Jet Formation in Gravitational Flow of a Heated Wavy Liquid Film

Jet formation was studied in the region of two-dimensional and three-dimensional waves in a heated liquid film flowing down a vertical surface. Jet-to-jet spacings were measured versus the film Reynolds number and the heat flow density. Three-dimensional waves on the film surface were formed naturally or by artificial perturbations. In addition to the thermocapillary mechanism of jet formation, a thermocapillary–wavy mechanism was found to exist.