The effect of weak shear thinning on the stability of the Taylor-Couette flow is explored for a Carreau-Bird fluid in the narrow-gap limit. The Galerkin projection method is used to derive a low-order dynamical system from the conservation of mass and momentum equations. In comparison with the Newtonian system, the present equations include additional nonlinear coupling in the velocity components through the viscosity. It is found that the critical Taylor number, corresponding to the loss of stability of the base (Couette) flow, becomes lower as the shear-thinning effect increases. That is, shear thinning tends to precipitate the onset of Taylor vortex flow. Similar to Newtonian fluids, there is an exchange of stability between the Couette and Taylor vortex flows, which coincides with the onset of a supercritical bifurcation. However, unlike the Newtonian model, the Taylor vortex cellular structure loses its stability in turn as the Taylor number reaches a critical value. At this point, a Hopf bifurcation emerges, which exists only for shear-thinning fluids.

• Received 12 April 1999

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.61.1455