Ionized boundary layer fluid pumping system

Claim 1

A FLUID MOVING SYSTEM FOR PRODUCING SUBSTANTIALLY LAMINAR FLOW OF AMBIENT FLUID OVER AND ADJACENT A SUBSTANTIALLY SMOOTH SURFACE EXPOSED TO THE FLUID WHICH COMPRISES A MULTIPLICITY OF ELECTRODE ELEMENTS MOUNTED IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP TO ONE ANOTHER ADJACENT SAID SURFACE AND ELECTRICALLY INSULATED FROM ONE ANOTHER AND CONSTITUTING A SERIES OF ELEMENTS EXTENDING ALONG A PORTION OF THE SURFACE, MEANS COMPRISING A MULTIPLICITY OF SHARP POINTS ON PREDETERMINED ONES OF SAID ELEMENTS ORIENTED IN THE DIRECTION OF FLOW OF FLUID OVER SAID ELEMENTS FOR PRODUCING CHARGED PARTICLES ADJACENT SAID PREDETERMINED ONES OF SAID ELEMENTS, ALL OF SAID SHARP POINTS FOR EACH OF SAID ELEMENTS LYING SUBSTANTIALLY IN A PLANE PERPENDICULAR TO THE DIRECTION OF FLUID FLOW AND EQUIDISTANT FROM THE NEXT ELEMENT IN THE DIRECTION OF FLOW WHEREBY THE PRODUCTION OF CHARGED PARTICLES BY A CORONA-TYPE DISCHARGE IS FACILITATED AT EACH OF SAID SHARP POINTS, ELECTRIC EXCITING MEANS CONNECTED WITH SAID ELECTRODE ELEMENTS FOR PRODUCING PROGRESSIVELY CHANGING ELECTRIC POTENTIALS ALONG SAID SURFACE THEREBY CREATING AN ELECTRIC POTENTIAL FIELD FOR PROPELLING CHARGED PARTICLES DISPERSED IN THE AMBIENT FLUID PROGRESSIVELY FROM ONE ELECTRODE ELEMENT TOWARD THE NEXT AND INDUCING A SURFACE LAYER FLUID FLOW OVER SAID PORTION OF THE SURFACE, CERTAIN OF SAID PREDETERMINED ELEMENTS COMPRISING CONDUCTING BARS HAVING SAID SHARP POINTS ARRANGED IN TWO SETS POINTING IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS, AUXILIARY ELECTRODES SPACED FROM SAID BARS ONE ON ONE SIDE AND ONE ON THE OTHER OF EACH OF SAID BARS, AND SWITCHING MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY CONNECTING EACH OF SAID BARS ALTERNATIVELY TO THE AUXILIARY ELECTRODE ON EITHER SIDE THEREOF FOR REVERSING THE DIRECTION OF CORONA DISCHARGE AND THE DIRECTION OF CHARGED PARTICLE PROPULSION.