakup of the rivulet shows that the critical Weber number decreases with increased inclination angle () owing to higher liquid velocity. However, the effect is negligible beyond >60. The impact of solvent properties is characterized using the Kapitza number (Ka). Variation of Wecr with Ka shows two trends depending on the Ka value of the solvent. Solvents with lower Ka values, corresponding to high viscosities and/or low surface tensions, show smaller values of the critical Weber number and the variation is linear. While solvents with higher Ka values exhibit higher values of the Wecr and the variation in Wecr is steep. This behavior is more pronounced with increasing contact angle. Higher contact angles promote rivulet breakup so that inertia must be higher to the breakup. A phenomenological scaling for a critical Weber number with the Kapitza number and contact angle is presented that can offer insight into rivulet breakup.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (US)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 1371998
• Report Number(s): PNNL-SA-124599; AA9010100
• Journal Information: International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control, Journal Name: International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control Journal Issue: C Vol. 64; ISSN 1750-5836
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES