EP3114280B1 - Rail heating device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a rail heater according to the preamble of claim 1.

Such a rail heater is through the DE 20 2012 103 255 U1 known.
The safety and reliability in rail transport can be limited or endangered in cold weather and in particular ice or snow formation on rails and railroad switches in particular. In particular, moving switch parts can undesirably freeze, which can jeopardize switch operation. Therefore, for example, in areas with cool winter weather increasingly rail heating use, which are used in particular for heating switches. Heaters that are operated with a warm heating fluid, on the one hand must be shaped so that they have a form suitable for heating; On the other hand, they must be able to find space, in particular in the area of switches, in addition to other installations such as holding devices for sliding chairs and tongue arrangements; The shape of rail heating systems can thus depend on external conditions. This can make it difficult to adjust a uniform distribution of heating fluid and / or heat within the heater.

An object of the present invention is to provide an easy-to-install rail heater with improved heat distribution.

This object is achieved by a rail heating with the features of claim 1.

Advantageous embodiments and further developments emerge from the subordinate claims.

In the context of this description, a rail heating device, in particular a device, can be described, which may be provided for a heat-transferring contact on a rail, in particular on a rail web, in contrast, for example, to slide chair heaters, which are to heat a sliding chair of a switch. A rail heater may be configured to be operated with a heating fluid be transferred and / or heat from a heating fluid to a rail. A heating fluid may denote a liquid and / or a gas and / or a liquid mixture and / or gas mixture and / or phase mixture thereof, for example water and / or oil and / or a mixture of water and alcohol, for example water and glycol. In general, a rail heating device may have a heating rear wall, which may be designed to be in heat-transmitting and / or physical contact with the element to be heated for heating a rail, in particular a rail web, and / or to be brought. It may be provided a good heat-conducting layer between the heating rear wall and the rail, such as a layer which comprises thermal paste. A heating rear wall may comprise elements which are designed and / or shaped to be in heat-transferring contact with a rail foot adjoining the rail web and / or a rail foot adjoining the rail web and / or to be brought. A heat transferring contact may generally provide good heat conduction to transfer heat from the heating fluid to the rail. The shape of the heating rear wall can essentially be designed such that it corresponds to the shape of the rail area to be heated and / or can adhere to it. The rail heating device can generally be configured to be introduced or introduced into a rail chamber formed and / or defined by rail web, rail head and rail foot. The heating rear wall may be formed as part of a heating chamber, which itself may be formed or viewed as part of a radiator. The heating chamber may have a chamber front wall, which may be formed on the side facing away from the rail web and / or with respect to the heating rear wall of the rail web opposite and / or opposite arranged. The chamber front wall and the heating rear wall can form a wall of the heating chamber and / or the radiator. The heating chamber can be designed to be permeable with heating fluid. It can be provided that heat from the heating fluid via the wall of the radiator and / or the heating chamber, in particular the heating rear wall, on the rail, in particular a rail web, is transmitted and / or transferable. Generally, hereinafter, a directional designation refers to a direction toward the rail land and / or the heating rear wall with respect to a rearward or a rearward direction, while a directional designation refers to a frontward direction Direction of the rail web and / or the heating rear wall designated away. The heater may generally include a front wall which may be formed by the heater chamber front wall. It is alternatively conceivable that between the heating chamber front wall and the front wall of the heater, a chamber is formed, such as an insulation chamber, which may be provided for thermal insulation in the front direction. In such an isolation chamber, thermal insulation material may be received or receivable, such as an insulating foam and / or air. The isolation chamber and the heating chamber may be formed integrally and / or as part of the radiator. For example, a rear wall of the isolation chamber may be formed by the heating chamber front wall. Upper and / or lower wall regions can be provided in order to complete the insulation chamber and / or heating chamber in cross-section and / or to connect them to one another. The radiator may generally have an outer wall, which may be defined in particular by the heating rear wall and / or front wall and / or other outer walls or wall areas. The head sides of the radiator and / or the heating chamber may define a longitudinal direction of the radiator and / or the heating chamber. It is conceivable that a head side is a side which is substantially perpendicular to the Heizrückwand and / or chamber front wall and / or Heizkörpervorderwand and / or which is parallel to a rail cross-section in the transverse direction. The heating chamber and / or the radiator may be open at one or the head sides. It is conceivable that the head side of the heating chamber and / or the radiator is each covered and / or covered by a cover device. If appropriate, such a cover device can also cover an insulation chamber on the head side. A cover device may generally have a wall and / or one or more wall portions, which are respectively able to continue corresponding wall regions of the heating element, such as the outer wall and / or heating rear wall and / or front wall and / or chamber front wall. Corresponding wall regions can adjoin one another and continue along a longitudinal extension, for example along a rail longitudinal direction. In this case, the contour shape of the respective wall can be maintained substantially over at least part of the longitudinal extension of the cover device. It is conceivable that in a connection area in which the cover device and the radiator are attached to one another, the cross-section and / or an outer wall contour of the cover device essentially corresponds to the cross-section and / or the outer wall contour of the radiator and / or resembles. The cover device and the heating element can each be sealed against each other in a fluid-tight manner, for example by means of a suitable sealing device such as a rubber seal. A cover device may in particular have a cover front wall which is able to continue a front wall of the radiator. It is conceivable that your lid device has a lid rear wall, which is able to continue the heating rear wall. Two components of a rail heating device, such as radiator and / or heating chamber and lid device, may be in fluid communication with each other. Fluid communication can generally describe that a fluid flow, in particular of heating fluid, is formed and / or can form between the components. A fluid port may generally include an opening in a wall through which fluid is allowed to flow and / or which permits connection of a fluid space and / or tube and / or hose. A rail heater may generally comprise a heater and at least one, in particular two, lid devices. Optionally, a rail heating device may comprise pipes and / or hoses and / or a heat source and / or a heating fluid source and / or sink. It is conceivable that a rail heater comprises a plurality of radiators with optionally associated lid devices. A radiator may for example be made of a metallic material, in particular aluminum and / or steel. A radiator may be formed in particular as an extruded profile, such as aluminum. A heating rear wall may be formed of a good heat-conducting material, such as a metal. A cover device can be fastened or fastened on the radiator in a suitable manner, for example by welding and / or screwing, for example by self-tapping screws.

