Patent Application
20060021367
The present invention relates generally to a locomotive operating in an extreme environmental condition and, more particularly, to oxygenation of a locomotive cab operating in a low oxygen environment.
Locomotives that are used for heavy haul applications are well known and typically operate in extreme environments, including low oxygen environments at high altitudes. As such, these locomotives must provide critical life support systems, such as oxygenation devices, to sustain the life of the locomotive operator(s). To address this issue, current designs for locomotives operating at high altitudes generate oxygen and supply the oxygen to each member of the locomotive crew individually via masks worn over the mouth and nose of the crew member. Unfortunately however, this method of supplying life sustaining oxygen has several disadvantages associated with it.
One disadvantage involves the spread of bacteria and/or a virus from one crew member to another crew member. One reason for this is that situations may occur where more than one crew member may have to use one specific oxygen mask. This is undesirable because these oxygen masks are typically not sterilized after being used. Thus, if one person has a bacterial and/or a viral infection and wears the mask, it is highly probable that the inside of the mask (i.e. the part of the mask exposed to the nose and mouth of wearer) will be contaminated with the bacteria and/or virus, thus exposing the next person who wears this mask to the same infections. For example, if one crew member has an undiagnosed tuberculosis infection (a bacterial infection spread by aerosolization and expulsion of the tuberculosis bacteria from the lungs by coughing and breathing) and wears the mask, the inside of the mask will be contaminated with tuberculosis bacteria. As such, this will expose the next crew member who wears that mask to tuberculosis and may increase his/her probability of becoming infected with the bacteria.
Another disadvantage involves the discomfort and restriction of movement of the crew while wearing the mask. This is because the mask must be disposed securely over the nose and mouth of the wearer. As such, the mask must be snugly fastened to the wearer's face via a strap that wraps around the wearer's head causing the edge of the mask to press into the wearers' face. This is undesirable because after several hours of wearing this apparatus, a rash and/or bruise may form due to contact pressure between the edge of the mask and the wearer's face. Moreover, the mask must be attached to an oxygen generation device via a long hollow delivery tube which is used to deliver oxygen to the mask and thus the wearer. As the crew moves around the locomotive cab, the delivery tube is subject to kinking and/or becoming tangled in other delivery tubes and/or equipment. This is also undesirable because it may cause a dangerous situation by restricting the movement of the crew and/or by damaging a mask and/or delivery tube cutting off the oxygen supply to the crew member.
One way that has been investigated to address this problem involves supplying oxygen to the cab and pressuring the cab of the locomotive to assure sufficient oxygen, similar to that used in commercial airliners. Unfortunately however, this approach is not practical for locomotive cabs because the large flat panels of the cab are not sufficiently strong enough to resist the large forces generated by the small pressure differences caused by pressurization. Moreover, a locomotive cab requires doors and windows which are easily operated. In this case if the locomotive cab were a pressurized environment, the cab would have to undergo a pressurization/depressurization cycle every time a door or window is opened. This is undesirable because it increases the potential for injury of ear drums if a door or window is opened while the cab is pressurized.
An oxygen distribution system for a railroad locomotive having an operator cab and operable at high latitudes in ambient air conditions having a low oxygen content level that would be hazardous to locomotive operators, with the oxygen distribution system being configured to generate and supply air having enriched oxygen content levels to the operator cab to support locomotive operators is provided and includes an O2 generation device for generating O2 gas, an O2 processing device for mixing the O2 gas and ambient air and a heating/ventilation device, wherein the O2 generation device is in fluid flow communication with the heating/ventilation device via the O2 processing device, with the O2 processing device receiving O2 gas from the O2 generation device and processing the O2 gas and ambient air to form a processed air having enriched oxygen content levels for transfer to the heating/ventilation device for distribution to the operator cab.
An oxygenated locomotive cab is provided and includes a locomotive cab structure defining a cab cavity for accommodating at least one person, wherein the cab structure includes a plurality of air ducts, wherein at least one of the plurality of air ducts is communicated with an oxygen distribution system, the oxygen distribution system including an O2 generation device, an O2 processing device and a heating/ventilation device, wherein the O2 generation device is in fluid flow communication with the heating/ventilation device via the O2 processing device, with the O2 processing device receiving O2 gas from the O2 generation device and processing the O2 gas and ambient air to form a processed air having enriched oxygen content levels for transfer to the heating/ventilation device for distribution to the cab cavity.
