- 2014-11-13 14:00:00
- Article ID: 626158
How to Save Billions of Gallons of Gasoline
Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory study potential of drag-reducing devices on semi-trucks to conserve billions of gallons, save tens of billions of dollars and spare tens of millions of tons of CO2
-
Credit: K.Salari/LLNL
The computational images represent a single flow simulation around a typical on-the-road heavy vehicle at highway speed from different viewpoints. In this simulation, the trailer is aerodynamically treated by skirts and a tail fairing. The simulation incorporates a full-scale high-fidelity truck model with moving wheels. The flow field around the vehicle is highlighted by streamlines which are colored by velocity magnitude.
-
Credit: K.Salari/LLNL
The computational images represent a single flow simulation around a typical on-the-road heavy vehicle at highway speed from different viewpoints. In this simulation, the trailer is aerodynamically treated by skirts and a tail fairing. The simulation incorporates a full-scale high-fidelity truck model with moving wheels. The flow field around the vehicle is highlighted by streamlines which are colored by velocity magnitude.
-
Credit: K.Salari/LLNL
The computational images represent a single flow simulation around a typical on-the-road heavy vehicle at highway speed from different viewpoints. In this simulation, the trailer is aerodynamically treated by skirts and a tail fairing. The simulation incorporates a full-scale high-fidelity truck model with moving wheels. The flow field around the vehicle is highlighted by streamlines which are colored by velocity magnitude.
The findings will be described today in a talk at the American Physical Society's Division of Fluid Dynamics (DFD) meeting in San Francisco, Calif. A press briefing featuring this and several other talks will be streamed live over the Web from the conference at 1:00 p.m. PST on Monday, Nov. 24 in room Foothill F of the San Francisco Marriott Marquis. For more information, email jbardi@aip.org
Fluid dynamicists Kambiz Salari and Jason Ortega ran aerodynamic tests on a detailed 1/8 scale model of a semi-truck in the wind tunnel facilities at NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Federal Airfield in California. The truck was tested in various configurations. In some, it was outfitted with trailer skirts, which are panels affixed along the lower side edges of a trailer that reduce drag resulting from airflow interacting with wheels and other structures under the body of the trailer; in others, a boat tail fairing, a device affixed to the back of the trailer that decreases drag by reducing the trailer wake size, was added. In still other tests, the truck was rigged with both of the drag-reducing devices (or with neither one).
Salari and Ortega found that adding both of the devices -- which are currently used in combination on about three to four percent of the nation's semi-trucks -- reduced the aerodynamic drag by as much as 25 percent, which represents about a 13 percent decrease in fuel consumption. "Even a minor improvement in a truck's fuel economy has a significant impact on its yearly fuel consumption," Salari said. "For example, 19 percent improvement in fuel economy, which we can achieve, translates to 6.5 billion gallons of diesel fuel saved per year and 66 million fewer tons of carbon dioxide emission into the atmosphere. For diesel fuel costing $3.96 per gallon, the savings is about $26 billion."
"We are in the process of designing from the ground-up the shape of the next-generation of highly aerodynamic and integrated heavy vehicles to radically decrease aerodynamic drag and improve the fuel efficiency," Salari said.
The presentation, "Aerodynamics of Drag Reduction Devices for Semi-Trucks," is at 3:15 pm on Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2014 in the Moscone (West) Convention Center, Room 2016. ABSTRACT: http://absimage.aps.org/image/DFD14/MWS_DFD14-2014-001049.pdf
Session info: http://meetings.aps.org/Meeting/DFD14/Session/R30.11
###
MEETING INFORMATION
The 67th Annual Division of Fluid Dynamics Meeting will be held at Moscone West Convention Center in San Francisco, Calif. from Nov. 23-25, 2014. More meeting information: http://apsdfd2014.stanford.edu/
REGISTERING AS PRESS
Any journalist, full-time or freelance, may attend the conference free of charge. Please email: jbardi@aip.org and dfdmedia@aps.org and include "DFD Press Registration" in the subject line.