The present invention relates to a rail heater comprising a heater having a heating chamber adapted to be flowed through by a heating fluid, the heater having a heating rear wall adapted to be in heat-transmitting contact with a rail of a rail to be heated stand and / or be brought. The Rail heating device further comprises at least one cover device which is attached or attachable to a head side of the radiator, wherein the cover device has a lid rear wall, which is adapted to continue the heating rear wall; wherein the lid means comprises a lid front wall in which a lid opening for a fluid port for supplying or removing heating fluid is provided. Furthermore, a fluid supply transverse to the longitudinal extent of the radiator is possible. By a diversion of the fluid flow, such as by a suitable fluid guide within the cover device, there is a turbulence of the fluid flow, so that is able to adjust within the radiator, a uniform heat distribution and temperature distribution of the heating fluid. Thus, zones of preferred temperature are easily avoided. For example, can be dispensed with the attachment of an additional baffle plate, which may be useful in variants with fluid supply in the longitudinal direction of the radiator. It can generally be provided two lid means, one of which may be provided for fluid supply and the other for fluid removal. The structure of the cover device may be substantially identical; it is understood that the function of a lid device as fluid supply or fluid removal is essentially defined by the overall arrangement and connections to the outside. Within a cover device can generally be formed a fluid guide, such as through channels, which may be formed as holes. Such holes or channels may be formed in particular straight. The fluid guide may be generally configured to fluidly communicate one or more fluid port openings of the lid device with the at least one lid opening and / or to bring the lid opening into fluid communication with the heating chamber. A lid opening can generally have a connection device for a fluid guiding device, such as a tube and / or a hose, for example a receptacle and / or a thread. A channel and / or a bore may be guided from the lid opening substantially obliquely upward or substantially horizontally. Above in this description generally refers to the direction of the rail head, down the direction of the rail foot. In general, channels or holes of the fluid guide can each be formed with a constant cross section. In this case, changes in cross section within the fluid guide can essentially result from different channels or bores meeting one another. It can be provided that channels and / or bores each extend from the opening from which they extend into the interior of the lid device, straight up to a branch point within the lid means, where they meet one or more other channels and / or holes. Accordingly, it is conceivable that individual channels and / or bores of the fluid guide of the cover device do not penetrate the cover device in a straight direction in each case. In the context of this description, a lid opening can essentially describe an opening to the outside, via which a connection to a fluid supply or removal in or out of the rail heater and / or lid device is possible. In this case, a lid opening via a fluid guide and / or one or more fluid connection openings may be in fluid communication with a heating chamber or be brought. A lid opening may generally be an opening in an outer wall contour of a cross section of the lid device. A fluid connection opening may essentially designate an opening to the heating chamber, via which fluid can flow from a cover device into the heating chamber or can flow out of it. A fluid connection opening may have a surface normal, which is directed into the heating chamber; a surface normal of the lid opening may be directed past the heating chamber and / or directed into an outside area.

