Impedance heating for railroad track switch

• US 20030146207A1
• Filed: 02/07/2002
• Published: 08/07/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thermon Heating Systems, Inc. (Thermon Group Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Fastrax Industries, Inc.
• Inventors: Reichle, David L.
• Granted Patent: US 6,727,470 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 219/635
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/105 using a susceptor

Abstract

A heating system for railroad switches or other movable railroad structures that substantially eliminates protruding heater elements that may be damaged. The heater elements may cast into, enclosed within or received within recesses of a tie (including a metal or concrete tie), rail or other component. In one implementation, inductive heating is used to directly heat the rail, tie or other structure.

Claims

1. A heating system for heating a movable structure section of a railroad track, said system comprising:

a power source for providing electrical power;

at least a first heater assembly associated with a railroad structure, wherein said heater assembly has a heater structure that is substantially contained within a spatial envelope of said railroad structure such that said railroad structure is substantially free from protrusions therefrom associated with said heater structure;

an electrical interface for applying an electric potential across said heater assembly sufficient to induce a current in said heater assembly; and

control means for coupling said electrical interface to said power source such that said heater assembly controllably heats said section of railroad track.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said heater assembly is embedded within said railroad structure such that said heater structure is substantially contained within said spatial envelope of said railroad structure.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said heater assembly is embedded in a railroad tie for placement beneath and interconnection with a track rail, said heater assembly embedded such that it is substantially contained within said spatial envelope of said railroad tie.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said heater assembly is embedded within said railroad tie such that upon placement beneath said track rail, said heater assembly is disposed between said railroad tie and said track rail.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said heater assembly is embedded within said railroad tie such a top surface of said heater assembly is substantially flush with the surface of said railroad tie.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein said heater assembly is one of a conventional resistive type heater and an impedance type heater.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein said heater assembly is at least partially embedded in a track rail such that said heater structure does not substantially protrude from a surface of said track rail.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said track rail includes a recess on its surface for receiving a heater structure of said heater assembly.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein said recess is located on one of the web of said track rail and the bottom surface of said track rail.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein said track rail contains a void formed in its cross section for receiving said heater assembly, whereby said heater assembly is substantially enclosed within said track rail.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein said heater assembly is one of a conventional resistive type heater and an impedance type heater.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of said heater assembly is integrally formed with said railroad structure such that said heater structure does not substantially protrude above the surface of said railroad structure.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said heater assembly comprises an impedance type heater unit.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein said railroad structure is a metallic tie for placement beneath said section of railroad track, wherein said metallic tie is utilized as the heating element for said impedance type heater unit.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein said railroad structure is a track rail in said section of railroad track, wherein said track rail is utilized as the heating element for said impedance type heater unit.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said section of railroad track rail is electrically isolated from connecting portions of track rails, such that said heater assembly does not affect communication signals within said track rails.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said connecting portions of track rails are interconnected via a parallel path such that any interference from said heater assembly is by-passed.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said system is operative for heating said movable structure section including an area between adjacent railroad ties.

19. An impedance heating system that utilizes a metallic tie for heating a section of railroad track, wherein said tie is placed beneath and interconnection with said section of railroad track:

a power source for providing electrical power,

a first electrical conductor, interconnected to a first point on said metallic tie;

a second electrical conductor, interconnected to a second point on said metallic tie, wherein a portion of said second electrical conductor is disposed in an adjacent electrically insulated relationship with a surface of said metallic tie between said first and second connection points; and

control means for coupling said electrical conductors to said power source such that an electrical circuit is formed through said metallic tie for controllably heating said section of railroad track.

20. The impedance heater of claim 19, wherein said metallic tie is hollow and said conductors interconnect said tie on an inside surface such that no elements protrude above the outside surface of said tie.

21. An impedance heating system that utilizes the track rail for heating a section of railroad track, said system comprising:

a power source for providing electrical power,

a first electrical lead, interconnected to a first point on said track rail;

a second electrical lead, interconnected to a second point on said track rail, wherein a portion of said second electrical lead is disposed in an adjacent electrically insulated relationship with a surface of said track rail between said first and second connection points; and

control means for coupling said electrical leads to said power source such that an electrical circuit is formed through said track rail for controllably heating said section of railroad track.

22. The impedance heater of claim 21, wherein said second adjacent electrical lead is disposed on the bottom surface of said track rail between said first and second points such that said second lead is substantially isolated from the railway environment.

23. The impedance heater of claim 22, wherein said second electrical lead is embedded within a recess on the bottom surface of said track rail.