Snow gun with your own hands. Systems of mechanical (artificial) snowmaking as an obligatory element of a modern ski center. Cost of standard equipment***, rub
06.03.2017 08:38
Today, snow guns are an indispensable thing in the most various areas. This is a snow making device with a powerful fan. Snow cannons are used in auto and aircraft construction, in national economy. But they are especially popular in the field of sports recreation, in ski resorts. With the help of this miracle device, it is possible not only to create artificial snow, but also to spray it in the right direction at any distance.
For what and in what cases the organizers of sports competitions and active rest resorted to the creation of artificial snow cover? The first reason is that there is not enough snow on the ski slopes or in areas where there are camp sites for active winter recreation. Also it is impossible not to note the quality of the resulting snow. If real snow consists of snowflakes, then artificial snow is completely made of frozen drops of water. This increases the humidity and density of the resulting snow cover, it remains even in all areas. Thus, it becomes possible to create the same conditions for all participants sports events(which take place in an area with artificial snow cover).
Also, artificial snow does not melt longer than usual. What is it connected with? The answer again comes down to the composition of the snow. Particles of the resulting snow in their own way appearance more like small grains, they do not crystallize into real snowflakes. In addition, snow from cannons is cleaner and more uniform, it does not contain foreign impurities, dust and other substances that contribute to rapid melting.
Snow production: myth or reality?
Nowadays, snow production is not a myth, but a reality. get snow the right quality it is possible, with the help of a miracle of technology - snow cannons. So, the first function of a snow gun is to make snow. How does it work? What determines the quality and physical properties produced snow flakes?
Artificial snow can be obtained in different ways - it all depends on the temperature of the water and air, as well as the duration of the flight from the atomizer. Snow flakes are mixed with air and then released into the atmosphere. Snow is softer in consistency if it is in a state of flight longer. If snow fell to the ground very quickly, it would be heavy and wet. We can say that the whole thing is in the device of the gun. Due to the fact that its fan is powerful and can spray water over very long distances, soft snow is obtained.
Artificial snow is very popular in our time for shows, various holidays, events, weddings and anniversaries. It is used in performances as scenery, for decorating shop windows, and in the interior of bars and restaurants, snow will also find application. It does not stain clothes, is non-toxic, and looks exactly like the real thing.
How to make artificial snow with your own hands
Most importantly, you will need a liquid concentrate or a special powder. It is mainly produced by foreign manufacturers.
To make artificial snow with your own hands, you need to add ordinary water to this powder or concentrate, and after that it increases in its volume by almost a hundred times. Such artificial snow is stored for several days. After the confluence of time, it begins to dry out and decrease in volume. If you collect it all and add water again, it will return to its previous state. Artificial snow is easily washed off and does not stain the surface.
snow cannon
It will be very easy to cover beautiful snowdrifts in just a few seconds. In order to get the effect of a blizzard or falling snow, an air gun and a special snow generator are used. The generator is a special device, the weight of which is from eleven to twenty kg. But there are still installations for artificial snow big size- from forty kg. Such a snow generator works on a concentrate that is previously diluted with water. The concentrate is supplied from America, and it is certified. One liter of water is enough for an hour of operation of such an installation. The size and shape of snowflakes can be programmed in advance. The dispersion of snowflakes is up to fifteen meters.
Video: Comparative test of snow guns.
The price of a snow cannon is 150.000-1.000.000 rubles. The cost depends on its performance. They are mainly used for ski slopes. To begin with, it is better to buy the most inexpensive snow generator. It can also be rented out. The cost of rent per hour of work ranges from two to five thousand rubles.
snow cannon, also a snow thrower - a device for the production of artificial snow. Artificial snow is formed from small droplets of water sprayed by nozzles into a strong stream of cold air created by a fan. The gun can operate at air temperatures below -1.5 degrees Celsius. Snow cannons are often used in ski resorts to supplement or replace natural snow cover and extend the ski season. 
Features of artificial snow
Fans of skiing believe that artificial snow is inferior in its characteristics to natural snow. This is because natural snow consists of snowflakes, and artificial snow consists of not always completely frozen drops of water, as a result of which both the density and humidity of the snow cover thus created are much higher. Artificial snow lies longer than natural snow, thereby affecting the soil, vegetation and hydrological regime of the surface.
Snow throwing performance
The performance depends on the power of the freezer, the snow blower and the motor that drives the mechanism. The average performance of a snow blower is approximately several hundred m² per minute.
see also
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Write a review on the article "Snow Cannon"
An excerpt characterizing the Snow Cannon
At the glow of the first fire that broke out on September 2, from different roads, with different feelings, the fleeing and leaving residents and the retreating troops looked.That night the Rostov train stopped at Mytishchi, twenty versts from Moscow. On September 1, they left so late, the road was so cluttered with wagons and troops, so many things were forgotten, for which people were sent, that that night it was decided to spend the night five miles beyond Moscow. The next morning we set off late, and again there were so many stops that we only reached Bolshiye Mytishchi. At ten o'clock, the Rostovs and the wounded who were traveling with them all settled in the yards and huts of a large village. The people, the coachmen of the Rostovs and the batmen of the wounded, having removed the gentlemen, had supper, fed the horses, and went out onto the porch.