In a variant, the cover device can have at least one fluid connection opening on a side mounted or attachable to the radiator, which allows a heating fluid to flow into or out of the heating chamber. Such a fluid connection opening can open from a fluid guide within the cover device into the heating chamber. The cross-sectional area dimension of a fluid connection opening may be generally smaller than the cross-sectional area dimension of the heating chamber. As a result, a relatively large heating surface can be formed on the heating rear wall.

It can be provided that the at least one fluid connection opening is formed in fluid communication with the lid opening. Thus, a fluid flow between the lid opening and the at least one fluid connection opening can be formed. The surface normal of a fluid connection opening can be oblique and / or transversal, in particular substantially be formed at right angles to the surface normal of the lid opening. A fluid guide within the lid means may be adapted to facilitate fluid communication between the apertures. The cross-sectional area dimension of the lid opening may be larger than the cross-sectional area dimension of the at least one fluid connection opening.

It is conceivable that the cover device and the radiator have substantially identical cross-sectional areas. Thus, the lid device may also nestle against the rail profile and / or be accommodated in the rail chamber without requiring additional adaptation measures.

In a development, it can be provided that the cover device has at least and / or exactly two fluid connection openings which respectively allow heating fluid to flow into and / or out of the heating chamber. The sum of the cross-sectional area dimensions of the fluid connection openings may be less than the cross-sectional area dimension of the heating chamber so that a slower flow may form within the heating chamber than within the channels of the fluid conduit leading to the fluid connection openings. The fluid guide may have a branching point, from which such channels branch off from a channel connected to a lid opening. From at least one of the fluid connection opening, a channel and / or a bore may extend obliquely within the cover device to a channel or bore guided by the cover opening. In this case, the cross-sectional shape of an obliquely guided channel deviate from a round cross-sectional shape and be formed approximately oval, such as by oblique guide a milling or drilling tool. The fluid connection openings can be arranged one above the other in order to allow good area utilization and further swirling of the heating fluid in the vertical direction.

The lid means may generally have a fluid guide formed in fluid communication with the lid opening. The fluid guide can be formed by bores, which in each case originate from the at least one cover opening and / or at least one fluid connection opening into the interior of the Cover body can be drilled, about to meet in such a way that a continuous fluid guide is formed.

In a development, the fluid guide within the cover device may have a narrowing of the flow cross-section. The constriction can be formed approximately at a point at which at least two channels, in particular holes, meet the fluid guide. The constriction may in particular be provided at a location at which a channel from the lid opening meets a channel from a fluid connection opening to the heating chamber.

The narrowing can be a sudden narrowing. This results in a point of impact, which leads to a turbulence of the inflowing heating fluid. An abrupt constriction may denote a constriction at which the flow cross section changes substantially instantaneously and / or abruptly and / or discontinuously. This can be achieved, for example, in that the cross-sectional area dimension of a channel from a fluid connection opening is smaller than the cross-sectional area dimension of a channel from the lid opening, which opens into this channel. Alternatively or additionally, the cross-sectional shape of the channels and / or the impact position of the channels may be designed to be suitable for one another in order to provide such a sudden constriction.

