A new approach in reducing sand deposition on railway tracks to improve transportation

Abstract

Abstract Aeolian particle transport involves uplift from the ground, dispersion and deposition back to the surface. Integrated effects of these processes, in general, are of great importance for a wide range of reasons mostly because of their unwanted deposition on the railway tracks, environmental impact, degradation of air quality and risks to human health. In sandy dry lands Aeolian sand accumulation on railway tracks is a major problem, since it directly affects safety of railway transportation, apart from decreasing the speed in railway transportation. The most common methods for preventing sand deposition on railway tracks like, building galleries (Gallery is a short length tunnel-shape cover which is built and installed over the railway track to avoid sand deposition. It is commonly applied in regions which are more probable of sand storm.), fences or increasing plant varieties around railway are restricted to special situations and not as effective. Efficient prevention of sand deposition is a great challenge that requires a comprehensive knowledge of wind-sand flow behavior. In the present study, an efficient 2D and 3D CFD model for simulation of two-phase gas-particle problems, as the sandy air flow, is developed. Conventional methods for preventing sand deposition on the railway track as well as an innovative method for avoiding sand deposition are presented and their effectiveness is evaluated by the proposed CFD model. It has been shown both by the CFD model and the accomplished empirical works that galleries cannot prevent sand deposition effectively. Instead, the innovative proposed method is proved to reduce sand deposition near the embankment, along with decreasing sand content of flowing wind.