ONSIGHT AND ONLINE PRESS ROOMS
Workspace will be provided on-site during the meeting. The week before the meeting, news, videos and graphics will be made available on the Virtual Press Room: http://www.aps.org/units/dfd/pressroom
LIVE MEDIA EVENT
A press briefing featuring a selection of newsworthy research talks will be streamed live from the conference at 1:00pm PST on Monday, November 24 in room Foothill F of the San Francisco Marriott Marquis. For more information, email jbardi@aip.org
ABOUT THE APS DIVISION OF FLUID DYNAMICS
The Division of Fluid Dynamics (DFD) of the American Physical Society (APS) exists for the advancement and diffusion of knowledge of the physics of fluids with special emphasis on the dynamical theories of the liquid, plastic and gaseous states of matter under all conditions of temperature and pressure. DFD Website: http://www.aps.org/units/dfd/index.cfm
###
MORE NEWS FROM
American Physical Society's Division of Fluid Dynamics
comments 
commenting policy
Participating Labs
- DOE Office of Science
- Argonne National Laboratory
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
- Iowa State University, Ames Laboratory
- Brookhaven National Laboratory
- Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
- Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility
- Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab)
- SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
Scientists deepen understanding of the magnetic fields that surround the Earth and other planets
Now, a team of scientists has completed research into waves that travel through the magnetosphere, deepening understanding of the region and its interaction with our own planet, and opening up new ways to study other planets across the galaxy.
Light dark matter is a thousand times less likely to bump into regular matter than previous astrophysical analyses allowed
A team led by scientists from the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University has narrowed down how strongly dark matter particles might interact with normal matter. Based on the number and distribution of small satellite galaxies seen orbiting our Milky Way, the team found this interaction to be at least a thousand times weaker than the strongest interaction allowed by previous astrophysical analyses.
New Sensor Could Shake Up Earthquake Response Efforts
An optical sensor developed at Berkeley Lab could speed up the time it takes to evaluate whether buildings are safe to occupy after a major earthquake. After four years of extensive peer-reviewed research and simulative testing at the University of Nevada's Earthquake Engineering Laboratory, the Discrete Diode Position Sensor (DDPS) will be deployed for the first time this summer in a multi-story building at Berkeley Lab - which sits adjacent to the Hayward Fault, considered one of the most dangerous faults in the United States.
The best of both worlds: how to solve real problems on modern quantum computers
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory, along with researchers at Clemson University and Fujitsu Laboratories of America, have developed hybrid algorithms to run on size-limited quantum machines and have demonstrated them for practical applications.
Designer proteins form wires and lattices on mineral surface
This research is a fundamental discovery of how to engineer proteins onto non-biological surfaces. Artificial proteins engineered from scratch have been assembled into nanorod arrays, designer filaments and honeycomb lattices on the surface of mica, demonstrating control over the way proteins interact with surfaces to form complex structures previously seen only in natural protein systems. The study provides a foundation for understanding how protein-crystal interactions can be systematically programmed and sets the stage for designing novel protein-inorganic hybrid materials.
Giving nanowires a DNA-like twist
Argonne National Laboratory played a critical role in the discovery of a DNA-like twisted crystal structure created with a germanium sulfide nanowire, also known as a "van der Waals material." Researchers can tailor these nanowires in many different ways -- twist periods from two to twenty micrometers, lengths up to hundreds of micrometers, and radial dimensions from several hundred nanometers to about ten micrometers. By this means, they can adjust the electrical and optical properties to optimize performance for different applications.
Epic Research Endeavor Reveals Cause of Deadly Digestive Disease in Children
Nearly ten years ago, a group of Israeli clinical researchers emailed Berkeley Lab geneticist Len Pennacchio to ask for his team's help in solving the mystery of a rare inherited disease that caused extreme, and sometimes fatal, chronic diarrhea in children.
Discovered: A new way to measure the stability of next-generation magnetic fusion devices
Feature reports discovery of an alternative method for measuring the stability of fusion plasma, a critical task for researchers seeking to bring the fusion that powers the sun to Earth.
Can't Take the Heat? 'Cool Walls' Can Reduce Energy Costs, Pollution
A Berkeley Lab study modeled different types and ages of homes, retail stores, and office buildings and found that sunlight-reflecting "cool" exterior walls can save as much or more energy than sunlight-reflecting cool roofs in many places across the U.S.
Augustana University Professor's Research Leads to Surprising Mating Decision in Butterfly Species
The males of one species of butterfly are more attracted to females that are active, not necessarily what they look like, according to a recent research conducted at Augustana University.The paper, "Behaviour before beauty: Signal weighting during mate selection in the butterfly Papilio polytes," found that males of the species noticed the activity levels of potential female mates, not their markings.
