Procedure for Conducting Inspection Thermographic Tests of Electrical Heating Devices for Railway Turnouts

The study presents original research focused on improving the reliability and energy efficiency of electric railway turnout heating systems under severe winter conditions. An innovative diagnostic methodology using high-resolution infrared thermography was developed and applied to evaluate heating uniformity and technical performance within the Polish railway infrastructure. Field investigations were carried out on operational turnouts at Gdańsk Osowa and Międzylesie stations, covering both conventional EOR systems and the advanced ESAR system. The results demonstrated that the ESAR system effectively prevented ice and snow accumulation while enabling up to a 30% reduction in active power supplied to heating elements, resulting in annual energy savings of approximately 750 kWh per turnout (29% compared with the reference system). Incorporating radiative overlays in ESAR allowed lower average surface temperatures and improved heat distribution efficiency. Temperature and energy indicators confirmed significantly higher performance of ESAR, with annual CO2 emissions reduced by 447.75 kg and air pollutants (SOx, NOx, CO, particulates) by around 30%. The proposed thermographic approach proved to be a non-invasive and efficient diagnostic tool, supporting adaptive control, enhanced operational reliability, and reduced environmental impact of turnout heating systems.