SNOW-MAKING APPARATUS

Abstract

A snow-making apparatus has a housing, an evaporator roller rotatable in the housing, and a rotary distributor connected to the roller for circulating a coolant through the evaporator roller and thereby cooling the roller. Nozzles on the housing project a mixture of water and air at the evaporator roller such that the liquid freezes into a layer of ice crystals on the roller. A doctor blade smooths the layer of ice crystal on the rotating roller, and a scraper blade scrapes the ice crystals off the roller.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a snow-making apparatus.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The snow made by known such apparatus is “flake ice” that, however, is not or is only partially suitable for some applications, for example, for the cooling of the human body after a sauna visit.

Such an apparatus is described, for example, in DE 10 2008 029695, WO 1996/035913 [U.S. Pat. No. 5,623,831], DE 940 227, and U.S. Pat. No. 277,797.

This flake ice is a technically manufactured form of ice. Flake ice consists of individual ice flakes with an irregular, shard-like, slightly wavy shape. The ice flakes are 1 to 2 mm thick and have a temperature of about −7° C.

Flake ice can be used to cool food, in particular fish, or to make food.

When manufacturing with such a flake ice machine water is filled, for example, into a cylindrical container, in which a stainless steel roller is located and the wall of which is cooled via a strong cooling machine. Ice forms on the cylinder wall that passes upward through a conveying screw and is scraped off by a scraper and then falls into a reservoir.

Another manufacturing method works via a horizontally arranged evaporator roller that rotates in a water bath. With each revolution, water freezes on the strongly cooled evaporator surface and chips off on a scraper.

In contrast, there are snow cannons that as a rule make snow and not ice, but can only be operated successfully in a (very) limited temperature range. For example, the snow propeller is technically known: Central element in this case is a propeller that produces a strong airflow. The nozzle holder is located around the pipe exit with mostly several rings. The outer nozzles are usually designed as mixing nozzles (water and compressed air) for the production of snow cores, the inner ones mostly as pure water nozzles. The mixing or nucleation nozzles make small ice crystals as crystallization seeds.

The amount of water droplets must be adapted to the external weather conditions such as temperature and humidity and the throwing range to achieve optimum characteristics of the technical snow. The water droplets contained in the air stream emerging from the propeller cannon partially evaporate in the dry winter air that cools the droplets. If the freezing point is reached, they crystallize on the crystallization seeds. The drier the ambient air, the better the cooling process. For example, this process thus works at a relative humidity of 30% already at 1° C. above zero, at 80% relative humidity, in contrast, below −3° C. is required.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

Compared with the prior art, the object of the invention is to provide an apparatus with which production of a product independent of temperature is made possible, the product being largely similar to natural snow.

The object of the invention is also to provide an apparatus that has, in addition to the production of snow or a snow-like product, smaller dimensions than conventional snow cannons and that therefore can be used even in ski halls, sauna and wellness landscapes and industrial applications.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This is achieved, in a snow-making apparatus comprising an evaporator roller rotatably mounted in a housing pan, a rotary distributor for introducing a coolant into the evaporator roller, a liquid supply to the evaporator roller, a doctor blade for smoothing, and a scraper blade. According to the invention the liquid supply is formed by nozzles for spraying a mixture of water and air as an aerosol onto the evaporator roller.

In a preferred embodiment, the scraper blade is near the lowest point of the evaporator roller and spaced downstream in a rotation direction of the roller from the doctor blade.

The rotary speed of the evaporator roller is 10 to 50 rpm.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The invention will be described in more detail below with reference to an embodiment shown in the drawings, without being limited to this example. Therein:

FIG. 1 is a side view of the apparatus according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the apparatus of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a section along line of FIG. 1.

SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to the drawings, an evaporator roller 1 in a housing pan 5 that also serves as a nebulization housing is mounted on a support structure of a base frame 4 and side walls 9. A geared motor 6 and a rotary distributor 7 for supplying a coolant is provided to drive the evaporator roller 1.

Nozzles 8 are arranged to feed water and air.

A scraper blade 2 and a doctor blade 3 for smoothing the spray film act on the evaporator roller 1.

In operation, a coolant is conducted through the rotary distributor 7 in the evaporator roller 1 to cool it. The roller 1 is driven by the geared motor 6 so that it rotates during operation. Suitably, the evaporator roller 1 rotates in the range of 10 to 50 rpm.

Water and air are sprayed in the housing pan 5 onto the roller 1 through the nozzles 8 (water nozzles and/or two-substance nozzles). The snow layer forming on the roller 1 is smoothed with the doctor blade 3 and scraped off by the scraper blade 2 positioned near the lowest point of the evaporator roller 1. The scraped-off material falls through a shaft 10 into an unillustrated receptacle, and may be fed out from there for its intended use, for example, by blowing it into a system.

Claims

1. An apparatus for making snow, the apparatus comprising:

a housing;

an evaporator roller rotatable in the housing;

a rotary distributor connected to the roller for circulating a coolant through the evaporator roller and thereby cooling the roller;

nozzles on the housing for projecting a mixture of water and air at the evaporator roller, whereby the liquid freezes into a layer of ice crystals on the roller;

a doctor blade for smoothing the layer of ice crystal; and

a scraper blade in the housing scrapes the ice crystals off the roller.

2. The snow-making apparatus defined in claim 1, wherein the scraper blade is mounted near a lowest point of the evaporator roller (1).

3. The snow-making apparatus defined in claim 1, further comprising:

drive means for rotating the roller at a speed of 10 to 50 rpm.