Active and passive boundary layer control for vehicle drag reduction
OwnerPeter Schmidtinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An active and passive boundary layer control system and method for reducing boundary layer separation and the resulting form drag from ground vehicles. Tubings with multiple venturis connected in series are attached to the side and/or roof of the ground vehicle. A flow of compressed air is created by an engine auxiliary, e.g., a turbocharger or a supercharger, or by a designated blower and injected into the tubings. Suction created by the venturis actively removes decelerated fluid from the boundary layer and keeps the boundary layer flow attached. Optionally, the system exhausts the air in concentrated free jets along the vehicle body to a series of passive boundary layer control devices, such as vortex generators.
Claims21
A device for reducing aerodynamic drag of a ground vehicle, the device comprising:
- a tubing having an intake port, an exit port, and a plurality of venturis;
- and,
- a compressed air source being fluidly connected to the intake port;
- wherein the plurality of venturis is disposed between the intake port and the exit port;
- and,
- wherein each venturi from among the plurality of venturis has a throat and a venturi opening on an outer periphery of the venturi throat to remove a portion of a fluid from a boundary layer of the ground vehicle.
A method of reducing aerodynamic drag of a ground vehicle comprising:
- providing a tubing on at least one of a roof and a side wall of the ground vehicle, the tubing having an intake port, an exit port, and a plurality of venturis disposed between the intake port and the exit port;
- fluidly connecting a compressed air source to the intake port;
- and,
- removing a portion of a fluid from a boundary layer of the ground vehicle by suction through a venturi opening located on an outer periphery of each throat venturi.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.