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Improving Automotive Fuel Efficiency with Deturbulator Tape
SAE Paper: 2007-01- 3458SAE 21st Asia Pacific Automotive Technology Conference, Hollywood, CA, U.S.A.
5th-8th August, 2007
Sumon K. Sinha, Ph.D., P.E,and
Sumontro L. Sinha*
SINHATECH, Oxford, Mississippi
U.S.A.www.sinhatech.com
*Also with Mississippi School of Mathematics & Science, Columbus, MS, U.S.A.
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MOTIVATION
Investigate Applicability of DETURBULATOR wing drag reduction
device to bluff bodiesto
Develop a SIMPLE, EFFECTIVE, and PRACTICAL Method of increasing
Automobile and Truck Efficiency Through Aerodynamic Drag Reduction
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BACKGROUND
The Deturbulator
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ATTENUATING TURBULENT MIXING:SINHA - FLEXIBLE COMPOSITE SURFACE
DETURBULATOR (FCSD)
Membrane Tension
50-100µmS
Boundary Layer Flow
Flexible Membrane ∼ 6µm thick
Substrate Base glued to aerodynamic surface
High Strips or Ridges
Low Strips as needed to fix flexural damping and higher modes
Fundamental Flexural Vibration Mode of MembraneShown (Amplitude < 0.1 µm)
10-50µm thick Air-Gap (Membrane Substrate)
Wing or other aerodynamic body
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CLOSE UP OF DETURBULATOR
Substrate Cavity Vents
Flexible Membrane across Ridged Substrate
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How Deturbulator Reduces Turbulence
Large Vortex Rolling
Ridges on Deturbulator
Freestream Flow
Flexible Skin of Deturbulator RED: Large Wavelength deflection BLUE: Small Wavelength Deflection
Small Vortices created from small-wavelength deflection
Small Vortices Drain Large Vortex
Boundary Layer
Small vortices quickly dissipated by viscosity
ANALOGY: Perturbation of large vortex creates small vortices similar to a tire rolling over rumble strips on a highway to warn approaching stop.
LARGE VORTICES PRODUCE TURBULENCE FROM MEAN FLOW
DETURBULATOR BREAKS UP LARGE VORTICES
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FLOW-FCSD INTERACTION
∂ p/ ∂ x < 0
∂ p/ ∂ x ≅ 0
∂p/∂x > 0
Free stream ∂ U/ ∂ t ≈ v( ∂ u/ ∂ y) y=0
SINHA - FCS (Membrane Oscillation velocity v)
Separation point
Separated Shear Layer (Oscillates due to fluctuations)
Flow of pressure fluctuations
BEST INTERACTION where ∂p/∂x = 0
• FCSD passes oscillation without damping at the Interactionfrequency :
f = U/sAttenuates other frequencies
•This stabilizes the shear layerand mitigates turbulent dissipation
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Base Airfoil
Airfoil with Deturbulator
Transition to Turbulent flow
Turbulent Boundary LayerHigh Skin Friction
Laminar Boundary LayerLow Skin Friction
Marginally Separated Boundary Layer Alters “Virtual” Shape of Airfoil; Increases Lift Coefficient
Deturbulator attenuates Turbulent Mixing Keeps separated regions nearly stagnant Almost Zero Skin Friction (Lower than in Laminar Flow)
Thickness of Deturbulator Tape encourages Marginal Separation
Dynamic Flow-Flexible-Surface interaction on Deturbulator maintains nearly stagnant regions of marginal separation
INTEGRATION OF DETURBULATOR WITH AIRFOIL TO INCREASE LIFT AND REDUCE
DRAG
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Effect of Deturbulator on Separation bubble
BASE FLOW STRONG LAMINAR SEPARATION BUBBLE w TRANSITION
DETURBULATED FLOW: NO TRANSITION EXTENDED BUBBLE
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Smeared Oil: Slip Layer
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Full-Span Deturbulator (Tested by Richard Johnson)
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Evaluations by Dick Johnson (Dec 2006)Supported by Dallas Gliding Association
