Refrigeration – Processes – Congealing flowable material – e.g. – ice making
Patent
1998-05-22
1999-12-28
Tapolcai, William E.
Refrigeration
Processes
Congealing flowable material, e.g., ice making
62347, 239 22, F25C 304
Patent
active
060065265
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to making artificial snow by means of a snow making machine, and more particularly to a funnel shaped carrier which at one end thereof, the inlet end, has a fan blowing a large amount of air there through under high pressure and at high speed, and which at its other end is formed with several rings having a large number of fine distribution (atomizing) nozzles through which water under high pressure is ejected into the air flow passing through the carrier, and whereby the pressure for atomizing the water into small drops can be 30-40 bar. For making said small drops of water become frozen, strongly frozen particles, so called nuclei, are introduced into the flow of water drops, which is referred to as the bulk water flow. These nuclei, which have as low a temperature as down to 42.degree. C., act as a type of catalyst for freezing the water drops emanating from the ordinary water nozzles. The nuclei are created at a place where the air flow has its lowest air speed, in particular at a "back zone" adjacent the nose cone of the funnel shaped carrier at which zone there is a low air speed.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In our Swedish patent No 9403168-9 (equivalent to WO 96/09505 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,810,249), there is described how to make snow crystals in two steps. In a first step, nuclei are created in the outer periphery of the air flow, in that extremely fine drops of water are sprayed through atomizing nozzles of the back zone of the nose cone. In a second step, the nuclei are mixed and thereby formed with atomized water drops which are ejected into the air flow passing through the snow making machine from the ordinary water nozzles of the snow making machine, thereby forming a plume of water drops which are mixed with the nuclei in a turbulent air flow.
A problem has been that a part of the water drops which is ejected from the nozzles falls to the ground in an only partly frozen or even non-frozen condition thereby forming an unwanted layer of ice on the ground. This problem is increasingly noticeable the higher the temperature of the ambient air is. Until now it has not been possible, in practice, to make artificial snow if the temperature of the ambient air is higher than about -3.degree. C. to -2.5.degree. C., and even at such theoretically possible temperatures of the ambient air there have been problems to freeze all water drops ejected from the water nozzles. In many cases it has not been considered practically and economically possible to make artificial snow at higher temperatures than -3.degree. C. to -4.degree. C.
For having the water drops distributing themselves in an optimum way in the air flow of the snow making machine, and for having the snow making machine produce the greatest possible amount of snow crystals, it has been shown suitable to form the snow making machine with several rings of water distribution nozzles arranged axially on line after each other adjacent the outlet end of the snow making machine. Today there are generally used at least three nozzle rings, and even as much as six nozzle rings.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It has shown that it is of great importance to the formation of snow crystals how the nozzles of the rings are placed, and according to the invention the nozzles of the various nozzle rings are mounted angularly with a successively steeper (less) angle to the flow axis as seen in the flow direction. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, the snow making machine is formed with a ring of nuclei nozzles mounted close to the nose cone of the snow making machine, especially at the above mentioned back zone, and five rings of ordinary water nozzles. The rearmost ring of nuclei nozzles has the most blunt (greatest) angle to the flow axis, and the foremost ring has the steepest (smallest) angle to the flow axis. As an example, it can be suggested that the nozzles of the rearmost ring are mounted at an angle of about 45.degree., and that the
REFERENCES:
patent: 3301485 (1967-01-01), Tropeano et al.
patent: 3969908 (1976-07-01), Lawless et al.
patent: 4202496 (1980-05-01), VanderKelen et al.
patent: 4682729 (1987-07-01), Doman et al.
patent: 5810249 (1998-09-01), Nilsson
Patent Abst. Of JP, vol. 14, No. 22, M-973, abst of JP, A, 2-5877 (Ebara Corp.) Feb. 27, 1990.
Lenko L Nilsson
Tapolcai William E.
LandOfFree
Method and apparatus for making artificial snow does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Method and apparatus for making artificial snow, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Method and apparatus for making artificial snow will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2374670