SBIR Phase I: Minimizing Vehicle Aero Drag with Optimized Deturbulators

这个小企业创新研究第一阶段项目将以成本效益的方式优化Sinhatech专利的柔性蒙皮减阻器与车辆减阻挡风板、机翼和机翼的集成。扩散器是一种被动柔性蒙皮大涡破碎装置，用于减轻分离流中的湍流混合。Sinhatech？最近开发的自调心减速器增强型挡风板（DEWD）气动减阻改造已证明在一些卡车和货车上的燃油经济性提高了9-16%。市场接受将需要加快当前的测试和修改除湿器安装优化。目前的障碍是缺乏能够对减速器进行建模的具有成本效益的CFD工具。与密西西比州立大学的一项联合研究刚刚证明，湍流模型中用户指定的混合长度限制可以在有效的RANS代码中模拟除雾器引起的流动修改。在第一阶段，对DEWD进行的详细风洞测量将指导根据减阻器和流场的易于量化的特征制定通用混合长度修改规则。这一程序也将根据从一个减速器处理的低速翼型的实验数据进行验证。用经减阻剂处理的机翼进行的飞行性能试验表明，升阻比增加了18%. CFD引导的优化将能够设计出极端升阻比的翼型和机翼，以及具有不妥协功能的几乎流线型的飞行器。拟议项目的潜在/商业影响将立即通过在不影响功能的情况下廉价地流线型化卡车和汽车来节省5-10%的燃料和减少温室气体排放。与24- 25个月相比，优化的减速器投资回报在2-3个月内。几个月的竞争航空改装，创造了一个30亿美元的市场。除霜剂处理可以提高目前正在发展的快速、短距起飞和着陆的高耐久性零排放电池供电飞机的商业实现，其具有可接受的有效载荷容量和航程。从能够提供全天候低空监视的战术无人机平台开始，估计有100亿美元的市场，这将在各个层面上彻底改变价值30亿美元的商用航空业。这包括通过对机翼、稳定器和高旁通涡轮机发动机风扇叶片和螺旋桨叶片进行处理，为长途喷气运输节省20%或更多的燃料和减少排放。该项目还将使类似的方法，提高风力涡轮机叶片的效率和疲劳寿命，提高风力发电？的成本优势，为更多的访问网站。它可以提供一个数量级的飞跃，在最大速度，耐力或燃料节省积极的层流机翼设计或竞争的表面处理，如肋，努力减少湍流表面摩擦。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will cost effectively optimize the integration of Sinhatech's patented flexible-skin Deturbulator with vehicle drag-reducing wind deflectors, aircraft wings and airfoils. The Deturbulator is a passive flexible-skin large-eddy breakup device for mitigating turbulent mixing in separated flows. Sinhatech?s recently developed self aligning Deturbulator-enhanced wind-deflector (DEWD) aero-drag reducing retrofit has demonstrated 9-16% fuel economy increase on some trucks and vans. Market acceptance will require speeding up current test-and-modify Deturbulator installation optimization. The impediment has been a lack of cost effective CFD tools capable of modeling the Deturbulator. A joint effort with Mississippi State University has just demonstrated that user specified limits on mixing lengths in a turbulence model can mimic Deturbulator induced flow modifications in an efficient RANS code. In Phase-1 detailed wind-tunnel measurements on a DEWD will guide development of universal mixing-length modification rules based on easily quantifiable features of the Deturbulator and the flow-field. This procedure will also be verified against experimental data from a Deturbulator treated low-speed airfoil. Flight performance tests with Deturbulator treated wings have yielded 18% increase in lift to drag. CFD guided optimization will enable designing extreme lift-to-drag airfoils and wings and virtually streamlined vehicles with uncompromised functionality.The proader potential/commercial impact of the proposed project will immediately enable 5-10% fuel saving and greenhouse gas emission reduction by inexpensively streamlining trucks and automobiles without impacting functionality.Optimized Deturbulators payback in 2-3 months compared to 24-months for competing aero-retrofits, creating a $3-Billion market. Deturbulator treatments can enhance commercial realization of currently evolving fast, short takeoff and landing high-endurance zero-emission battery powered aircraft with acceptable payload capacity and range. Beginning with enabling tactical UAV platforms capable of providing round-the-clock low altitude surveillance, an estimated $10 billion market, this will revolutionize the $3 Trillion commercial aviation industry at all levels. This includes 20% or more fuel savings and emission reduction for long haul jet transport by applying the treatment to wings, stabilizers and high bypass turbine engine fan blades and propeller blades. The project will also enable a similar approach for enhancing wind-turbine blade efficiency and fatigue life, improving wind-power?s cost advantage for more accessible sites. It can provide an order of magnitude leap in maximum speed, endurance or fuel savings over aggressive laminar flow wing designs or competing surface treatments like riblets which strive to reduce turbulent skin friction.