Railcar backup cooling system
AssigneeTrinity Rail Group, LLC
InventorCarter Ray Andrews
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A railcar backup cooling system may be added to an existing railcar (e.g., a boxcar) to provide supplemental or backup cooling to the railcar in the event that an HVAC failure or other circumstance occurs, which causes the interior temperature of the railcar to rise. The system includes a container of liquid or compressed gas mounted on the railcar, a valve controlling the flow of the liquid or gas from the container, and a controller configured to open the valve when the HVAC system fails or is otherwise unable to maintain the railcar at the desired temperature. When the valve is opened, the liquid and/or gas stored in the container may exit, expanding into a cool gas and thereby acting to cool the railcar environment.
Claims17
A system comprising:
- a railcar cooled using a primary heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system;
- a tank positioned within the railcar, the tank configured to store a fluid under a first pressure and at a first temperature, the first pressure greater than atmospheric pressure;
- a valve;
- a controller configured to:
- receive, from the primary HVAC system, an alert message indicating that the primary HVAC system has failed;
- in response to receiving the alert message, open the valve such that a portion of the fluid from the tank travels from the tank and through the valve;
- an expansion valve configured to reduce a pressure of the portion of the fluid from the valve such that the portion of the fluid expands into a gas having a second temperature lower than the first temperature;
- a heat exchanger configured to transfer heat from air surrounding the heat exchanger to the gas from the expansion valve;
- and
- a fan configured to circulate the air surrounding the heat exchanger.
A method comprising:
- storing, by a tank positioned within a railcar that is cooled using a primary heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, a fluid under a first pressure and at a first temperature, the first pressure greater than atmospheric pressure;
- receiving, from the primary HVAC system, an alert message indicating that the primary HVAC system has failed;
- in response to receiving the alert message, opening a valve such that a portion of the fluid stored in the tank travels from the tank and through the valve;
- reducing, by an expansion valve, a pressure of the portion of the fluid from the valve such that the portion of the fluid expands into a gas having a second temperature lower than the first temperature;
- transferring, by a heat exchanger, heat from air surrounding the heat exchanger to the gas from the expansion valve;
- and
- circulating, by a fan, the air surrounding the heat exchanger.
A system comprising:
- a railcar cooled using a primary heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system;
- a tank positioned within the railcar, the tank configured to store a fluid under a first pressure and at a first temperature, the first pressure greater than atmospheric pressure;
- a valve;
- a controller configured to:
- receive, from the primary HVAC system, an alert message indicating that the primary HVAC system has failed;
- and
- in response to receiving the alert message, open the valve such that a portion of the fluid from the tank travels from the tank and through the valve and such that the portion of the fluid expands into a gas having a second temperature lower than the first temperature;
- and
- an atomizer configured to spray the gas into the railcar.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.