Glow-in-the-dark plasma trucks are less of a drag

• Autores: David Hambling
• Localización: New scientist, ISSN 0262-4079, Nº. 3031, 2015, pág. 13
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • If one is driving down the motorway at night when he passes a truck that's glowing purple, he does not have to worry, it isn't leaking toxic chemicals: it just has a clever way of reducing drag by using plasma. 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 IA. 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. Bajjuri claims that a plasma actuator system for a truck would cost about $2500 and should give fuel savings of around 15%, paying for itself in months