In a neighboring hut, Raevsky's wounded adjutant lay, with a broken hand, and the terrible pain that he felt made him moan plaintively, without ceasing, and these moans sounded terribly in the autumn darkness of the night. On the first night, this adjutant spent the night in the same courtyard where the Rostovs stood. The countess said that she could not close her eyes from this groan, and in Mytishchi she moved to the worst hut only in order to be away from this wounded man.
One of the people in the darkness of the night, from behind the high body of the carriage standing at the entrance, noticed another small glow of the fire. One glow had already been visible for a long time, and everyone knew that it was the Little Mytishchi burning, lit by the Mamon Cossacks.
“But this, brothers, is another fire,” said the batman.
Everyone turned their attention to the glow.
- Why, they said, Mamonov Cossacks lit Maly Mytishchi.
If you do not live far beyond the Arctic Circle, then, most likely, at your favorite ski resort you ride on ersatz - artificial, or technical, as professionals call it, snow. Without special machines Today, not a single resort manages to make snow, starting from the French Chamonix and ending with our Silichi or Logoisk. From the outside, the process of snow formation looks simple: giant fans spray water, which turns into snow in the cold. But that's just from the side...
First, let's define what "snow" is. The Dictionary of the Russian Language (S.I. Ozhegov) defines it as: precipitation in the form of white flakes, which are crystals of frozen water, as well as a continuous mass of these precipitations that cover the earth in winter.
real snow
Natural snow is formed from atmospheric water vapor. When water vapor, which is the gaseous form of water, cools to the point of condensation, it changes from gaseous to liquid or solid form. The clouds we are accustomed to consist of just such condensed drops, though so small that they are easily kept at the top by rising air currents. When the droplets become too heavy, they fall to the ground as rain. If the temperature is much below the dew point, water vapor will bypass the liquid phase, forming small crystals. For the most part the globe the usual rain for us begins, oddly enough, with a snowfall, but the snowflakes, as they approach the ground, have time to melt. The fact is that at the height of the formation of clouds there is always a negative temperature, comparable to the Yakut frosts. A simple confirmation of this fact is hail in a hot summer.
The higher the cloud, the colder it is. High cirrus clouds, "drifting" at temperatures below minus 35°C, consist of prism crystals that look like shiny chandelier pendants sparkling in the sun. crystals various shapes formed when different temperature. If the temperature in the cloud is within minus 3 to 0 degrees, then flat hexagons are formed; from -5 to -3°C, needle-shaped crystals are formed; from -8 to -5°C columns-prisms are formed; from -12 to -8°C flat hexagons reappear; from -16 to -12°C, the first star-shaped snowflakes appear. With a further decrease in temperature, snowflakes of all types are formed. Pillar crystals formed in cold clouds high above the earth at very low temperatures, fall to the ground through warmer clouds, while stars can grow at the ends. As the snowflake grows, it becomes heavier and falls to the ground, changing its shape. If a snowflake, when falling, rotates like a top, then its shape is perfectly symmetrical, but if it falls sideways or otherwise, then the shape will be asymmetrical. Falling crystals stick together, forming into snow flakes. Each such large snowflake contains from 2 to 200 snow crystals. Thus, the shape of a snowflake is a natural record of its route through different clouds with different temperatures.
However, water does not automatically freeze when the temperature falls below freezing. Distilled water can be cooled to a fairly low temperature of -40 0 C, and it will remain a liquid. However, in real life vapor in the clouds begins to crystallize already at 0 0 C. The fact is that in order for the condensation process to start, water needs the smallest particles around which its molecules could settle. Such centers of condensation in the atmosphere are the smallest particles of soot, urban smog, bacteria and other materials. For example, this is how clouds are dispersed by spraying special reagents (for example, silver iodide) from airplanes above them, which act as just such centers of condensation.
Crystallizing, the water in the clouds forms a variety of bizarre six-beam fractal forms. And the more long time there is a crystallization process, the more complex the pattern of the snowflake. In the clouds, this process takes tens of minutes. Artificial snow, on the other hand, forms in seconds, so upon closer inspection, its crystals look like hexagonal ones with ray nuclei, and feel like grains to the touch. However, such snow melts more slowly than natural snow, and skis on it glide differently.
artificial snow
The technique for obtaining artificial snow was developed and patented in the United States back in the 50s of the last century. But the real development was only in the 70s. At present, almost all ski resorts, to a greater or lesser extent, produce snow artificially.
