| Summary: | We derive a general formalism for bulk viscous solutions of the energy-conservation equation for ρ ( a , ζ ) , both for a single-component and a multicomponent fluid in the Friedmann universe. For our purposes, these general solutions become valuable in estimating the order of magnitude of the phenomenological viscosity in the cosmic fluid at present. H ( z ) observations are found to put an upper limit on the magnitude of the modulus of the present-day bulk viscosity. It is found to be ζ 0 ∼ 10 6 Pa·s, in agreement with previous works. We point out that this magnitude is acceptable from a hydrodynamic point of view. Finally, we bring new insight by using our estimates of ζ to analyze the fate of the future universe. Of special interest is the case ζ ∝ ρ for which the fluid, originally situated in the quintessence region, may slide through the phantom barrier and inevitably be driven into a big rip. Typical rip times are found to be a few hundred Gy.
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