The fluid guide may have at least one branch. The branch may be configured to divide or merge fluid streams from or to two fluid port openings. It is conceivable that within the lid opening, a branch is formed such that channels from the lid opening and channels of fluid connection openings to the heating chamber meet at a common point and define the branch. There may be provided several branches, each of which may be formed by passing channels and / or bores, in particular those which are guided in a straight line. Thus, a branch structure of the fluid guide may be formed.

It is conceivable that the fluid guide is adapted to the heating fluid substantially orthogonal to the direction of flow of the fluid into the lid opening in to lead the heating chamber. The deflection of the Heizfluidstroms results on the one hand a space savings in the longitudinal direction and on the other a turbulence of Heizfluidstroms.

In the following, embodiments of rail heating devices will be explained by way of example with reference to the attached figures. Here, the same reference numerals designate the same or functionally similar elements.

Fig. 1

einen Querschnitt eines beispielhaften Heizkörpers einer Schienenheizeinrichtung;

Fig. 2

eine Seitenansicht einer beispielhaften Schienenheizeinrichtung;

Fig. 3

eine kopfseitige Ansicht einer beispielhaften Deckeleinrichtung;

Fig. 4

eine Schrägsicht einer beispielhaften Schienenheizeinrichtung; sowie

Fig. 5

eine Schrägsicht einer weiteren beispielhaften Schienenheizeinrichtung.

Show it:

Fig. 1

a cross section of an exemplary radiator of a rail heater;

Fig. 2

a side view of an exemplary rail heater;

Fig. 3

a top view of an exemplary lid device;

Fig. 4

an oblique view of an exemplary rail heater; such as

Fig. 5

an oblique view of another exemplary rail heater.

Fig. 1 shows a cross section of an exemplary radiator 10 of a rail heater 100. The radiator 10 has a heating chamber 12 which is formed between a Heizrückwand 14 and a chamber front wall 16, the above and below via transverse walls 13 into each other. The heating rear wall 14 and the transverse walls 13 are designed to conform to a rail profile of a rail (not shown) to be heated. There is further provided an isolation chamber 20 which is formed between a front wall 18 and the chamber front wall 16. The front wall 18, together with the heating rear wall 14 and transverse walls 13 formed therebetween, form the outer wall contour of the radiator 10. The heating chamber 12 and the insulation chamber 20 are each open on the head side and can be screwed to a cover device via the screw channels 22. In operation, heating fluid is introduced into the heating chamber 12 via one of the open head sides, which heat can be delivered to a rail via the heating rear wall 14 and leaves the heating chamber 12 again on the opposite side of the head.

Fig. 2 shows a side view of a rail heater 100 with a radiator 10, as in Fig. 1 shown on which each end cap devices 30 are screwed. The cover devices 30 each have a cover opening 32 for connecting a fluid guide device, and may each have suitable connection devices, such as threads and / or tube projections and / or connections, for example, to connect pipes and / or hoses for heating fluid. Self-tapping screws 24 can be seen, which fasten the cover devices to the radiator 10 on the head side via the screw channels 22 and corresponding channels 34 provided in the cover devices 30. About a seal 26 each of the lid device 30 and the radiator 10 are sealed from each other. The seal surrounds the fluid connection openings shown below from the outside.