For this purpose, a special "snow weapon" is used - snow generators. There are three types of snow guns: internal mixing snow guns, external mixing snow guns, often referred to as "snow guns" or "towers" and fan guns - "snow guns".
Snow blower with internal mixing is a system using mixing of water and air in the internal chamber of the snow gun nozzle. When the mixture of water and compressed air leaves the nozzle, this mixture expands and the thermodynamic effect of cooling (below 0 °C) occurs. Tiny water droplets freeze, forming microcrystals, which, in turn, become centers of further crystal formation (nucleation). On such nucleation centers (nuclei), larger drops form snow flakes.
Snow gun with external mixing- Another type of water-air system. The process of snow formation in it is as follows. The spaced apart air and first water nozzles supply a limited amount of water and air to the mixing zone located at a distance of 8-10 cm from the gun, where the snow crystals are nucleated. These mini-crystals are displaced by inertia further, at a distance of approximately 20 cm from the gun, they enter the water stream from the second nozzle, where water sticks to them.
Snow crystallization occurs during the free fall of crystals to the ground. Therefore, such installations are usually mounted on the upper end of a light (usually aluminum) and long (up to ten meters) pipe-rod with a height of 4-10 meters. Yes, yes, these are the very "cranes" that are permanently installed along the side edge of the slope. I think everyone has seen them.
Fan snow gun- A system where, instead of air compressed by a special compressor, air is supplied by a powerful fan to form a suspension of water droplets. At the same time, the drops are in the air for a sufficient time to cool significantly and freeze, turning into snow.
In the first designs of snow guns, water was mixed with compressed air and thrown out through nozzles under high pressure into the airflow generated by a powerful fan. Compressed air performed three tasks at once: it sprayed water, threw the resulting droplets into the air, and additionally cooled the water. The last effect is based on the fact that during adiabatic expansion (remember school physics) gases cool down. Try to open a can of carbon dioxide - it will instantly cool to sub-zero temperatures, risking frostbite on your hands.
The disadvantage of this scheme is the high air consumption. Therefore, more modern guns operate in a two-stage process and are equipped with devices for nucleation (nucleation).
A powerful fan creates a continuous stream of air that moves through the main and nucleation rings with nozzles. In them, by mixing compressed air and a small amount of water, tiny ice crystals are formed - the embryos of artificial snow. Then these "embryos" fall into the stream of water sprayed by powerful fans, which, crystallizing on them, quickly forms ready-made snow crystals. Between the fan and the rings there are blade-plates attached from the inside to the generator casing. They contribute to better mixing of all components of the mixture.
A distinctive feature of all guns is a powerful fan that ejects a water-air mixture at a distance of up to 60 meters. During such a flight, crystals of artificial snow have time to form, and the artificial snowmaking system itself can operate in windy weather and spray snow in a given direction at an angle of rotation from 15 to 60 °. This allows you to quickly form both gentle and difficult steep tracks.
These cannons, similar to aircraft engines, are very spectacular in appearance. But they also have serious technical advantages. The first of these is the ability to work effectively in a wide range of inlet water pressures. The fact is that the very principle of water crystallization in these guns is not the same as in water-air guns. If the "guns" spray a proportional mixture of air and water, ready for crystallization due to natural cooling, then the fan gun works differently. The volume of air injected by the blades is excessive in relation to the volume of water (the ratio is more than 1:600), therefore, the microdroplets sprayed by the nozzles instantly freeze not due to the low ambient temperature, but due to a sharp decrease in the flow temperature caused by a pressure drop during air expansion.
The question may arise: Why then wait for a minus outside the window? Only so that the newly born snowflake does not melt before it reaches the ground.
The second important advantage of "fans" is their independence in terms of compressed air. And together, these features make it possible to formulate the main advantage of fan guns - this is their high mobility. Mounted, as a rule, on mobile carriages, self-propelled or towed, they make it possible to cover with snow exactly that part of the slope that needs it most. Connection to the nearest hydrants is carried out by flexible hoses.
But if fan cannons are so good, then why haven't they driven their tower brethren off the slopes? The answer lies in a noticeably higher power consumption and a more complex design of fan devices, which determines the higher cost of both the installations themselves and their operation. In general, “fan” artificial snow is more expensive than “tower” snow. Therefore, where a stationary installation of guns is possible, we always see “towers”.
Snow conditions
The presence of snow artillery does not yet mean the solution of all snow problems. Much also depends on the conditions of snow formation, the most important parameters of which are temperature and relative humidity (the ratio of water vapor actually contained in the air to the amount of water vapor corresponding to the state of saturation). Snowing occurs the better, the lower the air temperature and the lower its humidity. The fact is that water is cooled by its own partial evaporation, that is, the transition of part of the liquid into vapor. However, the higher the relative humidity, the slower will be the evaporation process and, consequently, the cooling.
