Numerical Simulation of Hatchback Car with Modified Vehicle Design for the Improvement of Fuel Consumption

Abstract

The continuous demand and fuel depletion in the automobile industries cause a reduction in fuel consumption, especially in a car which is a classic problem to focus on vehicle body design. The formation of drag force in the car body demands tractive force and significantly affects the engine performance and fuel consumption rate which is not advisable for enhancing aerodynamic efficiency. This paper discusses the methodology to reduce the fuel consumption rate in hatchback cars using a ‘basebleed method’. The hatchback car model with and without basebleed is numerically simulated for the various speed to study the aerodynamic coefficients. The numerical simulation is performed with the k-ε turbulence model for predicting the wake region of both car models with and without basebleed. The numerical study witnessed the hatchback car model with basebleed arrived 6% reduction in the coefficient of drag (CD) compared to without basebleed, which results in a reduction of fuel consumption rate of up to 4.33 %. The research evidence that the stability of the car is not affected while using this basebleed drag reduction method and it is studied from the resultant parameters such as coefficient of lift (CL) and coefficient of side force (CS) and for the varying yaw angle (φ). Further, the research recommends the integration of basebleed at the underbody structure in Hatchback cars to improve the engine fuel consumption without affecting its stability.