Abstract: A flow device and method delivers a gaseous medium to utilization equipment having variable pressure conditions at its intake. A gaseous medium intake zone connects with structure defining a variable area throat zone for constricting the flow of the gaseous medium to increase its velocity to sonic. Wall structure downstream from the throat zone provides a gradually diverging zone for efficiently recovering the kinetic energy of the high velocity gaseous medium as static pressure. Perforations are provided in the wall structure downstream and spaced from the throat zone, and these perforations connect on the back side of the wall structure with the intake of the utilization equipment. When supersonic flow occurs the high velocity mass moving past the perforations pulls a small portion of the gaseous medium already delivered to the intake of the utilization equipment into the gradually diverging zone.

Abstract: A flow device and method delivers a gaseous medium to utilization equipment having variable pressure conditions at its intake. A gaseous medium intake zone connects with structure defining a variable area throat zone for constricting the flow of the gaseous medium to increase the velocity thereof to sonic. The throat zone is adjustably varied in correlation with operating demands imposed upon the utilization equipment. Wall structure downstream from the throat zone provides a gradually diverging zone for efficiently recovering the kinetic energy of the high velocity gaseous medium as static pressure. Through such efficient recovery the velocity of gaseous medium through the throat zone is sonic over a wide range of pressure conditions at the intake of the utilization equipment. A flow splitter is spaced from the adjustable throat zone and the splitter is arranged to divide the downstream end portion of gradually diverging zone into multiple zones of reduced divergence.