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THE PROBLEM

Aerodynamic drag is one of the largest sources of energy consumption.

Large inter-car gaps increase aerodynamic drag thus increasing cost.

BASELINE

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ROOFRIDER

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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.

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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.

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