Vehicle Exhaust Gas Recovery for Diffuser Flow Adherence
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle diffusers face challenges in maintaining laminar airflow and preventing turbulence, which leads to a loss of downforce generation efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of an improved vehicle system that recovers exhaust gas kinetic energy, using transverse slots in the vehicle floor and diffuser to create a suction effect that delays the transition from laminar to turbulent flow and enhances airflow adherence to the vehicle surfaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If a diffuser is used to accelerate air flow under the vehicle, then downforce is increased, but the air flow becomes turbulent and separates from the walls
Solution Approach 1:
Exhaust gases are introduced as an intermediary substance between the diffuser walls and the air flow. The exhaust gases create a suction effect that acts as a mediator to maintain flow adherence, preventing direct adverse interaction between the high-speed air and the adverse pressure gradient in the diffuser.
Solution Approach 2:
The introduction of exhaust gases changes the physical parameters of the flow field within the diffuser. By adding momentum and creating a suction effect, the flow characteristics are modified to maintain laminar behavior and adherence to the walls despite the adverse pressure gradient.
2Productivity
If the diffuser divergence angle is increased to enhance air drainage capacity, then downforce generation is improved, but flow separation occurs more readily
Solution Approach 1:
Exhaust gases serve as an intermediary that enables the diffuser to operate at higher divergence angles. The suction effect created by the exhaust gases compensates for the increased tendency toward flow separation caused by the larger angle, maintaining flow adherence throughout the diffuser.
Solution Approach 2:
The exhaust gases are introduced in advance to create a suction effect that counteracts the adverse pressure gradient before flow separation can occur. This preliminary anti-action prevents the development of turbulent separated flow that would otherwise result from the high divergence angle.
3Use of energy by moving object
If exhaust gases are introduced to maintain laminar flow, then energy efficiency is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The exhaust gases, which would normally be wasted energy representing a harmful loss, are converted into a beneficial resource. The thermal and kinetic energy in the exhaust is harnessed to create the suction effect that maintains laminar flow, transforming a waste stream into a performance-enhancing element.
Solution Approach 2:
The exhaust system serves multiple functions: it continues to perform its traditional role of expelling combustion products while simultaneously providing aerodynamic assistance to maintain laminar flow in the diffuser. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate energy input systems.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution increases the aerodynamic efficiency of the vehicle by maintaining laminar flow, reducing energy consumption, noise, and vibrations, while enhancing downforce generation and air drainage capacity.
Implementation Method 1
The suction effect, caused by the use of the present invention, will delay the transition from laminar to turbulent flow and prevent the separation of the air flow from the walls of the diffuser
Implementation Method 2
as the air pressure gradually increases, the pressure gradient is unfavourable and the air has an increased tendency to become turbulent and separate from the surface of the walls
Implementation Method 3
From Bernoulli's Equation in Fluid Mechanics, we know that the static pressure in a flowing fluid varies in inverse proportion to the square of its velocity
Implementation Method 4
the diffuser is used to accelerate the extraction of the air flowing under the vehicle between the chassis floor and the ground, draining this air into a zone of reduced static pressure behind the vehicle
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4~6
AI summary
The present invention relates to a technical device which uses the exhaust gases from an internal combustion engine to optimise the aerodynamic performance of the rear diffuser and remaining floor of the respective vehicle. It can be applied to family cars or other transport vehicles, to sports cars, or even to vehicles intended for competition. The present invention comprises the floor of a vehicle, whether or not equipped with a diffuser (2), projected onto the floor both at the level of and behind the rear wheels (3) (or, alternatively, behind the front wheels (9)), exhaust pipes (4) of the gases emitted by at least one internal combustion engine (5). These exhaust pipes (4) must have a development enabling them to be laid side-by-side, i.e. parallel to each other, after leaving the internal combustion engine (5) and after passing through the silencer and catalytic converter (not shown in the figures for the sake of simplicity), on the inner side of the chassis, on the floor (1) of the vehicle and/or on the diffuser (2). The entire end part (6) of the exhaust pipes (4), up to the outlet (8), will have a cross-section of an approximately rectangular shape, with its lower wall developing at maximum width, on the vehicle floor (1) and at the level of the diffuser (2), whenever the vehicle is equipped with this aerodynamic device, i.e. the diffuser (2), on which it will be placed.