Conveying assembly for snowmaking apparatus

Abstract

A snow conveying assembly for use with a snow making machine includes an impeller for receiving snow from the snow making machine and accelerating the snow; and an ejector tube, which receives the snow from the impeller, further accelerates the snow and discharges the snow from the assembly. The ejector tube contains a venturi throat. Snow from the impeller is conveyed via a snow inlet tube into the ejector tube immediately upstream of a venturi throat and air under pressure is blown into the ejector tube upstream of the venturi throat to further accelerate the snow.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A snow conveying assembly for use with a snow making machine comprising:
 an impeller for receiving snow from the snow making machine and for accelerating the snow; 
 an ejector tube having an inlet end for receiving snow from said impeller, a venturi throat in said tube downstream of said inlet end in the direction of snow travel through the ejector tube, and an outlet end for discharging snow from the conveying assembly; 
 a snow inlet tube extending into the ejector tube for introducing snow from said impeller into said ejector tube immediately upstream of said venturi throat in the direction of snow travel through the ejector tube; 
 an air inlet in the inlet end of said ejector tube upstream of said venturi throat; and 
 a fan for introducing air under pressure through said air inlet into said inlet end of the ejector tube; 
 said snow inlet tube having a discharge end spaced apart from the venturi throat, creating a small gap between said discharge end and the venturi throat, whereby, when the air under pressure passes through said gap and then through said venturi throat, the resulting snow and air mixture is accelerated out of said outlet end of the ejector tube, 
 and wherein said impeller includes:
 a tray having a cylindrical side wall, an open top end for receiving the snow from the snow making machine, and a closed circular bottom end; 
 a rotatable transmission shaft extending through the center of said closed bottom end, wherein the transmission is in the form of a 90° gearbox connected to a motor; 
 a plurality of blades connected to said shaft and extending radially outwardly therefrom to locations proximate and spaced apart from said cylindrical side wall for regrinding the snow; and 
 a snow outlet tube extending tangentially from said side wall to an inlet end of said snow inlet tube for accelerating the snow out of the conveying assembly. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The snow conveying assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the gap between the discharge end of the snow inlet tube and the venturi throat is adjustable. 
     
     
       3. The snow conveying assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the outlet end of said ejector tube is cylindrical for insertion into one end of a hose. 
     
     
       4. The snow conveying assembly of  claim 1 , including a plurality of impellers for receiving snow from snow making machines, each impeller having an outlet tube for carrying snow to said snow inlet tube.