EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF GRAVITY-DRIVEN FILM FLOW OF NON-NEWTONIAN FLUIDS

In this research the problem of a thin layer of a power law liquid falling down an inclined plate was studied experimentally. Three different carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) solution concentrations (1.1%, 1.5%, and 2%), which are extensively used in industry, have been selected as the operating fluid, and their rheology, surface tension, and contact angle have been determined. Dynamics of the falling film has been studied by image acquisition techniques, and by using image processing methods the velocity of falling film, film thickness, and the shape of the falling film have been investigated. The inclined plate with different inclination angles (0/2), and nonidentical surfaces (ceramic, aluminum, and glass) were used to study the effect of inclination, rheological properties, and contact angle on the vital parameters mentioned earlier. These variables are embedded in dimensionless groups, Weber (We), Reynolds (Re), and Froude (Fr) numbers, and some correlations were devised to relate dimensionless velocity distribution parameters and film thickness to these dimensionless groups.