Road-Vehicle Aero-Dynamics and Thermal Management

• Development of sustainable and

environmentally friendly road going
vehicles.
• Understand flow phenomena for
minimizing emissions and fuel
consumption.
• Drag- and Lift minimization.
• Cooling-Drag minimization.
• Engine-Bay thermal mangement.
• Collaboration with national and
international OEMs and research
organisations.
Staff:
Professors (2) and Engineers (1)
Ph. D. students (7)
Over 20 Journal and conference papers
published during 2012/13
Contact:
Professor Lennart Löfdahl,
Professor Simone Sebben,
lennart.lofdahl@chalmers.se
simone.sebben@volvocars.com

• Tools; CFD simulations and Full-Size Wind

tunnel experiments
 Road-Vehicle Aero-Dynamics and Thermal
Management
Currently on-Going projects:

• Increased Energy Efficiency on Passenger Cars through Optimized Cooling

Flow Combined with Efficient Wheel and Underbody Aerodynamics
• Encapsulation of engine bay for active thermal control and lower noise
• Complete Vehicle Airflow – New Vehicle Architecture
• Drag Reduction on Passenger Vehicles
• Investigation of angled heat exchangers for heavy vehicles
• Improved Prediction of Flow Separation for Road Vehicles
• Reducing aerodynamic drag of road vehicles by cooling airflow control
and improved wheel designs
Increased Energy Efficiency on Passenger Cars through
Optimized Cooling Flow Combined with Efficient Wheel
and Underbody Aerodynamics
Research Motivating Problem:
Aerodynamics plays an important role in road vehicle design since it offers a possibility of Alexey Vdovin
getting a reduction in fuel consumption and emission levels. One of the important areas is
the wheel-houses, that can be responsible for up to 25-30% of total aerodynamic resistance
of a vehicle.
Research question(s):
• How does one measure ventilation
resistance moment in wind tunnel
and in CFD?
• What are the design parameters
that affect ventilation resistance?

Deliverable(s):
• Methods to measure and decrease ventilation resistance moment without affecting aerodynamic drag force of
the vehicle.
Time <2011-07> .. <2015-07>
Customers
Volvo Car Corporation
/ partners:
Funder: Swedish Energy Agency

Advisor: Lennart Löfdahl, Simone Sebben

Encapsulation of engine bay for active
thermal control and lower noise
Research Motivating Problem:
The project addresses the growing demands for fuel efficiency and low noise emissions in
trucks. It also gives room for development of more energy-efficient strategies to reduce total Blago Minovski
energy consumption of the vehicle.
Envisioned product/solution:
• Software toolset for simulating the functional integration of noise and thermal shields
isolating the engine from the environment.
Research question(s):
• What is the best way to simulate the system? What software tools are applicable and
which is the most efficient way to combine them.
Deliverable(s):
• Method for drive-cycle simulations of vehicle’s
thermal and noise phenomena with focus on
overall energy efficiency.

Time 2013.07 – 2016.12

Customers Volvo GTT, Chalmers, Volvo CC,

/ partners: Scania
Funder: Vinnova, FFI

Advisor: Lennart Löfdahl

 Complete Vehicle Airflow – <photo of
main person
New Vehicle Architecture (usually PhD
student)>
Research Motivating Problem:
The flow through the cooling system and the underhood area is a substantial contributor to the
total aerodynamic drag. A steadily increasing cooling demand further emphasizes the Helena Martini
importance of improving the cooling airflow. With a new EU legislation, it may be permitted to
elongate the cab for, for example, aerodynamic improvements. This opens up for a more
innovative layout of the components in the engine bay of the truck and potential for reduced
total driving resistance is seen.

Research question:
By extending the cab forwards, creating a more aerodynamic shape
of the tractor:
• How can the aerodynamics and cooling performance be
improved by ducted inlets and outlets of the cooling airflow?

Deliverable:
• Improved method for combined simulations of cooling
performance and aerodynamic resistance

Time 2009.09 – 2015.03 (Lic. 2011.11)

Partners: Volvo GTT, Chalmers

Funder: FFI

Advisor: Lennart Löfdahl

Drag Reduction on Passenger Vehicles
Research Motivating Problem:
Aerodynamics plays an essential role in the total driving resistance and hence fuel
consumption of vehicles. New upcoming legislations on permissible CO2 – emissions and
increasing fuel prices will push vehicle manufacturers to develop vehicles with a low fuel Lennert Sterken
consumption. As a consequence the aerodynamic resistance has to be further reduced.

Research Question:
• How can the rear wake be controlled and optimized such that air resistance is reduced
and that fuel consumption and CO2 – emissions are lowered?

Deliverable(s):
• Improved understanding of wake structures affecting aerodynamic forces and how to
control the structures to reduce drag, while maintaining stability.
• Improvement of experimental and numerical methodology for unsteady flow
investigations.
Time 2011.01 – 2015.06

Customers Volvo Car Group, Chalmers

/ partners:
Funder: Vinnova, FFI

Advisor: Simone Sebben, PhD; Tim Walker

and Professor Lennart Löfdahl
Investigation of angled heat exchangers for heavy
vehicles
Research Motivating Problem:
The cooling demand for heavy vehicles has increased and the cooling package placed in
the front can not deliver the required amount of cooling. Lisa Henriksson
Envisioned product/solution:
• Install an angled heat exchanger to increase the heat
transfer rate.
Research question(s):
• What is the most suitable heat exchanger angle to
obtain a low pressure drop over it and to increase the
heat transfer rate?
Deliverable(s):
• Which angle the heat exchanger should be mounted in
a vehicle.
• A method to simulate pressure drop and heat transfer
rate for angled heat exchangers, in 1D and 3D.

Time 2009.09 – 2015.03

Customers / Volvo GTT, Chalmers

partners:
Funder: FFI

Advisor: Lennart Löfdahl, Erik Dahl, Peter Gullberg

 Improved Prediction of Flow Separation <photo of
main person
for Road Vehicles (usually PhD
student)>
Research Motivating Problem:
The increasing fuel prices and the current discussions about CO2 reduction and sustainable act
engage the policy, companies and society. An improved understanding of flow separation Sabine Bonitz
makes it possible to predict and control losses. This leads to a lower aerodynamic drag and
with it to less fuel consumption.

Envisioned product/solution:
• Improved prediction of flow separation
• Applicable measurement methods for the industry
• Improved results from the CFD simulations

Research question(s):
• How can separation be described? (mathematical
physical models)
• How can we investigate separation experimentally?
• How can numerical models be improved?
Time 2013.09 – 2018.08

Customers / Volvo CC, Volvo GTT, Scania

partners:
Funder: FFI

Advisor: Lennart Löfdahl, Alexander Broniewicz

Reducing aerodynamic drag of road vehicles
by cooling airflow control and improved
wheel designs
Research Motivating Problem: Teddy Hobeika
With higher focus on energy efficiency and sustainability in transportation, aerodynamic
optimization becomes more and more important as gains in other fields shrink. Wheel designs
and thermal management have been an area of focus over the past few years.

Research question:
• How does wheel aerodynamics
interact with cooling flow?

Deliverables:
• Method for simulating tyres in CFD
• Method for quantifying cooling flow
in wind tunnel tests

Time 2013-05 .. 2017-05

Customers Volvo Cars, Volvo Trucks, and Scania

/ partners:
Funder: FFI

Advisor: Lennart Löfdahl, Simone Sebben