Northern Unveils ‘Supersonic’ Leaf Busting Tech
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Rail Technology Magazine.
These two paragraphs outline the project.
A collaborative effort between Northern and The University of Sheffield has resulted in the development of an innovative piece of technology, small enough to be fitted onto passenger trains, that clears leaves from the line.
A recent demonstration at the Wensleydale Railway has highlighted the effectiveness of this tech, meaning that the disruptions from fallen leaves to rail operations could soon be a thing of the past.
The process is described in this paragraph.
The new cleaning system, developed by researchers from the University’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, works via firing dry ice pellets in a stream of air at supersonic speed at the railhead, resulting the freezing of the leaves stuck on the line, which are subsequently blasted away as the dry ice pellets turn back into a gas. The dry ice pellets themselves are provided from waste carbon dioxide from other industries.
I suppose the only problem, is that it releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
More Details
This page on the Sheffield University web site, which is entitled End Of The Line For Rail Delays Caused By Autumn Leaf Fall, gives more derails.
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