See That Glowing Truck? It’s Using Plasma to Save Fuel

[kscarbel2]

Heavy Duty Trucking / August 7, 2015

A new generation of aerodynamic improvements for tractor-trailers to reduce fuel consumption is being tested and if you see one you can tell by how its glowing.

New Scientist magazine reports Iowa-based Plasma Stream Technologies Inc. is fitting trucks with plasma actuators, devices that control aerodynamic flow, rather than fuel saving devices you see on tucks these days, such as side skirts and trailer tails.

According to the company:

These are essentially two copper plates separated by a layer of Teflon, developed at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, where researchers have been working on trying to reduce drag on airplanes. When a current is passed through the actuators, they produce charged plasma, which affects airflow. This delays flow separation, where the airflow detaches from the vehicle’s surface and becomes turbulent, producing drag. The actuators would turn on and off as needed, controlled by a speed sensor.

Pranay Bajjuri, co-founder of Plasma Stream Technologies, told the magazine equipping a truck with such a system runs about US$2,500 but results in fuel savings of 15 percent. Trucks equipped with them usually exhibit a glow.

Related reading - http://plasmastreamtech.com/technology/

[kscarbel2]

Glow-in-the-dark trucks use plasma to reduce drag and save fuel

New Scientist / July 22, 2015

You’re driving down the motorway at night when you pass a truck that’s glowing purple. Don’t worry, it isn’t leaking toxic chemicals: it just has a clever way of reducing drag by using plasma.

Trucks are sometimes fitted with devices such as spoilers to reduce drag. Panels underneath the body are known as “side skirts”, while “rear tail fairings” are fitted to the back.

Billions of dollars in fuel could be saved annually if they were fitted to every truck in the US alone, but the devices have drawbacks. They sometimes need to be removed for loading, for example.

“They are only good for one speed range and they might contribute to drag in other speed ranges,” says Pranay Bajjuri, co-founder of Plasma Stream Technologies in Bettendorf, Iowa. “They are bulky and the additional weight directly impacts on fuel efficiency.”

So he and his colleagues are working on making trucks more aerodynamic by using plasma actuators, which would be fitted in place of spoilers and fairings.

These are essentially two copper plates separated by a layer of Teflon, developed at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, where researchers have been working on trying to reduce drag on aeroplanes. When a current is passed through the actuators, they produce charged plasma, which affects airflow. This delays flow separation, where the airflow detaches from the vehicle’s surface and becomes turbulent, producing drag. The actuators would turn on and off as needed, controlled by a speed sensor.

Bajjuri claims that a plasma actuator system for a truck would cost about $2500 and should give fuel savings of around 15 per cent, paying for itself in months. Actuators don’t need to be removed every time the truck is loaded and unloaded and can even be painted. The only side effect is the faint purple glow.

The aerodynamics of trucks is bad, says Hyeok-bin Kwon of the Korea National University of Transportation in Chungju, whose own work uses plasma to streamline high-speed trains. Fortunately it’s easier to reduce drag on a truck than on a train, he says, because there are so many are many shape modifications you can use.

Bajjuri’s team is working to optimise the system for trucks before wind tunnel tests later this year.

[Swishy]

FFS

It wont B long B 4 they B put n fuel back into the tank

LOL

cya

§wishy

[carlotpilot]

FFS

It wont B long B 4 they B put n fuel back into the tank

LOL

cya

§wishy

i`m with you swishy with all the shyyyt they advertise ya should able to start a trip with empty tank s and arrive 2500 miles away 1/2 full