Packed columns are crucial equipment established in the process industry in order to perform several separation operations (e.g. distillation, absorption, etc.). The scientific challenge is to improve the performance of these separation columns. This work aims to develop an innovative wire-based packing, where the liquid flow on the wire will have an interfacial surface greater than the geometric surface of the packing structure. A study of the liquid film behavior on inclined wires and their intersections is carried out based on experimental observations and a numerical simulation. The result is a mapping of the liquid flow regimes favored for the distillation process. Hence, it will be possible to orient the design of the wire-based packing, especially the wire diameter and inclination and the shape of the intersections. (C) 2020 Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.