Comprehensive liquid distribution experiments were conducted with common-size conventional and high-capacity, corrugated-sheet structured packings in a 1.4m internal-diameter column hydraulics simulator using air/water test system at ambient conditions. The objective of the present study was to observe and quantify for various liquid loads and bed depths the relation between the quality of liquid distribution of a packed bed and uniformity and density of initial irrigation profiles, and, in particular, to demonstrate the effects of severe forms of initial liquid maldistribution. (C) 2015 The Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.