Heat system for compartment of a train car

Abstract

A system for heating a compartment of a rail car having a heat-generating engine with a cooling-water system has a heating element, a fan for passing a stream of air over the heating element and into the compartment, and a radiator in the cooling-water system and in the stream of air downstream of the fan.

I claim: 
     
         1 . A system for heating a compartment of a rail car having a heat-generating engine with a cooling-water system, the system comprising:
 a heating element;   a fan for passing a stream of air over the heating element and into the compartment; and   a radiator in the cooling-water system and in the stream of air downstream of the fan.   
     
     
         2 . The heating system defined in  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a heat pump having a compressor, a first heat exchanger, an expansion valve, and a second heat exchanger connected in a closed circuit through which a compressible heat-exchange fluid is circulated by the compressor in one direction when operating in heating mode and in an opposite direction when operating in cooling mode, one of the heat exchangers forming the heating element.   
     
     
         3 . The heating system defined in  claim 2 , wherein the heat pump includes a fan for blowing a stream of air through the one heat exchanger serving as heating element and the radiator of the cooling-water system is between the one heat exchanger and the fan. 
     
     
         4 . The heating system defined in  claim 2 , further comprising
 means for extracting air containing waste heat from the rail car and passing it through the other of the heat exchangers.   
     
     
         5 . The heating system defined in  claim 1 , wherein the heating element is an electric heater.