Innovative ways of Railways to keep isolation coaches cool | Fusion - WeRIndia

Indian Railways is using various innovative ways to keep the isolation coaches cool. These isolation coaches are deployed to treat COVID-19 patients.

To beat the heat inside the coaches and to keep them cool, Railways uses different methods. These include using bamboo chicks, heat resistant paint etc.

To lower the temperature inside the coaches, bubble-wrap films are applied to the coaches.

Railways tested the temperature by coating the roof of some coaches with heat-reflective paint and found that the temperature was reduced by 2°C to 3°C.

The Railways has also planned for another coating of the roof. IIT Mumbai developed it and the trial is conducted today.

Railways also decided to check different ways to keep the interiors of the coaches cool. It made arrangements for coating the roof with heat-reflecting paint and provide a bamboo chick and know which one would lower the temperature further.

Railways found that it could lower the temperature by up to 3°C by keeping portable coolers inside the coaches.

As the change of season can cause inconvenience to patients, Railways wants to improve the comfort of patients by lowering the temperature. Hence, it also tried a water mist system.

After discussing the usage of ACs and non-AC coaches with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, it was agreed to use non-AC coaches. This is due to AC coaches can increase the transmission risk of coronavirus through ducting.

Railways says that the non-AC coaches are little warmer when all windows are closed; yet, they are comfortable with ambient temperature if the mosquito nets are installed and windows are kept open.

Image Credit: Prateek Karandikar / CC BY-SA 4.0

Image Reference: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Executive_class_chair_car_coach_in_Mysore-Chennai_Shatabdi.JPG