The aerodynamic sub-discipline of flow control has for many years been, and still is today, a very prominent subject of research. This field encompasses devices that produce a beneficial change in wall-bounded or free shear flows that may lead to, among many possibilities, reduced drag of ground vehicles and airplanes. The end result could have a substantial improved impact on fuel economy and also introduce new possible design options. Creo Dynamics AB recently started to venture into the field of active flow control with huge interest for the technology and its possible applications. One such application includes a system that reduces drag on ground vehicles via the use of active flow control. The system is composed of three components: actuators, controller and sensors. The work carried out in this thesis deals with a study into the sensory placement and control approach related to the system on a very conceptual level. According to Creo’s vision of the project the sensor shall record the pressure distribution and characteristics up-stream of the actuators. In turn the algorithm shall be capable of translating and correlating this data to the flow state downstream and in the wake. This data is then to be relayed to a control system producing the correct actuation response to achieve desired flow characteristics. For this system to work knowledge about the coupling between wake behavior and pressure distribution on surfaces upstream of the separated flow is necessary. This thesis is an initial investigation into the possible couplings that can be found. The scope also includes investigation of the coupling during cross-winds and gusts. Simulations of a simplified car geometry were carried out using the CFD package OpenFOAM and the DDES turbulence model. The initial investigation yielded promising results, showing that a link between the wake behavior and pressure distribution up-stream exists. But further work has to be carried out, as is discussed in the last chapter, before the algorithm according to Creo’s specifications can be constructed.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:kth-102040 |
| Date | January 2012 |
| Creators | Bergman, David |
| Publisher | KTH, Aerodynamik |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
| Relation | Trita-AVE, 1651-7660 ; 2012:46 |
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