SLAC makes 'electron camera,' a world-class tool for ultrafast science, available to scientists worldwide
Over the past few years, the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory has developed a new tool to visualize physical and chemical processes with outstanding clarity: an ultra-high-speed "electron camera" capable of tracking atomic motions in a broad range of materials in real time. Starting this week, the lab has made this tool available to researchers worldwide.
Berkeley Lab Scientists Earn Prestigious White House Early Career Award
Two scientists with Berkeley Lab - and two faculty scientists jointly affiliated with Berkeley Lab and the University of California, Berkeley - are among 315 researchers named on July 2 by President Trump to receive the prestigious Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers.
Caltech's Castaneda Named Director of Human Resources at PNNL
April Castaneda, a senior executive with 20 years of experience leading human resources programs at Caltech and NASA's Jet propulsion Laboratory, has been named director of Human Resources at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
JSA Awards Graduate Fellowships for Research at Jefferson Lab
Jefferson Sciences Associates has announced the award of nine graduate fellowships to doctoral students for the 2019-2020 academic year.
Argonne's Jim Morman Elected Fellow of American Nuclear Society
Jim Morman from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory has been elected a fellow of the American Nuclear Society (ANS), the highest grade of membership that the society offers.
Will Fox wins 2019 Thomas H. Stix Award for early career contributions to plasma physics
PPPL physicist brings astrophysical processes down to Earth
U.S. Department of Energy Renews Midwest Integrated Center for Computational Materials
The Department of Energy has announced that, over the next four years, it will invest $32 million to accelerate the design of new materials through use of high-performance computing. One of the seven funded projects is the Midwest Integrated Center for Computational Materials (MICCoM), founded in 2015 and led by the Materials Science Division at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory. This center draws co-investigators from the University of Chicago, University of Notre Dame, and University of California, Davis.
Department of Energy Announces $13 Million for Atmospheric Research
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $13 million in funding for 27 projects in atmospheric sciences in an effort to improve models for predicting weather and climate.
John Crane acquires division of Advanced Diamond Technologies, a company built on Argonne technology
John Crane, a global provider of engineered products and services headquartered in Chicago, recently completed the purchase of Advanced Diamond Technologies (ADT), Industrial Division. ADT was founded in 2003 through the licensing of technology from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Argonne National Laboratory.
Energy Department to Invest $32 Million in Computer Design of Materials
The U.S. Department of Energy announced that it will invest $32 million over the next four years to accelerate the design of new materials through use of supercomputers.
Bursts of Light Shape Walls Between Waves of Charge
To better store data, scientists need ways to change a material's properties suddenly. For example, they want a material that can go from insulator to conductor and back again. Now, they devised a surprisingly simple way of flipping a material from one state into another, and back again, with flashes of light. A single light pulse turns thin sheets of tantalum disulfide from its original (alpha) state into a mixture of alpha and beta states. Domain walls separate the two states. A second pulse of light dissolves the walls, and the material returns to its original state.
Deep Learning Reveals Mysteries of Deep Space
How do you determine the measurable "things" that describe the nature of our universe? To answer that question, researchers used CosmoFlow, a deep learning technique, running on a National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center supercomputer. They analyzed large, complex data sets from 3-D simulations of the distribution of matter to answer that question. The team showed that CosmoFlow offers a new platform to gain a deeper understanding of the universe.
At DOE's Manufacturing Demonstration Facility, science drives next-gen creations
American ingenuity is providing radical productivity improvements from advanced materials and robotic systems developed at the Department of Energy's Manufacturing Demonstration Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
High-Fidelity Multiphysics Simulations to Improve Nuclear Reactor Safety and Economics
Engineers can model heat distribution in reactor designs with fewer or no approximations.
Tiny Vortices Could One Day Haul Microscopic Cargo
The behavior of active magnetic liquids suggests new pathways to transport particles across surfaces and build materials that self-heal.
How Does Mother Nature Tackle the Tough Triple Bond Found in Nitrogen?
Researchers demystify how the nitrogenase enzyme breaks bonds to learn a better way to make ammonia.
A Detailed View of the Ancestor of Photosynthesis
The symmetrical light-gathering, energy-producing complex offers insights into how modern photosystems evolved.
Unique Interface and Unexpected Behavior Help Explain How Heavy Metals Act
Three types of water molecules form around a platinum-based ion, offering insights for waste processing and metal refining.
Maximizing Ozone Signals
New technique enables more efficient and precise estimates of trends in ozone and other atmospheric constituents within selected geographical regions and timeframes.
How Much Water Does the World Use?
