Demonstrator of Adaptive Flow Control for Ground Vehicles

Purpose and goal

The purpose of the project was to develop adaptive flow control with the goal of achieving reduced aero drag for road vehicles, which results in lower environmental impact and reduced cost for the user. Despite the original idea turning out to be too complex to be able to be developed and implemented within reasonable costs, the project has been a clear success, which has resulted in an alternative concept being developed and patented (pending). As a result, parts of the original project plan had to be altered, but the end result is a great success.

Results and expected effects

The result of the project has been the invention, optimization and verification of a new aerodynamic concept for trailer side skirts which reduces drag by an additional 2-4 %, in addition to standard side skirts which normally reduces drag by 10-12 %. The innovation can be implemented both as an adaptive system (greater reduction/more expensive) where the air ducts are only opened when a cross wind condition has been detected, and as a passive system where the air ducts are always open. Commercialization of (in a first stage) the passive system is likely within two years.

Approach and implementation

The original project plan had to be adapted after early results indicated that the original idea was not feasible within existing constraints. The concept was altered to more specifically target heavy transport vehicles, which requires bigger resources in order to build a physical demonstrator. Hence, the budget was reallocated to further validate the concept in the computer. This includes simulations by a third party with methodology that is correlated against wind tunnel results. These predicted identical results to our simulations. Overall, the budget has been well-balanced.