Nine sets of packings were designed to study the pulse flow that occurs in gas-liquid concurrent flow downward through sieve plate packing. Through the observation of flow pattern and the analysis of the pressure fluctuation data acquired by pressure transducers, the mechanisms for the inception and the propagation of pulse flow in the plate packing were clarified, and a variation coefficient method was proposed to determine the boundary lines of the pulse flow. Accordingly, the pulse flow pattern maps were obtained and the effects of the geometric parameters and the installation method of the plate packing on the transition of the pulse flow were analyzed in detail, revealing that the hole diameter and plate quantity have the most evident effects. Finally, correlations for the onset and the disappearance lines of the pulse flow regime were developed, with the deviations from the experiments of similar to 15% and 10%, respectively.