System and method for actively manipulating and controlling fluid flow over a surface

This invention relates generally to manipulating fluid flow over a surface. More specifically, this invention relates to actively manipulating fluid flow over an aerodynamic or hydrodynamic surface. The fluid flow over the surface is manipulated with small-scale actuators at the surface, wherein these small-scale actuators may be actively controlled by an associated control system to modify and achieve a desired fluid flow behavior over the surface. The present invention provides a system and method for actively manipulating and controlling aerodynamic or hydrodynamic fluid flow over a surface. More specifically, the present invention provides a system and method to control aerodynamic or hydrodynamic fluid flow behavior of a ducted fluid flow using very-small-scale effectors. The system and method for actively manipulating and controlling fluid flow over a surface includes the placement of arrays of very-small-scale effectors on ducted surfaces bounding the ducted fluid flow. These very-small-scale effectors are actively manipulated to control the flow behavior of the ducted fluid flow and prevent flow separation within the primary fluid flow.