Hydrodynamic Behavior of Swirling Liquid Film Flow on Rotating Disc

Experimental and analytical studies have been carried out on the hydrodynamic behavior of swirling liquid film flow on a rotating disc. Film flow formation and swirling waves on the liquid film were analyzed through observation using high speed video. Liquid film thickness was measured using the Laser refraction method and compared with prediction. The rotating disc is 200 mm in diameter and was made of Silicon (Silicon wafer in industrial use). The rotating speed is up to 100 rad/sec (2000 rotations per min.) Water is supplied to the center of the disc at a flow rate of 8.3 × 10⁻⁶ m³/s (500 cc/min). The film flow is divided into three regimes depending upon rotating speed. For the lower rotating speed (up to 10 rad/sec), formation of liquid film flow is incomplete and some part of the peripheral region of the disc is not completely covered by liquid film. For the intermediate rotating speed (15–25 rad/sec), laminar film flow covered the whole disc. Furthermore, there are swirling waves on the liquid film. This wave is considered to be a continuity wave arising at the center portion of disc due to the water flow rate variation form the nozzle. Wave propagation speed and behavior of these swirling waves were well explained by the theory of continuity wave. For the high rotating speed (more than 30 rad/sec), the liquid film flow changed its flow regime from laminar flow to turbulent flow. The estimated film Reynolds number at transition is about 1200 which is consistent with turbulent flow transition for pipe flow and film flow on non-rotating surface. Three dimensional turbulent waves were observed on this turbulent liquid film. The behavior of such three dimensional turbulent waves were quite random in time and space. Measured film thicknesses ranged from 50 to 300 micron. Film thickness and its fluctuation decreased as the rotation speed of disc increased and distance from disc center increased. The analysis was made on the film thickness based on the force balance between shear stress and centrifugal force acting on the film. The predicted film thickness agreed well with the measured value.