Comparative study on the performance of novel electromagnetic induction heating and electric heating turnout snow melting system

• Authors: She Yue , Wang Qingfeng , Zhang Jianqiong , Li Xiangqiang

Identifiers

DOI

10.24425/aee.2025.155963

• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

This study addresses the issues of high energy consumption and low efficiency in conventional electric heating snow-melting systems for railway turnouts. A novel system is proposed that integrates electromagnetic induction heating with traditional electric heating to optimise energy transfer pathways and enhance energy utilisation efficiency. The system enables dynamic adjustment of heating power, thereby supporting adaptive operation under varying environmental conditions. Through theoretical analysis, temperature field simulations, and experimental validation, the energy regulation mechanism and performance characteristics are examined. Results show that, under full snow-cover conditions, the proposed induction heating system reduces snow-melting time by 76.9% compared with traditional electric heating, while achieving a 29% efficiency gain under snow-free conditions. Steady-state temperature rise tests demonstrate close agreement between simulations and measurements: directional heat transfer efficiency improves significantly, with the average rail temperature decreasing by 8.5% and the air temperature in the working area increasing by 15%. Additionally, the system increases the ice- and snow-melting rates by 0.4 and 0.8 times, respectively, while reducing energy consumption by 30–40%. An optimised composite thermal structure further enhances heat utilisation. This study provides both theoretical and practical insights for advancing turnout snow-melting technology and its engineering applications.

Keywords

EN

electric heating of railway turnouts; energy saving; induction heating of turnouts; temperature field simulation

• Publisher: Polish Academy of Sciences, Committee on Electrical Engineering
• Journal: Archives of Electrical Engineering
• Year: 2025
• Volume: Vol. 74, nr 4
• Pages: 921--937
• Physical description: Bibliogr. 16 poz., fot., rys., tab., wykr., wz.

Contributors

author

She Yue

• School of Physical Science and Technology, Southwest Jiaotong University, No. 111, North Section 1 of the Second Ring Road, Chengdu, Sichuan, China

• https://orcid.org/0009-0004-9316-4465

author

Wang Qingfeng

• School of Physical Science and Technology, Southwest Jiaotong University, No. 111, North Section 1 of the Second Ring Road, Chengdu, Sichuan, China

author

Zhang Jianqiong

• School of Physical Science and Technology, Southwest Jiaotong University, No. 111, North Section 1 of the Second Ring Road, Chengdu, Sichuan, China

author

Li Xiangqiang

• School of Physical Science and Technology, Southwest Jiaotong University, No. 111, North Section 1 of the Second Ring Road, Chengdu, Sichuan, China

References

• [1] Liu H. X., Zhao X. F., Tram Winter Operation Safeguard in Severe Cold Areas, Urban Mass Transit, no. S1, pp. 74–77, 81 (2021), DOI: 10.16037/j.1007-869x.2022.S1.017.
• [2] Żelazny R., Jabłoński P., Szczegielniak T., Operation of the Prototype Device for Induction Heating of Railway Turnouts at Various Operating Frequencies, Energies, vol. 14, 476 (2021), DOI: 10.3390/en14020476.
• [3] Su R., Li Z. M., Scheme of Intelligent High-Speed Railway Point Heating System, Railway Signalling & Communication Engineering, vol. 19, no. 10, pp. 24–29 (2022).
• [4] He Q., Li Z. L., Huang Y. et al., Construction and Analysis of heat transfer model for Electric Heating Elements in Switch Snow Melting System, Journal of Railway Science and Engineering (2024).
• [5] Szychta E., Szychta L., Testing of Turnout Resistance and Induction Heating in Climatic Chamber, 2021 IEEE 19th International Power Electronics and Motion Control Conference, Gliwice, Poland (2021), DOI: 10.1109/PEMC48073.2021.9432523.
• [6] Ning Y. M., Yan H. W., Research on Optimization of Engineering Design Standards of Snow Melting Devices for Railway Turnouts, Railway Signalling & Communication Engineering, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 7–13 (2023).
• [7] Kirawanich P., A Numerical Technique for Estimating High-Frequency Radiated Emissions from Railway System, IEEE Transactions on Electromagnetic Compatibility, vol. 63, no. 2, pp. 463–473 (2021), DOI: 10.1109/TEMC.2020.3010256.
• [8] Zhang P. F., Wang D. C., Cheng P. et al., Finite Element Simulation of Induction Heating 65Mn Strip Steel Based on Electromagnetic-Thermal Coupling, Materials Review, vol. 36, no. 12, pp. 150–155 (2022), DOI: 10.11896/cldb.20110208.
• [9] Li Z.F., Hu J.C., Huang M.S. et al., Load Estimation for Induction Heating Cookers Based on Series RLC Natural Resonant Current, Energies, vol. 15, no. 4, pp. 1294–1313 (2022), DOI: 10.3390/en15041294.
• [10] Yan S. C., Application of Electromagnetic Induction Heating Technology in Snow Melting and De-Icing Operation for Switches, Electric Railway, vol. 33, no. 4, pp. 96–99 (2022), DOI: 10.19587/j.cnki.1007- 936x.2022.04.019.
• [11] Oh H. S., Park C.B., Lee S. H., A Study on De-icing for Railway Turnouts Using 250kHz-200w-Class Induction Heating System, AIP Advances, vol. 9, 125229 (2019), DOI: 10.1063/1.5129857.
• [12] Plumed E., Lope I., Acero J., Induction Heating Adaptation of a Different-Sized Load with Matching Secondary Inductor to Achieve Uniform Heating and Enhance Vertical Displacement, IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, vol. 36, no. 6, pp. 6929–6942 (2021), DOI: 10.1109/TPEL.2020.3038604.
• [13] Szychta L., Szychta E., Kiraga K., Efficiency of Induction Heating of Rails with Oblong Heaters, Telematics in the Transport Environment, vol. 329, pp. 328–333 (2012), DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642- 34050-5_37.
• [14] Flis M., Energy Efficiency Analysis of Railway Turnout Heating System with a Melting Snow Model Heated by Classic and Contactless Heating Method, Archives of Electrical Engineering, vol. 68, pp. 511–520 (2019), DOI: 10.24425/aee.2019.129338.
• [15] Vajdi M., Moghanlou F. S., A Review on the Comsol Multiphysics Studies of Heat Transfer in Advanced Ceramics, Journal of Composites and Compounds, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 35–43 (2020), DOI: 10.29252/jcc.2.1.5.
• [16] Flis M., Contactless Turnouts’ Heating for Energy Consumption Optimization, Archives of Electrical Engineering, vol. 69, no. 1, pp. 133–145 (2020), DOI: 10.24425/aee.2020.131763.