Aerodynamic Configurator for Transport (ACT): reducing haulage sector drags, costs and emissions

ACT项目将开发一个基于web的应用程序，用于执行hgv的虚拟空气动力学模拟。我们通常在一级方程式赛车上进行这些研究，以帮助设计师让它们跑得更快；我们感兴趣的不是让卡车跑得更快，而是减少它们使用的燃料量，减少它们的排放，从而减少它们对环境的危害。利用计算流体动力学（CFD）技术，该应用程序将计算卡车在行驶过程中穿过空气的能力。通常，使用CFD需要昂贵的计算机和软件。您还需要具有专业知识的熟练工程师来使用它们。我们的应用程序将是行话自由和工作在一个网络浏览器，所以最大数量的人可能可以使用它。要想知道一辆卡车的空气动力学性能如何，用户只需从不同的驾驶室、拖车和改装中进行选择，然后点击“模拟”，坐下来等待计算机计算出这种组合的效率。让运输公司能够快速、轻松地尝试不同配置的HVG，将有助于他们选择最高效的出租车和拖车，从而大幅降低运输成本，减少温室气体排放，使每个人的环境都更健康。

The ACT project will develop a web based application for performing virtual aerodynamic simulations of HGVs. We usually conduct these studies on Formula One racing cars to help designers make them go faster; instead of making lorries faster, we are interested in reducing the amount of fuel they use and reducing their emissions so they do less harm to the environment. Using technology known as Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), the app will calculate how well a lorry cuts through air as it is driven along. Usually, to use CFD you need expensive computers and software. You also need skilled engineers with specialist knowledge to use them. Our app will be jargon free and work in a web browser so the maximum number of people possible can use it. To find how aerodynamic a lorry is, users simply pick from the range of different cabs, trailers, and modifications then click ‘Simulate’, sit back and wait for the computer to work out how efficient that combination is. Giving haulage companies the ability to try out different configurations of HVG quickly and easily will help them to pick the most efficient cabs and trailers to use, dramatically reducing the cost of shipping and reducing greenhouse emissions, making the environment healthier for everyone.