Is your next car going to be powered by compressed air? Probably not, but there are groups working with compressed air as an energy source for the usual transport suspects, i.e., cars and bikes, and also for energy storage in general. Though the energy density of compressed air is poor relative to fossil fuels, it scores well in terms of efficiency – if, and it’s a big if, you can raise its pressure to store energy and lower its pressure to recover energy at constant temperature (isothermal process) and with no heat transfer to the surroundings (adiabatic process).

Air Compressor

A recent proposal of a streamlined truck designed using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) holds the promise of reducing drag by 63%, which would translate into huge fuel savings. The relentless rise of oil prices has placed increasing importance on truck fuel and aerodynamic efficiency. However, as best as I can tell from pictures of the streamlined design it looks more like a train. It's not obvious to me how this design would maneuver around sharp corners. There is mention of morphing body work but it's not evident in the models presented.

I couldn’t resist writing about a real-world transparent car [source: Jalopnik], especially after already covering real-world cutaway and wireframe models. So you know the score, which is real and which is fake?

Fake Transparent Car: Courtesy of RM Auctions

A recent CFD study into the exhaust concentration in car wakes has revealed that certain rear car spoilers (or airfoils) can either disperse or concentrate pollutants at the same height as a following cyclist's head. The study "Spoiling Air Pollution Dispersion: A Numerical Investigation of Exhaust Plume Dispersion from Cars with Rear Spoilers" authored by A. McNabola, implies possible health implications for cyclists and pedestrians that follow behind cars.

Car Wake: Streamlines released from a tailpipe

In the press release announcing the report "Rooftop Solar Arrays and Wind Loading: A Primer on Using Wind Tunnel Testing as a Basis for Code Compliant Design per ASCE 7 (pdf)," there is the phrase:

"It also addresses the applicability of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), which is sometimes proposed as an alternative to testing."

With eager anticipation I read the report and found a quite damning assessment of CFD.

Not content with air domination through Virgin Airlines and Virgin America, and space domination through Virgin Galactic, Richard Branson has now set his sights on ocean domination with Virgin Oceanic.

A recent report "Global Computational Fluid Dynamics Market 2010-2014" caught my attention. This report and a number of similar CFD market reports from Infiniti Research on their TechNavio website bare an uncanny resemblance (based on their titles and summaries) to a series of questions and discussion in the LinkedIn group Computational Fluid Dynamics.

The range of applications that can benefit from Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis is quite literally breath taking. Take for instance a recent study that used CFD to analyze re-constructive surgery of a virtual nose, which could lead to improved nasal surgery.

Virtual Nose

Unmanned aerial vehicles are all the rage at the moment and for obvious reasons - they don't risk humans in hostile environments and they don't get tired or need bathroom breaks. So it's a little surprising to see Firebird, a prototype surveillance airplane from Northrop Grumman, that can operate as a pilotless drone or operate as a piloted airplane.

A jetpack from Martin Aircraft has taken flight and reached an impressive 5000 ft. Technically it's a twin rotor ducted fan, so it isn't really a jet but you get the idea. However, this is the jetpack you're looking for.