Rimming flow of a power-law fluid: Qualitative analysis of the mathematical model and analytical solutions

Rimming flow of a non-Newtonian fluid on the inner surface of a horizontal rotating cylinder is investigated. Simple lubrication theory is applied since the Reynolds number is small and liquid film is thin. For the steady-state flow of a power-law fluid the mathematical model reduces to a simple algebraic equation regarding the thickness of the liquid film. The qualitative analysis of this equation is carried out and the existence of two possible solutions is rigorously proved. Based on this qualitative analysis, different regimes of the rimming flow are defined and analyzed analytically. For the particular case, when the flow index in a power-law constitutive equation is equal to 1/2, the problem reduces to the fourth order algebraic equation which is solved analytically by Ferrari method.