THE PROBLEM
Aerodynamic drag is one of the largest sources of energy consumption.
Large inter-car gaps increase aerodynamic drag thus increasing cost.
BASELINE
ROOFRIDER
THE SOLUTION
Roofrider can reduce your drag substantially
Large inter-car gaps between cars or wells on trains produce tremendous amounts of aerodynamic drag. CFD and wind tunnel results show that the RoofRider can be part of the solution.
The Roofrider deflects air over the inter-car gap, reducing the static pressure and force exerted against the front of the following car.
Maintains shape under high winds
Almost non-existent tare weight
Proven to work while traveling in both directions
Expected energy savings of around 1.5%
Saves Money
Recyclable material
No ongoing maintenance after initial installation
Can last for the life of the rail car
No Maintenance
Will never come off by accident due to an incredibly strong adhesive
Installs using adhesive in under 30 min with no damage to car or container
Safe
Freight Cars
Proven to work while traveling in both directions
For Intermodal trains, wind tunnel testing found a reduction in drag of up to 7.8% without crosswinds, while CFD simulations have found a reduction in drag of 9% without crosswinds and 1% at 6° yaw.
A collapsible EPDM rubber design allows the RoofRider to work on stacked Intermodal containers by shrinking to less than 0.4 inches in height.
Research on the effectiveness of the RoofRider deflector on autoracks, boxcars and other freight car types is planned for the future.
Computer simulations (DES) run by the University of Birmingham on an ICE2 passenger train found a 4.3% reduction in drag for the entire train at 40 m/s and no headwinds.
The reduction in drag was even higher at 5.5% when crosswinds created a 10° yaw.
Scale moving model tests showed that results were robust to simulation errors.
The RoofRider reduces aerodynamic drag significantly even on the smaller inter-car gaps of passenger trains.
