Snow making apparatus and method

Abstract

A snow making apparatus that allows for the production of snow when the outdoor air temperature is from about −3° Celsius or colder to about +5° Celsius. The snow making apparatus includes a snow machine that includes one or more water nozzles that spray a water mist into the air. The snow making apparatus also includes a snow accelerator that includes an air compressor, a dehumidifier to remove moisture from the compressed air and a cooling system to cool the compressed dehumidified air. The cooled air is passed through an expansion valve and the modified compressed air is directed through a nozzle positioned to lie near the water nozzles. The modified compressed air has a absolute humidity of about 0.02 g/m 3 or less and a temperature of about −50° Celsius or less. The water mist and modified compressed air are combined, causing the water mist to turn into snow.

1 . A method for making snow in a non-sheltered outdoor environment where the outdoor air temperature is from about −3° Celsius to about +5° Celsius and has a wet bulb temperature of no more than about 0° Celsius, the method comprising the steps of:
 ejecting pressurized water through a first nozzle to produce water droplets;   producing conditioned compressed air that has an absolute humidity of no more than about 0.1 g/m 3  and a temperature of no more than about −20° Celsius;   passing the conditioned compressed air through an air expansion valve to form modified compressed air having an absolute humidity of no more than about 0.02 g/m 3  and a temperature of no more than about −50° Celsius;   ejecting the modified compressed air from a second nozzle that is positioned to lie near the first nozzle;   wherein the water droplets ejected from the first nozzle encounter the modified compressed air ejected from the second nozzle and turn into ice crystals to form snow.   
   
   
       2 . The method for making snow of  claim 1 , wherein the conditioned compressed air is formed by use of an air compressor to pressurize the air and a dehumidifier system to remove moisture from the pressurized air. 
   
   
       3 . The method for making snow of  claim 2 , wherein the dehumidifier system uses multi-porous moisture absorbent materials to dehumidify the pressurized air. 
   
   
       4 . The method for making snow of  claim 2 , wherein the dehumidifier system uses two independent dehumidifiers and valving to allow for selective control of the pressurized air through the dehumidifiers. 
   
   
       5 . The method for making snow of  claim 4 , wherein the conditioned compressed air is cooled by use of a cooling system. 
   
   
       6 . The method for making snow of  claim 5 , wherein the compressor and dehumidifier system are positioned to lie near the cooling system. 
   
   
       7 . The method for making snow of  claim 5 , wherein the compressor and dehumidifier system are separated from the cooling system. 
   
   
       8 . The method for making snow of  claim 7 , wherein the cooling system is positioned to lie near the point where the snow is produced and is in fluid communication with the air compressor and dehumidifier system. 
   
   
       9 . A snow making machine that can produce snow when the outdoor air temperature is from about −3° Celsius to about +5° Celsius and has a wet bulb temperature of no more than about 0° Celsius, the snow making machine comprising:
 a pressurized water supply;   at least one water nozzle coupled to the pressurized water supply, the water nozzle adapted to spray water in fine droplets to form a mist;   a snow accelerator comprising   an air compressor for compressing air;   a dehumidifier system for dehumidifying the air compressed by the air compressor;   a cooling system for cooling the air dehumidified by the dehumidifier system;   an air nozzle that is adapted to expel air that has been modified by the air compressor, dehumidifier system and cooling system, the air nozzle positioned to lie near the water supply nozzle to allow the modified air to mix with the mist to form snow.   
   
   
       10 . The snow making machine of  claim 9 , wherein the snow accelerator includes an expansion valve for expanding the air cooled by the cooling system. 
   
   
       11 . The snow making machine of  claim 9 , wherein the air exiting the air nozzle has an absolute humidity of no more than about 0.02 g/m 3  and a temperature of no more than about −50° Celsius. 
   
   
       12 . The snow making machine of  claim 9 , wherein the dehumidifier system uses multi-porous moisture absorbent materials to dehumidify the pressurized air. 
   
   
       13 . The snow making machine of  claim 12 , wherein the dehumidifier system uses two independent dehumidifiers and valving to allow for selective control of the pressurized air through the dehumidifiers. 
   
   
       14 . The snow making machine of  claim 9 , further including a fan blade to create moving air. 
   
   
       15 . The snow making machine of  claim 14 , wherein the fan blade is positioned between the water nozzle and the air nozzle. 
   
   
       16 . The snow making machine of  claim 14 , wherein the fan blade is positioned to lie near the water nozzle. 
   
   
       17 . The snow making machine of  claim 16 , further including a housing, wherein the fan blade is positioned within the housing. 
   
   
       18 . The snow making machine of  claim 9 , wherein the snow making machine includes a plurality of water nozzles coupled to a water manifold. 
   
   
       19 . A snow making machine that can produce snow when the outdoor air temperature is from about −3° Celsius to about +5° Celsius and has a wet bulb temperature of about 0° Celsius or less, the snow making machine comprising:
 a pressurized water supply;   a tubular housing;   a fan positioned within the tubular housing and adapted to create a flow of air through the tubular housing;   a plurality of water nozzle coupled to the pressurized water supply, the water nozzles positioned around the diameter of the tubular housing and adapted to spray water in fine droplets to form a mist;   an air compressor for compressing air;   a dehumidifier system for dehumidifying the air compressed by the air compressor;   a cooling system for cooling the air dehumidified by the dehumidifier system;   an air nozzle that is adapted to expel air that has been modified by the air compressor, dehumidifier system and cooling system, the air nozzle positioned to lie near the water supply nozzles to allow the modified air to mix with the mist to form snow.   
   
   
       20 . The snow making machine of  claim 19 , wherein the air exiting the air nozzle has an absolute humidity of about 0.02 g/m 3  or less and a temperature of about −50° Celsius or less.