Fig. 3 shows a cross-section of a cover device 30. From the lid opening 32 a listed as a bore fluid channel 33 is guided in this example in a straight line obliquely upwards into the interior of the lid device 30. An upper fluid connection opening 36 and a lower fluid connection opening 38 can be seen, which are located in the Fig. 2 each opening into the heating chamber 12. From the upper fluid connection opening 36, a fluid channel 37 is drilled obliquely downward to meet at a branch point 40 on the bore 33 of the lid opening 32. From the lower fluid port 38, a fluid channel 39 in this example extends straight-line horizontally to the branch point 40. The cross-sectional area of the channel 33 is greater than the cross-sectional area dimensions of the channels 37 and 39, such that at the branch point 40 there is a constriction of the flow area with an impact edge which is formed at the branching point by transition from the channel 33 to the channels 37 and 39. The transition from heating fluid from the channel 33 to the branching point 40.und the channels 37 and 39 thus results in a turbulence of the heating fluid. Further turbulence is generated by the deflection of the heating fluid when flowing through the fluid guide formed by the channels 33, 37 and 39 of the cover device 30 from the inflow direction into the cover device in the outflow direction to the heating chamber 12. In addition, a turbulence results from the meeting of the in the channels 37, 39 separately guided Heizfluidströme in As a result, a uniform heat distribution can form and a stratification of heating fluid different temperature within the heating chamber 12 remains off. On the opposite side of the head, the heating fluid is discharged via a corresponding cover device 30 again. For removal, however, another cover device may be provided, since in this case the turbulence is not absolutely necessary. However, the use of similar capping means 30 on both sides of the head makes it possible to connect the fluid supply to any of the sides.
Fig. 4 FIG. 12 shows an oblique view of an exemplary rail heater 100 applied to a rail 200. The rail 200 comprises a rail head 202, a rail web 204, and a rail foot 206 which define a rail chamber 208 in which the rail heater 100 is received so that the heater back wall 14 conforms to the profile formed by the rail. It can be seen how connecting elements 42 such as pipes or hose pieces extend from the lid openings 30 in a straight continuation of the direction of the bore 33.
Fig. 5 shows an oblique view of another exemplary rail heater 100, which differs from the in Fig. 1-4 shown arrangement with respect to the cross section and provided for heating rail profile differs. Due to the overall lower profile, the bore 33 is guided substantially horizontally by the lid opening 30 in this example.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

10

radiator

12

heating chamber

13

partition

14

Heizrückwand

16

Chamber front wall

18

front wall

20

isolation chamber

22

screw

24

screw

26

poetry

30

lid means

32

lid opening

33

channel

34

screw

36

upper fluid connection opening

37

channel

38

lower fluid connection opening

39

channel

40

branching point

42

connecting element

100

Schienenheizeinrichtung

200

rail

202

railhead

204

rail web

206

rail

208

rail chamber

Claims (10)

1. A rail heating device (100), comprising:

   a heating element (10) with a heating chamber (12), through which a heating fluid can flow, wherein the heating element (10) comprises a heating rear wall that is designed for being or being brought in heat-exchanging contact with a rail web (204) of a rail to be heated;

   at least one cover device (30) that is or can be arranged on the head end of the heating element (10), wherein the cover device (30) comprises a cover rear wall that is designed for continuing the heating rear wall (14); characterized in that the cover device (30) comprises a cover front wall, in which a cover opening (32) for a fluid connection for the supply and discharge of heating fluid is provided.
2. The rail heating device (100) according to claim 1, wherein the cover device (30) comprises at least one fluid connection opening (36, 38) on the side that is or can be arranged on the heating element (10), wherein said fluid connection opening enables heating fluid to flow into or out of the heating chamber (12).
3. The rail heating device (100) according to claim 2, wherein the at least one fluid connection opening (36, 38) is designed for fluidically communicating with the cover opening (32).
4. The rail heating device (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the cover device (30) and the heating element (10) have essentially identical cross-sectional areas.
5. The rail heating device (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the cover device (30) comprises at least two fluid connection openings (36, 38) that respectively enable heating fluid to flow into or out of the heating chamber (12).
6. The rail heating device (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the cover device (30) comprises a fluid conduit that is designed for fluidically communicating with the cover opening (32).
7. The rail heating device (100) according to claim 6, wherein the fluid conduit comprises a constriction of the flow cross section within the cover device (30).
8. The rail heating device (100) according to claim 7, wherein the constriction is an abrupt constriction.
9. The rail heating device (100) according to one of claims 6-8, wherein the fluid conduit comprises at least one branching (40).
10. The rail heating device (100) according to one of claims 6-9, wherein the fluid conduit is designed for conveying the heating fluid into the heating chamber (14) essentially orthogonal to the inflow direction into the cover opening (32).

Images