Wave characteristics of the falling liquid film in the development region at high Reynolds numbers

•The mean thickness of the turbulent liquid film falling down a vertical plat can be divided into three regions.•Relationships between the liquid film instantaneous thickness and Rel were discussed.•The distribution of the liquid film thickness tends to an approximately normal distribution with increasing Rel.•The fluctuation range of the liquid film instantaneous thickness will approach a fixed value as the Rel increases. The wave characteristics of the turbulent falling liquid film in the development region along the vertical Perspex plate were studied by using an Ultrasonic Doppler Velocimetry (a non-intrusive technique). The instantaneous thickness of the falling film at the center of the plate with axial distance ranges from 50 mm to 1300 mm was measured and the Rel (the liquid film Reynolds number) ranges from 2.28 × 103 to 1.43 × 104. The results show that the mean thickness, wave frequency and amplitude increase while the growth rate decreases with the increase of Rel. The Probability Density Function of the liquid film instantaneous thickness tends to an approximately normal distribution with increasing Rel. Furthermore, the Plateau-Rayleigh instability can cause the breakup of the liquid film surface and resist the increase of the liquid film thickness, which results in the fluctuation range of the liquid film approximate to a fixed value when the Rel > 1.20 × 104.