1) The document discusses the effect of drag coefficient on vehicle aerodynamic performance and various methods to reduce aerodynamic drag.
2) It outlines computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations conducted on vehicle models with and without vortex generators to analyze their effect on drag coefficient.
3) The results show that the model with vortex generators had lower drag and lift coefficients than the baseline model, indicating vortex generators can effectively reduce aerodynamic drag.
907MTAMount Coventry University Bachelor's Diploma in Engineering
Effect of Vortex Generators on Aerodynamic Performance
1. EFFECT OF DRAG CO-EFFICIENT
ON THE AERODYNAMIC
PERFORMANCE OF THE VEHICLE
Arup Kumar Sikdar
Roll No : 11899814005
Registration No : 141180410017
Prof. Amar Nath Mullick (NIT, Durgapur)
Presented By
Under guidance of
Under co-guidance of
Mr. Santanu Banerjee (BIET, Suri)
2. Topic to be Discussed
• Introduction
• Aim and objective
• Factors of Drag force and flow around the car
• Different method to reduce Aerodynamic drag
• Comparative study of different aerodynamic drag reduction
• Introducing CFD
• Experimental Setup
• Results and Discussion
• Conclusion
• Future work
• Reference
• Vote of thanks.
3. Introduction
In the present days, one of the greatest threat to the world about the
efficacy of the running out of crude oil, in near future. There is no
doubt to accept that Crude oil is largest source of natural energy use in
various sectors like, automobile, Aeronautics, Captive Power Plant,
etc. In order to control the consumption of crude oil in economical and
judicious manner, engineers from all disciplines are doing lot of
research work to build new generation of fuel efficient engine. As a
part of those efforts, a group of engineers are devoted to reduce the
Aerodynamic Drag Force which contributes a lot to the reduction in
fuel consumption. Richard M. Wood [1] concluded in his research
work that 16% of the total energy consumed in the United States is
used to overcome aerodynamic drag in transportation systems. India is
not very far from the scenario of USA with respect to the consumption
of energy in transport system. So, aerodynamic drag of a vehicle is a
large part of the vehicles fuel consumption. Thus the drag reduction
program is one of the most interesting approaches to cater this matter.
If we choose the drag reduction method to the ground vehicles, that
will provide 20 billion dollars per year.
4. Objective of the present study
• The method of aerodynamic drag reduction technique is studying
from the several literatures. Compare the different technique for the
experiment. Decision has been taken from the literature that vortex
generators add on devices reduces drag coefficient, which is more
effective than other method and the aims and objectives has to be
set. The Vortex Generator is more convenient for easy and manual
fitment on the rear roof of the car, less cost of manufacturing
(making with glass fiber), no need to change the manufacturing
design and suitable for CFD simulation process.
• After study design a 3D CAD model of car in CATIA V5 (Taking
overall dimension of Swift Dezire) with and without attached VG.
Then numerical analysis has to be done in CFD software to obtain
CD values. Compare the result and analyze which attachment will be
better for the CAD model and why? After comparing introduce the
fuel consumption betterment.
5. Factors of drag force and flow around the car
• Vehicle drag force
• Aerodynamic drag force
• Lift or Downforce
• Different types of flow around the car
7. Frontal Pressure
• Frontal pressure created by a vehicle body pushing air out of
the way. It is caused by the air attempting to flow around the
front of the vehicle. It is a form of drag where the vehicle must
push air molecules out of the way as it travels through the air.
As million of air molecules approaches the front of the vehicle,
they begin to compress, and in doing so raise the air pressure
in front of the vehicle.
8. Rear Vacuum
• Rear vacuum is caused by the “Hole” left in the air as a
vehicle passes through it. When a vehicle passes through
air, it creates a vacuum in rear portion of the vehicle. It also
acts as a drag or negative force. The negative force
increases with the square of the vehicle speed.
9. Frontal Area
• The frontal area defines the size of the hole the
vehicle makes in the air as it drives through it. It
is basically frontal portion of the vehicle body
which meets the air, when vehicle moving.
10. Lift or Downforce
• As the air flows over the hood of the car, its losses pressure, but
when it reaches the windscreen, it again comes up against a
barrier, and quickly reaches a higher pressure. The lower
pressure area above the hood of the car creates a small lifting
force that acts upon the area of hood. The higher pressure area
in front of the windscreen creates downforce. As it increasing on
the windscreen, after travelling from windscreen it accelerates,
causing the pressure to drop. This lower pressure literally lifts
on the vehicles roof as the air passes over it.
