Like natural snow, artificial snow consists exclusively of water and air. The only difference lies in the production method. Artificial snow is produced by replicating the natural snow formation. Natural snow is formed when the finest water droplets accumulate in the clouds on crystallization nuclei e. The resulting ice crystal lattices less than 0. On the way to earth, the water vapor in the air accumulates, causing the crystals to continue growing. The size of the snowflakes deposited as new snow depends on the temperature.
At cooler temperatures, the air becomes drier and the flakes are smaller. The principle of formation is the same for artificial or technical snow. The only difference is that the snow core is produced by a mixture of water and compressed air through the snow gun.
Due to the lower overall drop height, however, artificial snow has a slightly different crystal structure than natural snow and is harder because the snowflakes are smaller. The correct term for snow which has been produced with the aid of snow guns is "technical snow". This is often referred to colloquially as artificial snow. It consists solely of water and air and differs from natural snow only in that it is produced by a machine. In the true sense of the term, "artificial snow" refers to snow used for theater and film and made from plastic or polystyrene.
Technical snow or artificial snow imitates the way in which natural snow is produced and consists only of water and air. As with natural snow, water is simply transformed into another physical state. The cost of producing one cubic meter of artificial snow depends on the local conditions in any individual case, such as water supply, pumping capacity, reservoirs and snowmaking conditions.
Trade publications usually estimate a figure of 3. The snowmaking system is just as unique as the ski-resort in which it is used. The system must perfectly match the respective natural environment and requires the corresponding know-how at the planning stage. Snowmaking systems are complex technological devices which incorporate a variety of components.
Out on the slopes it is mostly just snow guns and connection points that are visible, yet these devices only make up a small proportion of the entire system.
The water and air for artificial snow must be transported from the machine rooms to the various snow guns via mostly underground pipelines. The pumping plant for the water supply is located in the machine rooms. The compressor plants can also be installed there if the snow guns do not have their own compressor.
The water used for artificial snowmaking usually comes from waterways, natural lakes or artificial reservoirs. Cooling towers are used to bring the water to an ideal snow-making temperature. The snow guns must also be connected to the power supply. Underground data cables are used to ensure that every snow gun is integrated into the system's fully automatic control system and can be operated from a central control unit. ATASSpro is an intelligent control system which is used to operate and control snowmaking systems.
The program continually collects data from snow guns and meteo stations and optimizes the production of snow, monitors the use of resources, and provides clear statistics and diagnostic graphs. ATASSpro is regularly updated and upgraded to include new features. Water and compressed air are needed to generate technical snow.
The compressed air can either be transported from a compressor plant to the snow guns or produced directly on the individual machines by a built-in compressor. The water reaches the snow gun via an underground network of pipes. Compressed air and water are cooled to the optimum temperature in the air-water cooler from where they are transported directly to the nozzle ring comprising water nozzles and nucleators.
The water is finely atomized via the water nozzles. Water is injected into compressed air in the nucleators. Expansion in the cold ambient air produces nuclides, small ice crystals, to which the fine water droplets attach. The finely atomized mist and nuclides are finally distributed via the rotor and freeze in favorable conditions to form snow. Snow guns are characterized by a wide projection range, high snow output, low wind sensitivity and flexible use.
Therefore they are mainly used on wide slopes, in areas with a high demand for snow or in open areas exposed to wind. TechnoAlpin supplies three types of snow generators: Fan guns i. Snow guns and snow lances basically produce snow in the same way but differ in the amount of snow produced, the cost and the application range.
Selecting the most suitable snow gun will depend on the orientation and gradient of the hillside, temperature, slope width, amount of snow required, wind situation and air circulation. Both types of machine are available as fully automatic or manually adjustable versions and can be used to produce a range of different snow qualities from completely dry to wet. In addition to these two established snow guns, TechnoAlpin introduced the Snowfactory in , a snow gun for warm temperatures.
This snow machine is not intended as a substitute for classic techniques but is more of an addition to the possible applications of snowmaking technology. It is essential to select the right snow gun in order to fully exploit the geographical conditions and the available resources.
The individual solution and the choice of snow guns and snow lances in any given case will depend on the temperature, the slope width, the amount of snow required, the gradient of the terrain and the wind situation. The research department at TechnoAlpin is always trying to come up with ways to make the TechnoAlpin snow guns even more efficient.
The aim is to produce more snow with the resources used in order to cut costs and protect the environment. It takes a lot of energy to change water from a liquid to a solid. You have to remove the water's heat of fusion , the large amount of heat energy required to change ice into liquid water at 32 F 0 C.
If it's cold enough, the natural conditions outside will be sufficient for freezing the water; but if it is only a little below freezing, you may need additional components to help the process along. Some snow machines have special cooling units to speed the freezing process when the natural conditions aren't cold enough to do the job. To give the water enough time to freeze before it falls to the ground, many resorts use snow gun towers.
These are simply sturdy poles that elevate the snow gun above the slope. Another advantage of this set-up is that the snow guns can be less disruptive to skiers. And the snow falls from above, as it would naturally. In most resorts, workers will accumulate a big pile of manmade snow and then disperse it along the trail with snow-grooming equipment.
Snow groomers are just tractors with very wide tracks that spread the snow around and compact it to make it dry and powdery. For ski resorts, regular grooming is an essential part of the snow-making process. Sign up for our Newsletter! Mobile Newsletter banner close.
Mobile Newsletter chat close. Mobile Newsletter chat dots. In most other ways, however, the process is similar. A snow machine can be one of two types: the lance snow gun and the fan snow gun. Pictured on this page is a fan snow gun, which looks something like a giant hairdryer with a fan in the middle and an outlet ringed by metal teeth.
Most of the teeth are tiny nozzles that spray fine droplets of water. Nestled among them are nozzles that work as nucleators. Just as with natural snow, the water droplets sprayed by a snow machine need some help from a particle to initiate the freezing process.
But instead of spitting out dust or pollen, the mechanical nucleators make tiny ice particles to do the job. Compressed air is shot up through the nozzle, where it meets water and splits it into tiny droplets. The giant fan now propels these seeds into the air alongside the fine mist of water droplets.
As the droplets encounter the seed, they stick to it and begin to freeze. It takes a while to freeze a snow crystal, which is why the snow machine is designed to send its icy bullets so high into the cold air. Height also allows additional time for evaporation, which helps freeze our baby snow. Because human-made snow is made from droplets rather than vapour, it has a different shape.
It forms a ball that freezes from the outside in — a bit like freezing an egg. The result is a tiny rounded grain instead of a flake.
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