Channeling fluidic waveguide surfaces and tubes

A noise suppression system for a turbofan jet engine which is effected by placement of annular waveguide structures on opposing annular tubular surfaces of the bypass channel and upon opposing surfaces of the jet nozzle exiting the combustor region of the engine said annular waveguide structures comprising:

• a plurality of waveguides each guide creating a guide cavity in the surface arranged perpendicularly to the flow, the guide cavities being volumes that are each defined by a guide edge extending generally in the direction of flow and forming a portion of an enclosed volume of the cavity that extends behind and upstream of the guide edge has a shape that approximates a half toroid and a cavity mouth that opens the cavity volume downstream of the guide edge in the direction of flow into the region where the unidirectional flow and path of fluid past the surface is relatively unobstructed;
• the waveguides being sized and spaced such that fluid vortices are created within the cavities when fluid flow occurs, which vortices create a fluid boundary layer that moves past the guide edges and cavity mouths more slowly in the direction of flow than the unobstructed fluid flow more remote from the cavity mouths;
• wherein each waveguide comprises an inner wall with concave curvature on a gas inlet end and convex curvature on a gas outlet end and has an inflection point of curvature axially downstream of the inlet of the respective waveguide;
• and
• wherein an effective radius of the boundary layer is either constant or decreases with distance from the inlet end.

A surface that enhances the flow of a fluid unidirectionally over the surface that comprises:

• a plurality of waveguides each guide creating a guide cavity in the surface arranged perpendicularly to the flow, the guide cavities being volumes that are each defined by a guide edge extending generally in the direction of flow and forming a portion of an enclosed volume of the cavity that extends behind and upstream of the guide edge and a cavity mouth that opens the cavity volume downstream of the guide edge in the direction of flow into the region where the unidirectional flow and path of fluid past the surface is relatively unobstructed;
• the waveguides being sized and spaced such that fluid vortices are created within the cavities when fluid flow occurs, which vortices create a fluid boundary layer that moves past the guide edges and cavity mouths more slowly in the direction of flow than the unobstructed fluid flow more remote from the cavity mouths;
• wherein each waveguide comprises an inner wall with concave curvature on a gas inlet end and convex curvature on a gas outlet end and has an inflection point of curvature axially downstream of the inlet of the respective waveguide;
• and
• wherein an effective radius of the boundary layer is either constant or decreases with distance from the inlet end.