THE INVENTION RELATES TO A METHOD AND APPARATUS TO REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF EXTERNAL FLUID THROUGH AN OPENING WITHIN AN ENCLOSED AREA. THE INVENTION ALSO RELATES TO A METHOD AND APPARATUS TO PROTECT A SURFACE AREA OR PLANE FROM CONTACT OR INTERMIX WITH AN EXTERNAL FLUID. THE METHOD, IN GENERAL, INCLUDES A FLUID THAT FLOWS, IN LAMINAR REGIME, THAT FLOWS IN THE PROXIMITIES OR DIRECTLY THROUGH AN OPENING, AND A SURFACE OR AREA TO PROTECT. THE THICKNESS OF THE FLUID LAYER AT THE ORIGIN IS AT LEAST 0.05 TIMES THE DISTANCE THROUGH THE OPENING, SURFACE AREA OR PLANE TO PROTECT, IN THE MAIN DIRECTION OF THE FLUID FLOW AT THE ORIGIN. THE WIDTH OF THE FLOW IN THE SOURCE OF ORIGIN AND WHICH IS TRANSVERSAL TO THE DIRECTION OF THE FLOW IS AT LEAST AS THE LARGEST WIDTH IN THE OPENING, SURFACE OR AREA TO PROTECT, TRANSVERSAL TO THE DIRECTION OF THE FLOW. THE NUMBER OF FORCE EXERCISED BY THE FLUID IS AROUND 0.05 AND 50; BEING PREFERABLE THE RANGE AROUND 0.1 AND 10.
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