Supplemental Transport Heater for Tanker Trailers

A method of heating material within a tanker trailer having a heat exchanger including conduits extending therefrom with coolant therein, comprising the steps of:

• coupling a supplemental heating apparatus having a burner assembly, a circulator and a control apparatus, to said conduits to form a circuit wherein coolant can be circulated between said heat exchanger and said burner assembly by said circulator;
• activating a test cycle including repeated testing sequences separated by inactive periods lasting for a predetermined period of time, each testing sequence including the steps of:
• initiating the operation of the circulator to move coolant from said heat exchanger to said burner assembly;
• and
• sensing the temperature of said coolant after a predetermined delay following the initiating step;
• initiating a heating cycle when said sensing step senses a coolant temperature lower than a first predetermined threshold, said heating cycle including the steps of:
• operating said burner assembly to generate heat energy;
• circulating coolant between said burner assembly and said heat exchanger to transfer heat energy to said material in said tanker trailer;
• detecting the temperature of said coolant before flowing into said burner assembly;
• halting said heating cycle when said detecting step detects a coolant temperature higher than a second predetermined threshold.

A method of controlling the operation of a supplemental heating apparatus coupled to a heat exchanger in a trailer connectable to an engine cooling system to transfer heat energy generated from said engine to said heat exchanger, comprising the steps of:

• supplying electrical power to control apparatus in said supplemental heating apparatus;
• activating a test cycle including repeated testing sequences separated by inactive periods lasting for a predetermined period of time, each testing sequence including the steps of:
• initiating the operation of a circulator in said supplemental heating apparatus to move coolant from said heat exchanger to a burner assembly;
• and
• sensing the temperature of said coolant after a predetermined delay following the initiating step;
• and
• operating a heating cycle when said sensing step senses a coolant temperature lower than a first predetermined threshold until said coolant reaches a predetermined second predetermined threshold.