JPH11183004A - Artificial snow generation system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an artificial snow generating system generating artificial snow stably and suitable for a skiing ground. SOLUTION: An artificial snow generating system comprises a cooler, i.e., an ice making drum 6, to be fed with refrigerant from a refrigerating machine, and a pipe for spraying water to the outer circumferential surface of the drum 6 wherein water is sprayed from the pipe while turning the drum 6 and ice produced on the outer circumferential surface thereof is scratched by means of a scratch cutter 8 to generate artificial snow. A water receiving pan 33 is set below the drum 6 and a water drop guide 42 having base part 43 secured to an appropriate part around the lower end of the drum 6 and a downward inclining part 42b at least on the idle end 42c side is provided. In the way of the downward inclining part, the water drop guide 42 touches the lower end of the drum 6 on the front side of the cutter 8 in the rotational direction or faces it through a slight gap and the idle end 42c of the water drop guide 42 faces water receiving pan 33 from above.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an artificial snow generating apparatus used in an artificial snowmaking system for a ski resort, for example, for spraying artificial snow on a ski slope.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An artificial snow making apparatus for use in an artificial snowmaking system for a ski resort for spraying artificial snow on a ski slope at a ski resort includes an ice-making machine as a cooler to which a refrigerant is supplied from a refrigerator. There is a type in which water is sprayed on an outer peripheral surface of a drum to freeze ice, and ice on the outer peripheral surface is scraped off with a scraper while rotating the ice making drum to produce artificial snow.

[0003] An ice storage is provided below an ice-making room provided with an ice-making drum. Artificial snow from the ice-making drum is dropped and stored in the ice storage, is carried out of the ice storage by a snow-carrying device, and further uses compressed air. It was sprayed on the ski slopes by the snow melting device.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view showing the lower part of an ice making drum 61 and a scraping blade 62 in a conventional snow making apparatus. Ice on the surface of the ice making drum 61 is scraped off by a scraping blade 62 to form an artificial snow 63. , The upper part leans backward to the ice making drum side,
A part of the upper edge is guided by a guide plate 64 facing below the ice making drum and falls. Most of the ice making water sprayed on the ice making drum 61 freezes to form artificial snow, but excess water that cannot be completely frozen is made up of the ice making drum 61.
Is dropped on a water receiving pan 65 provided below the water supply pan 65, and is again sprayed on the ice making drum as ice making water.

[0005] Since a part of the upper edge of the guide plate 64 faces below the ice making drum, a part of the surplus water does not drop on the water receiving pan 65 but drops on the guide plate 64. It is absorbed by artificial snow adhering to the board to form ice blocks.
When this ice block grows, it prevents the falling of artificial snow, or when the ice block further grows, the ice making drum 61 and the scraping blade 62
There has been a problem that ice may be deposited in the middle to hinder the rotation of the ice making drum.

[0006] In addition, an artificial snow generating apparatus used in a ski resort performs an intermittent operation in which operation is stopped and restarted without performing a long pause, but when the operation is stopped, operation of a refrigerator and an ice making drum are performed. Rotation and watering are all stopped,
As shown by phantom lines in FIG.
6 remains without being collected, and the upper side of the ice making drum (gas phase 66).
(a side) rises in temperature before the lower side (liquid phase 66b side).

Therefore, the ice 67 attached to the surface of the ice making drum 61 when the operation is stopped is melted from the upper side of the ice making drum 61 and cooled by the surface of the ice remaining on the lower side to become a thick ice layer 68 and scraped. When the blade 62 and the ice making drum 61 are iced, the ice making drum is locked even when the operation of the artificial snow generating device is restarted, causing a rotation failure, and there is a problem that artificial snow cannot be generated.

[0008]

An object of the present invention is to provide an artificial snow generating apparatus which can solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, can generate artificial snow stably, and is suitable for an artificial snow making system for ski resorts. It is intended to provide a device.