A method for providing O2 to an operator cab of a locomotive, wherein the operator cab includes a cab environment which is at least partially sealed from an external environment is provided, wherein the method includes receiving ambient air having an O2 content into an O2 generation device, processing the ambient air to separate the O2 content from the ambient air and to generate an O2 flow between the O2 generation device and the operator cab and conditioning the O2 flow to control the atmosphere within the cab environment.
The foregoing and other features and advantages of the present invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like elements are numbered alike in the several Figures:
Referring to
As illustrated in
Furthermore, flow mixer outlet port 118 is communicated with second system enclosure outlet port 136 which is further communicated with first heater/ventilation inlet port 122 to allow the regulated oxygen from flow mixer/oxygen concentration regulation device 104 to be transferred to heater/ventilation device 106. Flow mixer ambient air inlet port 120 is communicated with second system enclosure inlet port 140 to allow flow mixer/oxygen concentration regulation device 104 to draw ambient air from the environment external to system enclosure 132. Heater/ventilation device 106 is communicated with cab air inlet port 126 and cab outlet port 128 via heater/ventilation output port 124 and second heater/ventilation input port 123, respectively. It should be appreciated that the environment surrounding the enclosed O2 enriched environment is N2 enriched.
Referring again to
It should be appreciated that although resultant air created by flow mixer/oxygen concentration regulation device 104 is shown as being comprised of a 27% concentration of O2 at ambient pressure, resultant air created by flow mixer/oxygen concentration regulation device 104 may be comprised of any O2 concentration at any pressure, suitable to the desired end purpose. It should also be appreciated that although the resultant air created by flow mixer/oxygen concentration regulation device 104 is shown as being transferred to heater/ventilation device 106 at a flow rate of 30 Cubic Feet per Minute (CFM), any flow rate suitable to the desired end purpose may be used. Additionally, it should be appreciated that although the flow rate of air being transferred from heater/ventilation device 104 to locomotive cab 108 is shown at 400 CFM and the flow rate of air being transferred from locomotive cab 108 to heater/ventilation device 104 is shown at 370 CFM, any flow rate suitable to the desired end purpose may be used.
As can be seen, both oxygen generation device 102 and flow mixer/oxygen concentration regulation device 104 are shown as being configured to receive ambient air. Oxygen generation device 102 receives this ambient air from an oxygen generation device ambient inlet 110, separates out the N2 components and the O2 components and exhausts the N2 component into the N2 rich environment and the O2 component. Moreover, oxygen distribution system 100 may have sensor(s) external to and internal to locomotive cab 108 which senses oxygen content of the particular environment. This may allow oxygen distribution system 100 to automatically engage and/or disengage, in part or in whole, in a manner responsive to these sensor(s). It should also be appreciated that oxygen distribution system 100 may be operated remotely from a control communicated with oxygen distribution system 100 via any type of communication system suitable to the desired end purpose, such as via wireless communications. Moreover, it should be appreciated that oxygen distribution system 100 may be operated from any locomotive in the locomotive consist and as such, may be applied to all or only one locomotive in the consist.
Referring to
As described above, the method 200 of
Also as described above, the method 200 of
It should be further appreciated that oxygen generation device 102 allows for the generation, conditioning (i.e. heated and/or filtered) and distribution of oxygen-rich air to be supplied to a locomotive cab, wherein oxygen generation device 102 supplies a flow of oxygen-rich air to the heating and ventilation system of the locomotive which distributes the enriched air to the locomotive cab through its duct work and several outlets. This is a desirable feature for heavy haul locomotives because these locomotives operate at elevations where the quantity of oxygen in the atmosphere is less than required for human occupation and survival. Oxygen generation device 100 allows crew personnel to move freely about the locomotive cab and/or to depart the cab as necessary. Because enriched air is introduced into the cab at several points in the cab and forcefully mixed with the entrained air of the cab, oxygen will be uniformly distributed about the locomotive cab. Additionally, because oxygen is forcefully mixed with the low oxygen content air of the locomotive cab, concentration of oxygen at all points of the distribution system and in the locomotive cab is enough to sustain human life but less than the oxygen at sea level. This eliminates any fire hazard which could exist due to high concentration of oxygen in proximity to burnable materials.
While the invention has been described with reference to an exemplary embodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, omissions and/or additions may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, unless specifically stated any use of the terms first, second, etc. do not denote any order or importance, but rather the terms first, second, etc. are used to distinguish one element from another.
This application claims priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial Number 60/590,553 filed Jul. 23, 2004, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60590553 | Jul 2004 | US |
