Patent ID: 7823839

Claim:
A system for modifying a fluid flowing over a solid body, comprising: (a) a vorticity concentration-producing component disposed on a pressure side of the solid body, wherein the fluid flowing over the solid body separates from a surface of the solid body due to the vorticity concentration-producing component; and (b) a synthetic jet actuator positioned such that the fluid flowing over the solid body encounters the vorticity concentration-producing component before encountering the synthetic jet actuator, the synthetic jet actuator having a jet housing, the jet housing having an internal chamber with a volume of fluid and an opening in the jet housing connecting the internal chamber to an external environment having the fluid, the synthetic jet actuator being operative to periodically change the volume within the internal chamber such that a synthetic jet stream comprising a series of fluid vortices is generated and projected in the external environment out from the opening of the jet housing resulting in a reduction in pressure drag of the solid body compared to the pressure drag exhibited by the solid body without operation of the synthetic jet actuator; wherein the vorticity concentration-producing component extends outwardly from the surface of the solid body and into the fluid flow; wherein the opening of the jet housing is mounted on the vorticity concentration-producing component and is spaced from the surface of the solid body such that at least a portion of a vorticity concentration produced by the vorticity concentration-producing component is trapped between the opening of the jet housing and the surface of the solid body; and wherein the synthetic jet stream emanates in a direction approximately parallel to the direction of the fluid flowing over the solid body when the fluid is attached to the surface of the solid body.