Drag reduction system and method
OwnerDale C. Carsoninventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system for reducing skin friction drag includes a user-controlled drag reducing substance and components for introducing the substance at or near the surface of the object for which skin friction drag is desired. In a fluid injection system embodiment, a pressurized injectant source supplies an injectant, an injector device injects the injectant near the surface of the object for which drag reduction is desired, a hose or conduit directs flow of the pressurized fluid from the source to the injector device and a control device enables a user to control the flow.
Claims4
A system for reducing skin friction drag on a surface of a moving object, said system being comprised of a drag reducing substance that comprises a pressurized injectant and a user-controllable means for introducing the drag reducing substance at or near the surface
- wherein said user-controllable means for introducing the drag reducing substance includes a source of the pressurized injectant, an injector means for injecting the injectant at or near the surface, means for directing flow of the pressurized injectant from the source to the injector means, and control means for a user to control the flow, and
- wherein the source of a pressurized injectant is comprised of a tank for containing pressurized injectant and at least one valve for controlling a flow of injectant into and out of the tank, and
- wherein the user-controllable means for introducing the drag reducing substance includes means for causing flow in at least one of the modes from the group consisting of burst mode, steady state mode and variable mode, and
- wherein the at least one valve includes a schrader valve.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.