Aerodynamic performance of reefer trucks with cabin roof deflectors and fins

This study presents a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis of light commercial vehicles (LCVs) used for refrigerated transport. Four configurations were evaluated: a baseline LCV, a reefer LCV with a front-mounted reefer unit, and two modified reefer LCV variants featuring aerodynamic enhancements—roof-mounted deflector and fins. The analysis focused on flow behavior, pressure distribution, and aerodynamic drag. The addition of the refrigeration unit introduced geometric discontinuities, leading to earlier flow separation and increased pressure drag. Comparative visualizations of pressure contours, velocity streamlines, and flow vectors revealed notable differences in aerodynamic performance across the configurations. The results showed that presence of the deflector over the cabin roof achieved the greatest drag reduction, outperforming the baseline model in terms of aerodynamic efficiency. The addition of fins to the reefer LCV also reduced drag but did not outperform the baseline model. These findings provide valuable insights into optimizing the aerodynamic design of refrigerated LCVs to improve fuel efficiency and reduce operational costs.