Patent ID: 8257036

Claim:
In a duct having a strong adverse pressure gradient with high speed gas flow over a primary aerodynamic surface for confining the high speed gas flow, an apparatus for inhibiting a formation of boundary layer gas flow comprising: a mounting for supporting a high drag vortex generator above the primary aerodynamic surface confining gas flow; a high drag vortex generator supported from the mounting and extending from the mounting into the high speed gas flow, the high drag vortex generator extending from the mounting equal to or less than the full distance to the primary aerodynamic surface and including one or more first vanes and a plurality of second vanes; the first vanes having first flow confining components; the second vanes having second flow confining components at substantial right angles with respect to the first flow confining components of the first vanes; the first vane flow confining components for deflecting fluid flow from the high speed gas flow towards and/or away from the primary aerodynamic surface; the second vane flow confining components for maintaining the deflected fluid flow along a path towards and/or away from the primary aerodynamic surface, the first and second vanes forming one or more U-shaped elements with the second vanes forming the legs of each U-shaped element; whereby boundary layer formation downstream from the vortex generator is inhibited by mixture of the high speed gas flow into the volume adjacent the primary aerodynamic surface where the boundary layers might otherwise form.