Turbulator

Turbulent flow can be desired on parts of the surface of an aircraft wing (airfoil) or in industrial applications such as heat exchangers and the mixing of fluids.

However, the word has no commonly accepted technical or scientific meaning.

It has been approved as a trademark in the U.S. and other countries in conjunction with machine parts used within rotating drums, sterilizers, heat transfer ovens, mixing and pelletizing machines, and air destratification fans for horticultural and agricultural uses, among others.

In gliders the turbulator is often a thin zig-zag strip that is placed on the lower side of the wing and sometimes on the vertical stabilizer.

[1] In wind sensors (anemometers), the use of turbulators reduces inaccuracies in the measurement of wind speed caused by the unpredictable switching between laminar flow and turbulent flow.