Stability and sensitivity analysis of non-Newtonian flow through an axisymmetric expansion

Abstract

This paper deals with a linear stability analysis of the flow in a circular pipe with a sudden expansion. We consider both Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluid models and a thorough comparison is presented. The stability analysis is completed by an adjoint-based investigation on the sensitivity characteristics of perturbations. The results are discussed and compared, when it is possible, to those already published in the pertinent literature.