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US 4,682,729 AGranted
Snowmaking machine with compressed air driven reaction fan
AssigneeThe Dewey Electronics Corporation
InventorsD. Mark Doman, William R. Moss
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A snowmaking apparatus comprising a tunnel-like housing a fan mounted within the housing to move large masses of air through the housing. Water nozzles and ice nucleating nozzles are disposed downstream of the fan. The fan is a compressed air reaction driven fan which provides a region of air lower in temperature within the housing than ambient to enhance the snowmaking process.
Claims11
A method for making snow which includes:
- creating ice nuclei;
- forming water droplets;
- forming an airstream and flowing said airstream through a housing;
- supercooling said airstream approximately 2.degree. F. lower than ambient by the expansion of compressed air;
- flowing the supercooled airstream into the water droplets and ice nuclei;
- commingling in the supercooled airstream, the ice ncluei and the water droplets to form an ice nuclei-water droplet mixture;
- discharing the mixture to ambient to form snow-like crystals.
4 more elements
A snowmaking system which comprises:
- a housing;
- means to create ice nuclei;
- means to form water droplets;
- a fan to form an airstream to flow through the housing spaced apart from the means to create the ice nuclei and the means to form the water droplets;
- means to discharge compressed air to supercool the airstream approximately 2.degree. F. lower than ambient;
- and
- means to flow the supercooled airstream into the ice nuclei and water droplets whereby the ice nuclei and water droplets are mixed and discharged into ambient to form snowlike crystals.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.