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NACA ducts are useful
when air needs to be drawn into an area which isn't exposed to the
direct air flow the scoop has access to. Quite often you will see NACA
ducts along the sides of a car. The NACA duct takes advantage of the
Boundary layer, a layer of slow moving air that "clings" to
the bodywork of the car, especially where the bodywork flattens, or
does not accelerate or decelerate the air flow. Areas like the roof
and side body panels are good examples. The longer the roof or body
panels, the thicker the layer becomes (a source of drag that grows as
the layer thickens too).
Anyway, the NACA duct scavenges this slower moving area by means of a specially shaped intake. The intake shape, shown above, drops in toward the inside of the bodywork, and this draws the slow moving air into the opening at the end of the NACA duct. Vortexes are also generated by the "walls" of the duct shape, aiding in the scavenging. The shape and depth change of the duct are critical for proper operation. |
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Specification NACA-RM-A9L29.pdf |
