Ice mitigation in railway turnouts using a conductive heater: An experimental study

• Analysis of heater functionality in different environmental conditions. • Measuring the reliability of the Infrared camera (IR) to monitor railway switch temperature conditions remotely. • Measuring variables such as the heater’s time and power consumption in different environmental conditions to gain a scientific understanding of heat distribution in the rail. • The results reveal that under wet conditions, such as rainfall or snowfall, the performance of rail heaters significantly deteriorates. • The study highlights the impact of clamps and their distance on heater performance. • Given the high energy demands of rail heating, it is recommended to avoid prolonged deactivation or continuous operation of the heater. Instead, temperature controllers should be implemented to maintain the rail temperature above freezing. • The analysis further identifies the rail foot as a critical area for heat loss, as it receives maximum heat from the heater and has direct contact with the ground. To mitigate this, applying insulation material beneath the rail is proposed as a strategy to minimize heat transfer to the ground ballast. This study investigates the performance of a conductive heating system for ice mitigation in railway turnouts. A lab-based experimental setup is designed to replicate real-world railway switch (turnout) sections, incorporating a conductive electrical heater clamped to stock rails and a ballast-soil layer beneath. The performance of the railway turnouts’ conductive heaters under cold environment conditions and the resultant heat distribution along the rail surface are evaluated. Thermocouple heat sensors and an infrared (IR) camera are used to measure the rail surface temperature distribution. The IR camera results are validated using thermal data collected from the thermocouples, and the results show that the IR camera can efficiently monitor the rail surface temperature remotely in winter climates and can help reduce the maintenance demands associated with thermocouple operation in the field. Significant performance deterioration of the rail heaters is observed under wet, cold climate conditions. Heater energy efficiency analyses suggest implementing automatic temperature controllers to maintain rail temperatures above freezing and adjusting optimal target rail surface temperatures for anti-icing based on local environmental conditions. Heat loss from the rail foot to the ballast and surroundings is identified as another challenge. Finally, the study highlights the need for further research on rail/heater clamp design, materials, and advanced insulation techniques to enhance the efficiency and reliability of rail heating systems and avoid heat loss to the ballast and surroundings.