Calculating Flow Separation Point

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Calculating the flow separation point is complex, particularly in the context of a car diffuser aiming for optimal downforce. Tritton and Lamb provide qualitative insights, but a precise calculation remains challenging, especially since separation occurs where the normal flow component vanishes. Standard airfoil theory is recommended as a starting point, especially since high Reynolds number flow separation has been extensively studied. Exploring this theory may yield practical insights for determining critical angles for diffusers. Understanding flow separation is crucial for optimizing aerodynamic performance.
no1schuifan
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Does anyone know of a way to calculate the point at which flow separation occurs?
 
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Tritton (Physical Fluid Dynamics) has a qualitative discussion on chapter 12, and Lamb (Hydrodynamics) has a few sections as well.

The problem is extremely difficult, in the linear case separation ocurrs where the normal component of flow vanishes. This leaves open the problem of calculating the flow.
 
Thanks for your help. The reason i ask is I'm trying to find the critical angle for a diffuser on a car to produce the most downforce so being able to work out past which angle the flow separates from the diffuser is key. Do you think it is worth looking into more or am i aiming for somethign that's just unreasonable?
 
The good news is that standard airfoil theory should be sufficient for your case- high Reynolds number flow separation has been worked on a lot more than low Reynolds number separation. This may be a good place to start:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airfoil
 

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