Device and process for generating carbon dioxide snow

A device useful for delivering soft, low velocity, highly agglomerated carbon dioxide snow, comprising

• a supply conduit for providing a flow of pressurized carbon dioxide, the conduit having an axis and a wall extending along and surrounding said axis;
• a plurality of tubes disposed side by side, each tube having a constant cross-sectional configuration and area throughout its length, each tube having a first end the peripheral edges of which are sealed to the outside of the conduit wall and a second end which is open to the ambient atmosphere, wherein the axis of each tube at least at said first end is perpendicular to said conduit axis wherein the length to equivalent diameter ratio of each tube is 3 to 15;
• a plurality of apertures through the conduit wall, there being at least one aperture communicating with the interior of each of said plurality of tubes;
• the apertures being dimensioned to enable pressurized carbon dioxide to flow therethrough from the conduit interior into a corresponding tube and to expand to solid carbon dioxide and carbon dioxide vapor;
• the tubes being dimensioned in length and width so that said solid carbon dioxide agglomerates in the tube into snow.