Global data set shows monthly water use by irrigation, manufacturing, and other uses, helping researchers to analyze water use by region and season.
Spotlight
JSA Awards Graduate Fellowships for Research at Jefferson Lab
Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility
ILSAMP Symposium showcases benefits for diverse students, STEM pipeline
Argonne National Laboratory
Integrating Scientific Computing into Science Curricula
Brookhaven National Laboratory
Students from Minnesota and Massachusetts Win DOE's 29th National Science Bowl(r)
Department of Energy, Office of Science
DOE's Science Graduate Student Research Program Selects 70 Students to Pursue Research at DOE Laboratories
Department of Energy, Office of Science
Young Women's Conference in STEM seeks to change the statistics one girl at a time
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
Students team with Argonne scientists and engineers to learn about STEM careers
Argonne National Laboratory
Lynbrook High wins 2019 SLAC Regional Science Bowl competition
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
Equipping the next generation for a technological revolution
Argonne National Laboratory
Chemistry intern inspired by Argonne's real-world science
Argonne National Laboratory
Argonne intern streamlines the beamline
Argonne National Laboratory
Research on Light-Matter Interaction Could Lead to Improved Electronic and Optoelectronic Devices
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)
Innovating Our Energy Future
Oregon State University, College of Engineering
Physics graduate student takes her thesis research to a Department of Energy national lab
University of Alabama at Birmingham
"Model" students enjoy Argonne campus life
Argonne National Laboratory
Writing Code for a More Skilled and Diverse STEM Workforce
Brookhaven National Laboratory
New graduate student summer school launches at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
The Gridlock State
California State University (CSU) Chancellor's Office
Meet Jasmine Hatcher and Trishelle Copeland-Johnson
Brookhaven National Laboratory
Argonne hosts Modeling, Experimentation and Validation Summer School
Argonne National Laboratory
Undergraduate Students Extoll Benefits of National Laboratory Research Internships in Fusion and Plasma Science
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
Students affected by Hurricane Maria bring their research to SLAC
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
Brookhaven Lab Pays Tribute to 2018 Summer Interns
Brookhaven National Laboratory
CSUMB Selected to Host Architecture at Zero Competition in 2019
California State University, Monterey Bay
From Hurricane Katrina Victim to Presidential Awardee: A SUNO Professor's Award-Winning Mentoring Efforts
Brookhaven National Laboratory
Department of Energy Invests $64 Million in Advanced Nuclear Technology
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)
Professor Miao Yu Named the Priti and Mukesh Chatter '82 Career Development Professor
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)
2018 RHIC & AGS Annual Users' Meeting: 'Illuminating the QCD Landscape'
Brookhaven National Laboratory
High-School Students Studying Carbon-Based Nanomaterials for Cancer Drug Delivery Visit Brookhaven Lab's Nanocenter
Brookhaven National Laboratory
Argonne welcomes The Martian author Andy Weir
Argonne National Laboratory
UW Professor and Clean Energy Institute Director Daniel Schwartz Wins Highest U.S. Award for STEM Mentors
University of Washington
Creating STEM Knowledge and Innovations to Solve Global Issues Like Water, Food, and Energy
Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA)
Professor Emily Liu Receives $1.8 Million DoE Award for Solar Power Systems Research
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)
Celebrating 40 years of empowerment in science
Argonne National Laboratory
Introducing Graduate Students Across the Globe to Photon Science
Brookhaven National Laboratory
Students from Massachusetts and Washington Win DOE's 28th National Science Bowl(r)
Department of Energy, Office of Science
Q&A: Al Ashley Reflects on His Efforts to Diversify SLAC and Beyond
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
Insights on Innovation in Energy, Humanitarian Aid Highlight UVA Darden's Net Impact Week
University of Virginia Darden School of Business
Ivy League Graduate, Writer and Activist with Dyslexia Visits CSUCI to Reframe the Concept of Learning Disabilities
California State University, Channel Islands
Photographer Adam Nadel Selected as Fermilab's New Artist-in-Residence for 2018
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab)
Fermilab Computing Partners with Argonne, Local Schools for Hour of Code
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab)
Q&A: Sam Webb Teaches X-Ray Science from a Remote Classroom
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
The Future of Today's Electric Power Systems
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)
Supporting the Development of Offshore Wind Power Plants
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)
Bringing Diversity Into Computational Science Through Student Outreach
Brookhaven National Laboratory
Showing results
0-4 Of 2215