11. Different types of flow around the vehicle
• Laminer flow
• Turbulence flow
• Streamline flow
• Stagnation Point
• Turbence
• Vortices
12. Flow separation
• When the air travels along the vehicle roof (see figure) the pressure
gradient of the boundary layer drops at the rear windshield. The
gradient of the velocity profile (boundary layer) reaches the value of
zero a separation of the flow will occur. As the flow separates the air
becomes de-attached from the surface and will instead from eddy.
This will increase pressure drag which means that a delay in flow
separation would have been more favorable in terms of total drag.
13. Different method to reduce Aerodynamic drag
• Active Flow control
• Boat tailing or Active flow control with steady
blowing
• Diffuser technique
i) Underbody
ii) Rear-end
• Vortex Generator
i) Passive Vane Vortex Generator
ii) Active Vortex Generators Jets
• Rear Spoiler
• Front Air Dam
• Rear wings
14. Active Flow control
• Active control is performed by using actuators that
require a power generally taken on the principal
generator of energy of the vehicle. The visible part of
these systems includes mobile walls, circular holes or
slots distributed on the vehicle surface where the flow
must be controlled. Their use requires mechanical,
electromagnetic, electric, piezoelectric or acoustic
systems placed in the hollow parts of the vehicle.
Their weights and their overall dimensions must be
smallest as possible to reduce their impacts on
consumption.
15. Boat tailing or Active flow control
with steady blowing
• The most common and natural way of reducing rear end drag is boat-
tailing, also called rear end tapering. But the practical application of it
is limited due to the fact that it greatly reduces the comfort for the
passengers and loading capability. Taking tapering to its drag reduction
possibility limits is not a realistic possibility of practical reasons but it
is still interesting to study the results of such research.
16. Diffuser technique
• One of the main functions of diffuser is to create downforce,
this is achieved by improving the transition between the high
velocity airflow underneath the body and the slower airflow
around the vehicle.
Underbody
Rear-end
17. Vortex Generator
• Flow-separation control can be a very effective way for improving
existing fluid-dynamical systems, and a powerful tool in the
conceptual design process from the very beginning of a product-
development cycle. The term “flow separation control” is generally
used when a wall-bounded fluid flow is modified by some devices
such as Vortex generators (VGs). The general benefit from applying
VGs in wall bounded flows is a possible delay or prevention of
boundary-layer separation and increase overall system efficiency.
18. Rear Spoiler
Spoiler is an aerodynamically designed device used on a speeding vehicle
to disrupt unwanted air movement across the vehicle while gaining higher
speed levels. So spoilers in street legal vehicles are influential over fuel
efficiency by reducing the drag and also increasing the looks of the vehicle
to a certain extent. It is used primarily on sedan type race cars to provide
downforce but also counteract the nature tendency of these cars to become
“light” in the rear due to lift generated by the rear body shape. It acts like
barriers to air flow, in order to build up higher air pressure in front of the
spoiler. This higher pressure acts upon the area of the trunk/deck to provide
downforce. Below figure shows how the flow is manipulated to increase
pressure.
19. Front Air Dam
Front air dam is attached to the front of the vehicle body. It has
enhanced aerodynamically designed to improve the airflow and
reduce drag and fuel consumption. It prevents air flowing
underneath a vehicle. It does this by creating a “dam” or wall across
the front of the vehicle that extends close down to the road and
usually along the sides to some extent. This creates an area of
vacuum or low pressure underneath the car as shown in below
figure. This low pressure area, in combination with the higher
pressures above the front and top of the vehicle, generates
downforce at the front of the vehicle.
