Surface equation of falling film flows with moderate Reynolds number and large but finite Weber number

Abstract

Waves on a thin liquid layer falling down a solid wall, either vertical or inclined, are studied by means of a reduced equation. This equation is developed by the regularized long-wave expansion method, which is a combination of the Padé approximation and the long-wave expansion. Its numerical solutions are compared with the calculations of the full Navier–Stokes equation, simplified Navier–Stokes equation (the “boundary-layer” equation), and the traditional long-wave equations, as well as with experimental measurements. When the Reynolds number R is as small as unity, the present equation agrees with the Navier–Stokes equation and also with the traditional long-wave equations. For larger values of R, the traditional long-wave equations lose their validity and make a false prediction, while the present equation agrees with the Navier–Stokes equation, as long as the rescaled Reynolds number δ*=R/W1/3 does not exceed unity in the case of vertical films. Unlike the “boundary-layer” equation developed by previous researchers and expected to be valid at moderate and large Reynolds number, the present equation governs the surface evolution alone without postulating to resolve the velocity field. The structure of the present equation, however, has a correspondence to the depth-averaged equations, which facilitates discussing the physical mechanism of the wave dynamics. In particular, the physical origin of the instability mechanism and the wave suppression mechanism are discussed in terms of Whitham’s wave hierarchy theory. The balance of several physical effects such as drag, gravity, and inertia are also discussed in this connection. The analysis of the tail structure of permanent solitary waves predicts that the R dependence of its tail length λ exhibits two distinct regimes in the λ-R diagram. The second regime, which is not predicted by the traditional long-wave equations, arises when the inertia effect becomes dominant.