Railcar thaw sheds were originally designed to thaw raw materials from coal to paper pulp. When the railcar travels through different climate conditions; the problem exists that a fair percentage of raw materials are frozen to the inside of the railcar. This can become extremely costly for the company receiving the material. Raw material can be lost in an improperly thawed railcar that is still housing a percentage of their purchase. It also poses problems in manufacturing. Raw material that is still frozen and unclaimed can cause time and manufacturing delays.

Many railcar thaw sheds still utilize the inefficient gas fired, open flame heaters that heat from beneath the railcar. This causes several concerns. First, an open flame heater can cause damage to the hydraulics & grease fittings of the railcar that can result in additional damage charges from the railcar owner. Second, these heaters have a perforated emitter that gets clogged & causes a decrease in Btu output and performance. Finally, the heaters are a maintenance nightmare & working on them is incredibly dirty.

A customer in Gary, IN was interested in saving fuel and maintenance time on their outdated railcar thaw shed. PRP assisted in designing and providing a alternative method of thawing the railcars by utilizing a modified gas fired tube type of heating equipment for his railcar thaw application. The RCTH17 package/ #42361950 is capable of thawing materials in a timely fashion, provides a quick payback in fuel cost savings, and is much easier to maintain.