The liquid film flow on the corrugated plate is common in the industrial field. But the characteristics of liquid film flow on the corrugated plate are pretty complicated. Thus

based on the VOF method

the vortex characteristics of the three-dimensional liquid film flow on the inclined corrugated plate are simulated by using FLUENT software. The evolution of vortex structure with time is studied

and the influence of inlet Reynolds number

waviness

wall inclined angle

fluid viscosity and surface tension on the vortex structure in corrugated plate structure is investigated. The results show that the size and shape of vortex are constantly changing with the time evolution and ultimately achieve stability. The change of vortex structure has significant influence on the fluctuation of free surface. With smaller Re and waviness

the vortex is not easy to form in the corrugated structure. With the increase of Re and waviness

the vortex is produced and its size is increasing

and the morphology of the vortex is changed. Meanwhile

the position of the free surface is increased and there is a phase lag compared with the wave wall. When the wall inclination angle is altered

the vortex characteristics in the corrugated structure change greatly. But the phase of the free surface and the thickness of the liquid film vary slightly. Surface tension has a significant effect on the vortex structure

and it cannot be ignored in the numerical simulation of liquid film flow. Nevertheless

when the fluid viscosity is changed

there is no significant change in the size and shape of the vortex in the corrugated structure. But if the viscosity is small and the surface tension is neglected

the thickness of the liquid film becomes thin. These conclusions are very important to predict and understand the characteristics of liquid film flow in industrial field.