Therefore, at low relative humidity the process of snow formation is possible at temperatures above 0 0 C. At high humidity and at low temperatures, it is possible to obtain ordinary rain instead of snow.
With a relative humidity of 30%, it is possible to launch snow guns at a temperature of -1 0 C, this is considered good conditions for snowmaking. If the temperature falls below -6.7 0 C, then it is possible to make snow even at a relative humidity of 100%. At temperatures below -10 0 C, humidity can be ignored at all.
To take into account these factors in snowmaking use the so-called "wet bulb".
The wet bulb temperature is the temperature of the microdroplets emerging from the nozzles of the snow gun, which is reached when all heat exchange processes are completed with environment. All automatic systems (including control water resources) installed in Western countries Europe usually start producing snow at -4°C wet bulb. At the same time, it is believed that the production of snow at higher temperatures is unproductive and unreasonably expensive. Only a few resorts located in the warmer parts of Europe, such as Spain and Portugal, start producing snow at -2°C wet bulb, as there is no other choice.
In real life, snow formation conditions can vary not only from track to track, but also between two rows. standing cannons: one can already make snow, and for one standing only 100 m below, the conditions are insufficient.
By the way, for information: the minimum initial level of the snow cushion of the slopes is 0.29–0.30 m. At the same time, it should be as dense as possible. At an air temperature of -4 -6 C ° and water +4 C ° for snowmaking one square meter slope requires approximately 0.45 cubic meters. water and 0.388 kWh of electricity. The maximum efficiency of snow guns is achieved at temperatures around -13 C ° wet bulb.
Previously, the work of snow guns was supervised by highly professional specialists on the slopes, who decided when and where to turn on the snow gun. Now they are being replaced by powerful computer systems, portable weather stations are being installed on the guns, and snowmaking systems are controlled from a single comfortable center.
summer snow
The cannons are only suitable for making snow in winter. But what if it’s summer outside, and it’s just creepy to ride? Of course you can go to Southern Hemisphere or into high-mountain glaciers or drill into some kind of indoor complex. But progress does not stand still. Thanks to the Japanese company Piste Snow Industries from Tokyo, which invented the Ice Crushing Systems (ICS) technology, snow can be obtained at temperatures up to +15 0 С. Israeli company IDE technologies . You can read about her developments in the article "Summer snow. New technologies."
PS: When creating the article, materials from the sites were used: www.snowgun.com, www.snowmakers.com, www.popmech.ru, www.skisport.ru, www.topgunsnowguns.com, www.myneige.us, www.lenkosnow.ru, www.aquaexpert.ru, as well as catalogs of manufacturers of snow guns.
http://www.skisport.ru
Assess the weather conditions. Snow production depends on the weather. The ideal conditions are low humidity and temperature -2 °C and below. It is advisable to choose a day when the air humidity is not higher than 50%.
Build a snow making machine. Prices for the necessary parts can vary from very low to obscenely high. To keep your snow gun from costing you a pretty penny, visit the plumbing department at your local hardware store. You will need the following details:
Wrap each of the connectors with Teflon tape. This must be done so that your snow gun does not leak during operation. Tape the threaded ends. The thread should show through the tape.
Drill a hole in the lid. Using a 2.7 mm drill, make a hole in the lid. Snow will subsequently fly out of this hole. The hole needs to be small, so make sure you don't make it too big or you won't get snow (the water won't get the physical properties it needs).
- Make sure that the tape is wound in such a way that it does not break during the assembly of the gun.
Collect the snow cannon. If you have not made a mistake with the sizes, the parts should fit perfectly together. We remind you that all parts must have a 0.6 cm thread. To assemble the machine, you will also need wrenches. So, check again that all parts are even and free of defects. Assemble the snow cannon according to the following scheme:
- Screw the cap onto one end of the hex nipple. Connect the other end of the nipple to one of the vertical ends of the T-tube.
- Connect the other end of the T-tube (just opposite the hex nipple) to a five-centimeter nipple.
- Connect the ball valve to the second end of the five cm nipple. Connect the other end of the valve to the second five-centimeter nipple.
- Connect the remaining free end of the T-tube to a five-centimeter nipple. Next, you need to attach another valve. Connect the last 5 cm nipple to the other side of the ball valve.
- Finally, attach a garden hose adapter to the end of the 5cm nipple.
Place the gun on the stand. If you want the snow to shoot out at a certain angle (say 45 degrees), then you need to mount the cannon on a tripod made of metal rods, a fence, or some other high, solid surface. Attach the cannon securely to the stand.
Connect the water hose. First, the hose must be connected to the faucet. Then connect the other end of the hose to the adapter.
- Before placing the gun on the pedestal, make sure you have enough hose length. There must be enough space between the water tap and the snow gun.