20. Rear wings
The wing, as shown in figure, generates downforce by using the difference
in air pressure between the top and bottom surfaces. This air pressure
difference results from the way the air flows around the wing shape. A wing
does this by making the air molecules travel different distances from the
leading edge to the trailing edge. The longer underside of the wing requires
the air flowing on that side to move at a higher speed (lower pressure) to
meet up with the air flowing at a lower speed (higher pressure) over the top
side of the wing. The lower pressure area under the wing allows the higher
pressure area above the wing to “push” down on the wing, and hence the
vehicle it’s mounted to. The angle of attack or wing angle can be increased
to enable even larger pressure differences, but eventually the wing will stall
and lose downforce. Drag also increases with higher angles of attack
21. Comparative study of different Aerodynamic Drag
reducing technique
Methods Experimental Setup
Experiment set
up Cost
Installation cost &
feasibility
Remarks
Active Flow
control
Blowing systems
through circular or
rectangular slots
Less cost
effective
Higher
installation cost &
less feasibility
Vehicle needs to change
manufacturing design
Boat Tailing
Blowing systems
through circular or
rectangular slots
Less cost
effective
Lower installation
cost but feasible
Feasible for bus and truck
rear end but not feasible for
passenger car.
Diffuser
technique
Blowing systems
through circular or
rectangular slots
Less cost
effective
Higher
installation cost &
less feasibility
Vehicle needs to change
manufacturing design
Vortex
Generator
Vehicle free run or
blowing system or Using
CFD
More cost
effective
Lower installation
cost but feasible
It is more flexible and can
apply any type of vehicle
without changing the
manufacturing design.
Rear Spoiler
Blowing system or
Using CFD
More cost
effective
Higher
installation cost
but feasible
It is more flexible and can
apply sedan in car but higher
installation cost.
Front air dam
Blowing system or
Using CFD
More cost
effective
Higher
installation cost
but feasible
It is more flexible and can
apply sedan in car but higher
installation cost.
Wing
Blowing system or
Using CFD
More cost
effective
Higher
installation cost
but feasible
It is more flexible and can
apply sedan in car but higher
installation cost.
22. Computational Fluid Dynamics
(CFD)
• CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) is a set
of numerical methods applied to obtain
approximate solution of problems of fluid
dynamics and heat transfer”. In retrospect, it is
integrating not only the discipline s of fluid
mechanics with mathematics but also with
computer science. The physical characteristics
of the equations, usually in partial differential
form, which govern a process of interest and
are often called governing equation in CFD.
23. Numerical Simulation Setup
• This section described about experimental setup for
numerical simulation performed on CAD model using
CFD technique. The software CATIA V5 used for the
CAD model making and numerical analysis done in
ANSYS WORKBENCH 2012
1) Vehicle generic models and dimensions
2) Delta wings vortex generator generic model and dimension
3) Virtual wind tunnel and vehicle orientation
4) Mesh generation
5) Solver setting
25. Delta wings vortex generator generic
model and dimension
vortex generator
26. Virtual wind tunnel and vehicle
orientation
After designing of different CAD models with VG and without VG, these are imported
to ANSYS WORKBENCH 12. A virtual air-box has been created around the 3D CAD
model which represents the wind tunnel in the real life. The virtual wind tunnel
dimension is as shown in figure 30 2L x 2L x 5L, where L is total length of car is 3995
mm.
28. Use Advance size
Func.
On: Proximity and curveture
Relevance Center Medium
Initial size speed Active assembly
Smoothing Medium
Transition Slow
Span angle center 12.00
Proximity Accuracy 0.5
Minimum size 1 mm
Max Face size Default
Max Tet Size Default
Growth rate 1.20
Use automatic
Inflation
Program Controlled
Inflation option Smooth Transition
Maximum Layer 5
Growth Rate 1.2
Type Body of Influence
Virtual car-box Body Sizing
Type Body Influence
Element Size 100 mm
Sizing &
setting of
Mesh
30. Solver setting
CFD Simulation 3ddp (3-D Double Precision)
Solver
Solver Fluent
Space 3D
Formulation Implicit
Time Steady
Velocity Formulation Absolute
Gradient Option Cell-based
Porous Formulation Superficial Velocity
31. Viscous model and Turbulence
model setting
Turbulent model k-ɛ (2 equation)
k-ɛ model Standard
Near wall treatment Enhance wall function
Operating conditions Ambient
32. Boundary conditions setting
Velocity_inlet Magnitude and Direction 30 m/s (Negative X-direction)
Turbulence specification
method
Intensity and viscosity ratio
Turbulence Intensity 1.00%
Turbulence Viscosity ratio 20
Pressure_outlet Gauge pressure magnitude 0 Pa
Gauge pressure Direction Normal to boundary
Turbulence Specification
method
Intensity and viscosity ratio
Backflow Turbulence Intensity 10%
Backflow Turbulence
Viscosity ratio
10
Wall Zones Vehicle surface no slip wall boundary condition
Road face-inviscid wall boundary condition
Symmetry_side inviscid wall boundary condition
Fluid Properties Fluid type Air
Density ρ = 1.175(kg/m3)
Kinematic viscosity υ =1.7894 x 10-5 (kg/m.s)
33. Solution Controls
Equations Flow and Turbulence
Discretization Pressure: Standard
Momentum: second order upwind
Turbulence kinetic energy: second
order upwind
Turbulence dissipation rate: second
order upwind
Monitor Residuals, Drag and Lift coefficient
Convergence criterion Continuity = 0.001
X-Velocity = 0.001
Y-Velocity = 0.001
k = 0.001
Epsilon = 0.001
34. RESULT AND DISCUSSION
Now 3D steady state, incompressible solution of the Navier-Stokes
equations was performed using ANSYS FLUENT. Turbulence modeling
was done with the realizable k-ɛ model using non-equilibrium wall
functions. The CAD models with different attachment are simulated at a
speed of 30 m/sec. The computational results for the following cases are
presented and discussed:
•Case #1: Vehicle CAD model without Vortex Generator.
