Computational study of active flow control drag reduction device for utility vehicle

Abstract

The study presents a computational study of a drag reduction device based on an active boundary layer control for a generic truck-trailer utility road vehicle. The conceptual device is in accordance with upcoming EU regulations regarding attachable aerodynamic devices for heavy utility vehicles. Design and principles of operation of the conceptual device are presented. The device is intended to increase decrease the trailer’s base drag coefficient by manipulation of the separated flow region behind the vehicle base. Results of a steady state Reynolds averaged analysis and Delayed Detached Eddy Simulation are presented to show the discrepancies of fluid flow patterns between baseline and augmented configuration as well as between mentioned CFD approaches. Results for drag reduction for baseline truck-trailer configuration and aerodynamically augmented configuration are presented.