  A method for estimating the base pressure in bluff body flows is proposed.
The estimation uses the velocity at the separation edge with the Bernoulli
equation to compute the base pressure. The assumption is that this is the base
pressure that will be approached when velocity fluctuations in the flow field
are reduced. A constant velocity along the separating free streamline - as in
two-dimensional bluff body wakes with a splitter plate - is a requirement to
permit the application of the method. The suggested method is applied to a
bluff body in a two-dimensional flow setup with and without a splitter plate.
By reducing the velocity fluctuations, there are estimated increases in the
base pressure of up to 58 % for the bluff body in two-dimensional flow without
a splitter plate and up to 42 % with a splitter plate. The estimated base
pressure of the two-dimensional flow without a splitter plate is compared to a
case with active flow control. In this case, the velocity fluctuations caused
by the K\'arm\'an vortex street are reduced. The comparison shows that the
estimation of the base pressure can be achieved.
