Patent Document ID: 8470151
Application ID: 13668482
Patent Flag: 1

Claim One:
1. A method for inducing flow in a fluid, comprising: providing a source of a first electric field alternating at a frequency selectable within a range of frequencies and a second electric field alternating at the frequency and being temporally spaced from the first electric field by a phase angle, a fluid flowpath in electrical communication with the first electric field and second electric field, a fluid media having a complex media permittivity ∈ m , and a plurality of particles having a complex particle permittivity ∈ p ; placing the fluid and the particles in a colloidal suspension within the flowpath; selecting the frequency such that: Re[f CM ] is less than about zero, and Im[f CM ] is less than about −0.02, wherein [f CM ] is the Clausius-Mossotti factor: f ~ CM = ( ɛ ~ p - ɛ ~ m ɛ ~ p + 2 ⁢ ɛ ~ m ) ; applying the first electric field at the frequency to the flowpath and the second electric field at the frequency to the flowpath; driving the particles to move in a direction by the action of the first and second electric fields; and inducing flow of the fluid media in the direction by viscous drag of the particles on the fluid media.