Aerodynamic drag reduction of high-speed maglev train based on air blowing/suction

The significant increase in aerodynamic drag is still a key problem restricting the further speed increase of maglev trains. The Improved Detached Eddy Simulation (IDDES) turbulence model based on the Shear Stress Transport (SST) k-ω model was employed to explore the potential and effect of blowing/suction control on the aerodynamic drag reduction of the maglev train. In this study, the aerodynamic characteristics of the train's wake region, and the interference mechanism of blowing/suction on the flow field were studied. The results indicate that the best drag reduction rate ζd of 8.69% of the train and the lift reduction rate δl of 30.4% of the tail car are achieved when blowing along the normal direction of the surface at 0.5 times of the train speed at the separation region near the tail nose. In this case, the ζd and δl grow with the increase of blowing speed; however, the growth rate of ζd decreases when the blowing speed reaches 0.2 times to 0.5 times of the train speed. Studies in this paper propose an effective active flow control method to reduce the train aerodynamic drag, and provide theoretical guidance for the development of drag reduction technology for maglev trains. •The flow field characteristics of the maglev train near the wake area were obtained.•The blowing/suction control method was proposed.•The interference mechanism and drag reduction effect of the blowing/suction control method on the maglev train were examined.