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Automotive Fuel Efficiency Enhancement
Reducing Drag in Fully Separated Wakes
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FLOW WITHOUT TREATMENT
FLOW WITH TREATMENT
Turbulent Eddies
Vehicle or Bluff Body
Deturbulator
Stagnant WakeFor Virtual Streamlining
DETURBULATOR DRAG REDUCTION ON A VEHICLE
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1/24 Scale SUV in Sinhatech Wind Tunnel
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Measured Coeffcient of Drag on Model Car (Re = 0.4 million)
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
1 2 3 4 5 6Test Number
Coe
ffici
ent o
f Dra
g(C
D) De-turbulator Rear Top
Tape Top Front De-turbulator Top RearTape Top FrontClean Car
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Deturbulator on 2000 Honda Odyssey
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Con
trol
Expe
rimen
t
23242526272829303132
Mile
s Pe
r Gal
lon
2000 Honda Odyssey Average Highway Gas Mileage
Control
Experiment
Overall Average
Control
Experiment
2222.5
2323.5
2424.5
2525.5
26
Mile
s pe
r Gal
lon
2000 Honda Odyssey Overall (Highway plus City) Gas Mileage
Control
Experiment
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5565
% increase
clean
experimental
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Mile
s/G
allo
n or
% m
pg
incr
ease
Miles per Hour
Average Gas Mileages for 1997 Dodge Dakota% increasecleanexperimental
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Class-8 Tractor-Trailer Truck Fuel/Emissions ReductionDrag Reduction on Connected
Bluff Bodies
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Measured Drag of Truck Model: Effect of FCSD (Deturbulator Treatment)
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
treatment type
Coef
ficie
nt o
f Dra
g (C
d)
CLEANFCSD-1FCSD-2FCSD-3FCSD-4
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l
Cont r ol Ov er a l l mpg
Det ur bula t or Ove r a l l mpg
Cont r ol Highway mpg
Det ur bula t or Highwaympg
5.8
5.9
6
6 .1
6 .2
6 .3
6 .4
6 .5
Fuel Mileage for Freightliner Freight Truck with Trailer
Contr ol Over al l mpg
Detur bulator Over al l mpg
Contr ol Highway mpg
Detur bulator Highway mpg
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Operational Class-8 Truck Road Test
5.8
5.9
6
6.1
6.2
6.3
6.4
6.5
Untreated Deturb Cab sidestop Trailer top
Deturb Cab sidestop Trailer
sides,top, bottom
Ove
rall
Mile
s/G
allo
n
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Concluding Remarks
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DETURBULATOR: Separation without Turbulent Mixingmakes Wake more Stagnant (Tractor Cab Wake)
MEAN VELOCITIES 1/3-Height BEHIND CAB MODEL
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
1.4
1.6
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4 1.6
U-mean/U-infinity
Y/h-
cab
Mean Vel UntreatedMean Vel 0.5 mm s DeturbMean Vel 2 mm s Deturb
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Mean x-y plane Velocities h/2 Behind Model Tractor-Trailer Truck of height h = 70 mm
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
1.4
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2
Mean Velocities (u/u-upstream)
Dis
tanc
e Fr
om R
oad
Surf
ace
(h/h
-trai
ler)
Vmean treated Cab+Trail
Vmean UnTreated
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Deturbulator Vs. Other Drag Reduction Methods
% Drag Reduction
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%
Deturb Dodge Dakota
Deturb 2000 Odyssey
2006 Honda Odyssey
Tailcone Truck Drag
Trailer Strakes Truck Drag
Under Chasis BlowTruck Drag
Deturb Class-8 truck
Deturb Class-8 truck
% Drag Reduction
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
National Science Foundation SBIR Grant: IIP0638157