# US 2014/0193761 A1 · Rail cars for transporting heavy hydrocarbons > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0193761 A1 - Document ID: US20140193761A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/151,520 - Filed: 2014-01-09 - Published: 2014-07-10 - Earliest claimed: 2013-01-09 - Assignees: Tractivepower Corporation - Inventors: Frank Wegner Donnelly; John D. Watson - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140193761A1 ## CPC - B61C 5/00: Locomotives or motor railcars with IC engines or gas turbines (characterised by power transmission B61C9/00; engines F02) - B61C 17/02: Bunkers; Tanks; Tenders (coachwork B61D); Water or fuel pick-up or scoop apparatus; Water or fuel supply fittings (trackside installations, e.g. bunkers, tanks, for filling locomotives with sand or water B61K11/00) - B61C 17/08: Lubrication systems (in general F16N) - Y02T 30/00: Transportation of goods or passengers via railways, e.g. energy recovery or reducing air resistance - B61C: LOCOMOTIVES; MOTOR RAILCARS (vehicles in general B60; frames or bogies B61F; special railroad equipment for locomotives B61J, B61K) - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract A method and system of temperature control of heavy hydrocarbons in a consist of rail cars is disclosed wherein waste heat from one or more of the locomotives propelling the train is utilized to heat the heavy hydrocarbons in a consist or ambient air is used to cool the heavy hydrocarbon cargo. The train is typically comprised of tanker cars that can be filled with raw heavy hydrocarbon, not dilbit thus allowing about 20% to about 30% additional heavy hydrocarbon to be transported in each tanker car. The system can keep the heavy hydrocarbon at a first, lower temperature en route and increase temperature to a second higher temperature as the train nears its terminus so that the tanker cars can be quickly emptied of their contents at the receiving terminal without the need to heat the tanker cars at the unloading terminal. The method disclosed herein for heating tanker cars in transit is to utilize waste heat from the locomotive diesel or gas turbine engines which is otherwise exhausted to the atmosphere. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method, comprising: controlling a temperature of a hydrocarbon contained in one or more container volumes during transport using at least one of an engine exhaust gas provided by an engine causing the transport of the one or more container volumes and ambient air to exchange thermal energy with a heat exchange fluid contacting the one or more container volumes, whereby the temperature of the hydrocarbon in the one or more container volumes is maintained at a selected temperature during transport. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the engine exhaust gas and the heat exchange fluid raise the temperature of the hydrocarbon contained in the one or more container volumes and ambient air and the heat exchange fluid air lowers the temperature of the hydrocarbon contained in the one or more container volumes. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the temperature of the hydrocarbon contained in the one or more container volumes is maintained by an automatic controller configured to manipulate a control valve to contact selectively the heat exchange fluid with at least one of the one or more container volumes and hydrocarbon. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more container volumes are each railway tanker cars and wherein the engine is in a locomotive connected to the one or more container volumes. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the engine exhaust gas and ambient air is in fluid communication with a locomotive heat exchanger through which the heat exchange fluid flows. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the one or more container volumes comprise a conduit for the heat exchange fluid, wherein the one or more container volumes comprise multiple tanker cars, and wherein the conduit extends from one tanker car to an adjacent tanker car. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein each of the railway tanker cars comprises a tanker car heat exchanger and a heat transfer control valve and wherein the tanker car heat exchanger is selectively contacted with the heat exchange fluid, whereby the hydrocarbon is heated and cooled, respectively, by thermal contact with the heat exchange fluid. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein one of water, water and propylene glycol and DOWTHERM is the heat exchange fluid, wherein the heat exchange fluid is in thermal communication with a locomotive heat exchanger on a railway locomotive and is routed through one or more conduits to the one or more container volumes to raise or maintain a user-selected temperature of the hydrocarbon in the one or more container volumes. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein, while the hydrocarbon is stored in the one or more container volumes, the one or more container volumes is substantially free of diluents. ### Claim 10 A system for controlling a temperature of a hydrocarbon during transport comprising: a hydrocarbon contained in one or more container volumes configured for transport; an engine causing the transport of the one or more container volumes, the engine producing an engine exhaust gas; whereby the temperature of the hydrocarbon is maintained during transport at a selected temperature using at least one of an engine exhaust gas provided by an engine causing the transport of the one or more container volumes and ambient air to exchange thermal energy with a heat exchange fluid in thermal communication with the one or more container volumes. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the engine exhaust gas and the heat exchange fluid raise the temperature of the hydrocarbon contained in the one or more container volumes and ambient air and the heat exchange fluid lowers the temperature of the hydrocarbon contained in the one or more container volumes. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the temperature of the hydrocarbon contained in the one or more container volumes is maintained by an automatic controller configured to manipulate a control valve to contact selectively the heat exchange fluid with at least one of the one or more container volumes and hydrocarbon. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more container volumes are each railway tanker cars and wherein the engine is in a locomotive connected to the one or more container volumes. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one of the engine exhaust gas and ambient air is in fluid communication with a locomotive heat exchanger through which the heat exchange fluid flows. