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Keith Hanna, Director of Marketing Communications, Fluent Inc. Project
done in collaboration with MSX International Ltd. and Bentley Motors
External flow around the body and inside the engine bay of the Bentley
Arnage: contours of static pressure and path lines colored by velocity
magnitude
With 835 Nm of torque, 400 bhp (brake horsepower) and a 6.75 liter V8
engine, the elegant Bentley Arnage is an English luxury automobile from
the old school. Hand-built in Great Britain by Bentley Motors of Crewe,
now part of the German Volkswagen Group, these luxuriously appointed,
individually tailored cars are the most powerful Bentleys ever, capable
of speeds up to 155 mph with an impressive acceleration of 0 – 60
mph in just 5.9 seconds. In addition to its awesome engine, the Bentley
Arnage is noted for its outstanding ride characteristics, minimal internal
noise, speed-sensitive steering, and spacious interior.
Recently, Bentley has married the age-old tradition of English engineering
craftsmanship to advanced technology to further perfect its designs. This
effort has resulted in state-of-the-art suspension, transmission, braking
systems and, thanks to CFD simulations performed by Fluent Europe and
MSX International, improved aerodynamics. MSX is a British firm that provides
engineering solutions for its clients. After evaluating a number of CFD
codes, they selected FLUENT to simulate the external flow around the Bentley
Arnage. The choice was based on FLUENT’s ease-of-use and flexible
meshing capabilities.
Path lines colored by velocity magnitude showing the flow pattern near
the underbody of the Bentley Arnage
The CFD work made use of a centerline symmetric model created with detailed
underhood and underbody resolution that was subsequently used in a benchmark
study. The FLUENT simulation was adapted to values of y+ and gradients
of pressure during the convergence process, and the final CFD predictions
agreed well with experimental measurements. Engineers from MSX and Bentley
look forward to using CFD to tackle future challenges in the design and
optimization of the next generation of elite cars. This automotive manufacturer
is clearly setting the pace at the top end of the automotive market in
more ways than one.
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