University of Waterloo Formula Motorsports Wins CFdesign Award at Formula SAE Michigan 2009

By DE Editors

Blue Ridge Numerics, Inc. has announced that the University of Waterloo Formula Motorsports team has earned the 2009 Formula SAE (FSAE) CFdesign Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Award, presented during the FSAE 2009 competition at the Michigan International Speedway. Blue Ridge Numerics presented the award and $1,000 to Anish Ganesh, mechanical engineering and management science major at the University of Waterloo, and his team for their outstanding use of CFD to optimize the air flow restrictor design for the team’s engine intake system.

For the 2009 FSAE competition, the Waterloo team set out to improve the airflow through their intake restrictor to help optimize combustion in the car’s engine. The goal was to increase power output and efficiency, while reducing the amount of carbon dioxide coming out of the exhaust. Using CFD software, the team compared results for pressure recovery for three designs (their original design and two alternatives), hoping to maximize pressure recovery while still remaining within the FSAE regulations.

CFD simulation resulted in a final design that improved pressure recovery by 4% and eliminated flow separation in the diverging section of the restrictor. The new restrictor design helped improve the overall performance of the engine by optimizing the flow of air through increased combustion efficiency. Using CFD simulation the team was able to achieve their goal, while also reducing development time and cost.

Organized by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), the Formula SAE competition gives students a unique opportunity to conceive, design, fabricate, and compete in formula-style racing cars. Teams build cars over a period of about one year and take them to annual competition for judging and comparison against approximately 120 other vehicles from colleges and universities throughout the world.

For more information, visit Blue Ridge Numerics.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.