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more container volumes comprise a conduit for the heat exchange fluid, wherein the one or more container volumes comprise multiple tanker cars, and wherein the conduit is extends from one tanker car to an adjacent tanker car. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein each of the railway tanker cars comprises a tanker car heat exchanger and a heat transfer control valve and wherein the tanker car heat exchanger is selectively contacted with the heat exchange fluid, whereby the hydrocarbon is heated and cooled, respectively, by thermal contact with the heat exchange fluid. ### Claim 17 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more container volumes are each railway tanker cars and wherein the engine is in a locomotive connected to the one or more container volumes; wherein one of water, water and propylene glycol and DOWTHERM is the heat exchange fluid, and wherein the heat exchange fluid is in thermal communication with the locomotive heat exchanger of the railway locomotive and is routed through one or more conduits to the one or more container volumes to raise or maintain a user-selected temperature of the hydrocarbon in the one or more container volumes. ### Claim 18 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more container volumes is substantially free of diluents. ### Claim 19 A method, comprising: receiving, from a sensor in thermal communication with a selected container volume containing a hydrocarbon, a first sensed temperature; comparing, by a microprocessor, the first sensed temperature with at least one of a prior second sensed temperature of the selected container volume, a sensed temperature of another container volume, a temperature threshold, and a look up table of sensed temperatures; and based on the comparing step, contacting at least one of an engine exhaust gas from an engine transporting the container volume and ambient air with a locomotive heat exchanger to exchange thermal energy with a heat exchange fluid to adjust a temperature of the container volume. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The method of claim 19, wherein the contacting step comprises the sub-step of selecting a setting of a control valve in fluid communication with the heat exchange fluid to contact selectively the heat exchange fluid with at least one of the one or more container volumes. ### Claim 21 (depends on 19) The method of claim 19, further comprising: at a later time, receiving, from the sensor a third sensed temperature of the container volume, wherein the third sensed temperature is higher than the first sensed temperature; comparing, by the microprocessor, the third sensed temperature with at least one of the first sensed temperature, a temperature threshold, and a look up table of sensed temperatures; based on the comparing step, no longer contacting the heat exchange fluid with the container volume to adjust a temperature of the container volume. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The method of claim 21, wherein, in response to comparing the third sensed temperature with the at least one of the first sensed temperature, temperature threshold, and look up table, contacting the heat exchange fluid with at least one of the container volumes to reduce a temperature of the container volume. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The method of claim 22, wherein no longer contacting comprises discharging the engine exhaust gas into an ambient atmosphere. ### Claim 24 (depends on 19) The method of claim 19, wherein the microprocessor receives, from a different sensor in thermal communication with a different container volume containing a hydrocarbon, a third sensed temperature; compares the third sensed temperature with the first sensed temperature of the selected container volume; and, based on the comparing step, contacts the heat exchange fluid with the different container volume and not the selected container volume to adjust a temperature of the different container volume. ### Claim 25 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24, wherein the selected and different container volumes have differing amounts of hydrocarbon, differing materials of construction, different stored hydrocarbon compositions, and/or different spatial locations, whereby the selected and different container volumes have differing cooling and/or heating rates. ### Claim 26 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24, wherein the microprocessor receives, substantially simultaneously, different sensed temperatures from differing hydrocarbon-containing container volumes and selects a sub-set of the container volumes to be heated or cooled by the heat exchange fluid, wherein the container volumes include the selected and a different container volume, and wherein the engine transports all of the container volumes. ### Claim 27 (depends on 18, 26) A tangible and non-transient computer readable medium comprising microprocessor executable instructions for performing the steps of any of claims 18 through claim 26. ### Claim 28 (depends on 18, 26) A computational system comprising the microprocessor and a tangible and non-transient computer readable medium comprising microprocessor executable instructions for performing the steps of any of claims 18 through claim 26. ### Claim 29 A method, comprising: determining, by a microprocessor, an approximate spatial location of a one or more container volumes containing a hydrocarbon; and in response to the determined spatial location and based on a set of rules, the microprocessor causing heating and/or cooling of the hydrocarbon. ### Claim 30 (depends on 29) The method of claim 29, wherein the determined spatial location is relative to a terminus where the hydrocarbon will be unloaded from the one or more container volumes. ### Claim 31 (depends on 29) The method of claim 29, wherein, when the determined spatial location is near the terminus, the hydrocarbon is heated and, when the determined spatial location is not near the terminus, the hydrocarbon is not heated. ### Claim 32 (depends on 29) The method of claim 29, wherein, when the determined spatial location is distant from the terminus, the temperature of the hydrocarbon is maintained at a first temperature and, when the spatial location is near the terminus, the hydrocarbon temperature is maintained at a second temperature and wherein the first temperature is less than the second temperature. ### Claim 33 (depends on 29, 32) A tangible and non-transient computer readable medium comprising microprocessor executable instructions for performing the steps of any of claims 29 through claim 32. ### Claim 34 (depends on 29, 32) A computational system comprising the microprocessor and a tangible and non-transient computer readable medium comprising microprocessor executable instructions for performing the steps of any of claims 29 through claim 32.