Abstract: The onset of instability with respect to the spatio-temporally growing dis-turbance in a viscosity-stratified two-layer liquid film flow is analyzed. The known results obtained from the temporal theory of instability show that the flow is unstable in the limit of zero Reynolds numbers. The present theory predicts the neutral stability in the same limit. The discrepancy is explained. Based on the mechanical energy equation, a new mechanism of instability is found. The new mechanism is associated with the convective nature of the disturbance that is not Galilei invariant.

Key words: flow instability, film coating, energy budget, low Reynolds number, Galilei invariant