•Case #2: Vehicle CAD model with Vortex Generator.
35. Scaled Residuals Plot
All the results for different cases were obtained with the same meshing
resolution, the same k-ɛ turbulence model, and also the same boundary
conditions. The free stream velocity was set to be 16 m/sec (~ 108 km/hr,
which is the speed limit in highways). For the first 50 iterations second
order upwind scheme have continued until it reaches to the convergence
criteria. The residual plot of Case #1 and Case #2 is shown below.
Case #1 Case #2
36. Drag and Lift Coefficient Plot
Case #1
Case #1
Case #2
Case #2
37. Comparative result table of Drag, Lift
& Coefficient of Drag & Lift
Configuration Case #1 Case #2
Drag Force 3.3136258 N 3.1718426 N
Lift Force 0.35387649 N 0.18822787 N
Drag Coefficient (CD) 0.5763 0.5533
Lift Coefficient (CL) 0.0615 0.0328
Number of mesh
element
344853 492403
42. Summary
From the above analysis, it is found that with VGs is more effective add-on
device to reduce the drag coefficient and lift coefficient which are applied on
the virtual passenger car when the car is running on the road. The drag
coefficients and drag forces are proportional to each other so when the drag
forces are reduced, lift forces are also reduced because it is proportional to
the lift coefficient. The comparative results between the baseline car and car
with Vortex Generator add-on device are shown in graphical representation.
Finally percentage of drag & lift reduction shown in below table. In this
manner fuel consumption of vehicle has to be reducing by applying
aerodynamic drag reduction devices.
Configuration Drag
coefficient
Percentage of
drag reduction
Lift coefficient Percentage of
Lift reduction
Base car
model
0.5763 0 0.0615 0
VG fitted car
model
0.5533 4% 0.0328 4.6%
43. Conclusion
• Experimental approaches for the investigation of external
aerodynamics of a 1:10 scale car model fitted with or without
Vortex generator and it has been observed that installing
Vortex generator the drag force is reduce marginally. The
objective is to reduce aerodynamic drag acting on the vehicle
and thus improve the fuel efficiency of vehicle. Hence, the
drag force can be reduced by using VG on vehicle and fuel
economy, and stability of a passenger car can be improved.
• But, it is noteworthy to mention that due to paucity of time and
lack of latest software, it study could not extended in a
rigorous manner by installing the spoiler, front air dam,
diffuser etc. other drag reduction devices. Further
improvement to the design of the aerodynamic drag reduction
devices needs to be made which could potentially lead to a
greater reduction in the drag coefficient and lift.
44. Future Work
From the below diagram shows the future investigations and it
would be highly interesting to continue the investigation with add on
devices of different shaped vortex generator, spoiler, air dam etc
fitted to the 1:1 scale model vehicle and simulate by CFD as well as
wind tunnel experimental setup for realistic result. The experiment
not only stays in sedan car segment but also move in the field of
SUV, Trucks and Buses etc. Because everybody needs to save fuel
and one of the cheapest way is add on aerodynamic drag reduction
devices and saving millions of dollars per year.
CAD model fitted with spoiler CAD model fitted with spoiler & VG
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