A Comparative Numerical Analysis of 3D and 2D Vertical Falling Films

In this work a numerical investigation into vertical falling film problems is presented, focusing on comparing the difference between 3D and 2D cases. Heat and mass transport related to the falling liquid film flow are critical in various industrial applications, including nuclear reactors, cooling towers, and chemical processing. The natural instability of the films induces surface waves, which can potentially enhance efficiency but increase computational cost. Under certain Reynolds numbers, the interface wave is observed to be solitary, and a 2D simplification is commonly employed. This research aims to determine the extent to which the 2D simplification is adequate for low Re film flows. The simulations were conducted by solving the Navier-Strokes equations using the VOF method based on Open foam solver interFoam. The final results showed the difference in streamwise wave pattern due to the dimension limitation of the model.