PURPOSE: To increase capability of both or cleaning and heat transfer by providing a packing element with small flow passages to increase the areas of boundary layers as its shape, thereby increasing the turbulence of the fluid passing these flow passages and increasing the contact surface area.

CONSTITUTION: The packing element 17 consists of an inorg. component of a three- dimensional object of integrated body consisting of a core portion 50 extending in the longitudinal direction, a plurality of radial portions 52 of the same shape extending outward approximately in the radial direction and plural marginal portions 53 connected as the terminal parts of the respective radial portions 52. The respective radial portions 52 and the marginal portions 53 connected thereto extend as the flaring parts of the core pattern 50 and are formed approximately to a T-shape cross-section. The flow passages 56 extending in the longitudinal direction are delineated between the adjacent marginal portions 53 of the T-shape cross-section. The radial outer peripheral surfaces of all the marginal portions 53 cooperatively delineate approximately cylindrical contours as shown by broken lines 54. As a result, a large cleaning effect is obtd. from the large surface area in the case of packing of a chemical tower. A large quantity of heat recovery is obtd. when the element is used for heat recovery.