Railroad switch heaters and process of operation thereof

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR HEATING A RAILROAD TRACK SWITCH SECTION COMPRISING RAILS, TIES, AND A RAILBED THEREBELOW, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING (A) A SOURCE OF HEATED FLUID AUTOMATICALLY CONTROLLED TO DISCHARGE HEATED FLUID, SAID SOURCE COMPRISING IN OPERATIVE CONNECTION, A FLUID HEATER, A FLUID HEAT TRANSFER MEDIUM, A PUMP FOR SAID FLUID, AND A CHAMBER WHEREIN THE HEATER HEATS TRANSFER MEDIUM, A TEMPERATURE SENSING ELEMENT EXPOSED TO AMBIENT AIR TEMPERATURE AND OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID BURNER, SAID TEMPERATURE SENSING ELEMENT BEING OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO FLUID HEATER FOR INCREASING THE RATE OF HEATING OF SAID HEAT TRANSFER FLUID IN SAID FLUID HEATER AT A PREDETERMINED AMBIENT AIR TEMPERATURE RANGE. (B) RAILWAY TRACK HEATING ELEMENTS LOCATED BETWEEN AND SPACED AWAY FROM THE TIES OF SAID RAILWAY TRACK AND BELOW AND OUT OF CONTACT WITH SAID RAILS, SAID HEATING ELEMENTS EACH HAVING AN INLET CHAMBER RUNNING ALONG THE LENGTH THEREOF AND AN OUTLET CHAMBER CONNECTED TO SAID INLET CHAMBER AND RUNNING ALONG SAID LENGTH, SAID CHAMBERS BEING SPACED APART FROM EACH OTHER, FLUID CONDUIT MEANS CONNECTING THE OUTLET OF SAID FLUID HEATER TO THE INLETS OF SAID HEATING ELEMENTS, AND A THERMALLY CONDUCTIVE PLATE FIRMLY CONNECTED TO SAID INLET AND OUTLET CHAMBERS, SAID TRACK HEATING ELEMENTS COVERING THE MAJOR PORTION OF THE UPWARDLY DIRECTED AREA BETWEEN THE TIES, AND (C) A RAILROAD RAILBED UNDERNEATH EACH OF SAID HEATING ELEMENTS, AND SAID TEMPERATURE SENSING ELEMENT BEING DISTANT FROM SAID SOURCE OF HEAT AND FROM SAID RAILROAD TRACK HEATING ELEMENTS.