[0009]

To achieve the above object, an apparatus for producing artificial snow according to claim 1 of the present invention comprises an ice making drum, which is a cooler to which a refrigerant is supplied from a refrigerator, and an ice making drum, In an artificial snow generating apparatus that includes a water spray pipe for spraying water on the outer peripheral surface, water is sprinkled from the water spray pipe while rotating the ice making drum, and ice generated on the outer peripheral surface of the ice making drum is scraped with a scraper blade to generate artificial snow. A water receiving pan is provided below the ice making drum, a base portion is fixed at a suitable position around a lower end of the ice making drum, and a water drop guide having a downward inclined portion on a free end side is provided. A configuration in which the lower end edge of the ice making drum on the near side of the scraping blade in the rotation direction of the ice making drum is brought into contact with or with a slight gap therebetween, and the free end of the water droplet guide is made to face the water receiving pan. is there.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an artificial snow making apparatus comprising: an ice making drum serving as a cooler to which a refrigerant is supplied from a refrigerator; and a water spray pipe for spraying water on an outer peripheral surface of the ice making drum. In the artificial snow generating apparatus that sprinkles water from the water sprinkling pipe while rotating and generates artificial snow by scraping ice generated on the outer peripheral surface of the ice making drum with a scraper blade, intermittent operation in which operation and stop of the artificial snow generating apparatus are repeated. When the operation is performed, the ice making drum is always rotated even when the operation of the refrigerator and the sprinkling of water are stopped.

Further, the snow making apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention comprises an ice making drum serving as a cooler to which a refrigerant is supplied from a refrigerator, and a water spray pipe for spraying water on an outer peripheral surface of the ice making drum. Sprinkling water from the water sprinkling pipe while rotating the, ice generated on the outer peripheral surface of the ice making drum scraping blade with a scraper blade to generate artificial snow,
When the intermittent operation in which the operation and the stop of the snowmaking apparatus are repeated is performed, the ice making drum is also stopped when the operation of the refrigerator and the sprinkling are stopped, but when the operation is restarted, the ice making drum is temporarily turned in the reverse direction. , And then rotated in the forward direction.

[0012]

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the apparatus according to the present invention.
This will be described in detail based on specific examples shown in FIGS. The second floor portion of the building 1 is an ice making room 1A, and the first floor portion is an ice storage 1B. The ice making room 1A is provided with a plurality of refrigerators 2 and an ice making machine 3 for generating artificial snow. A communication opening 5 for allowing artificial snow 4 from the ice maker 3 to fall into the ice storage 1B is opened on the floor of the vehicle.

The ice making machine 3 comprises two ice making drums 6,
The ice-making drum is provided with a water spray pipe 7 for spraying water, and a scraping blade 8 for scraping ice formed on the outer periphery of the ice-making drum. The ice-making drum has a liquid-filled type in which refrigerant from a refrigerator is supplied. And is rotated around a vertical axis by a drive mechanism (not shown). Water from the watering pipe 7 is frozen on the surface of the ice making drum, and the frozen ice is scraped off by the scraper 8. To produce artificial snow.

The ice making drum 6 is always rotated, and keeps rotating even when the operation of the artificial snow making apparatus is stopped, thereby preventing icing between the ice making drum and the scraping blade 8 to prevent ice formation. The drum is prevented from causing rotation failure.

Below the ice making drum 6, an inclined surface 4
1a, a guide plate 41 having a part of the upper edge of the inclined surface facing below the ice making drum is provided, and the artificial snow 4 scraped by the scraping blade 8 is guided by the inclined surface 41a of the guide plate 41. The lower end of the scraping blade 8 is attached to the rear inclined portion of the guide plate 41.

On the inclined surface 41a of the guide plate 41, a base 43, which is a base of a water droplet guide 42 for draining water, is attached alongside the scraper blade 8. The water droplet guide 42 is a blade in the rotation direction of the ice making drum. It is attached to the near side from 8.

The water droplet guide 42 is made of a material that does not rust, and is made of a flexible, for example, stainless steel wire. The water droplet guide 42 is bent in a mountain shape from the base 43 side and has an upwardly inclined portion 42a and a downwardly inclined portion 42b. The upwardly inclined portion extends to a position higher than the bottom surface of the ice making drum, and the middle of the downwardly inclined portion 42b contacts the lower end edge of the ice making drum with a slight gap therebetween, and furthermore, the free end 42c of the downwardly inclined portion. Is attached so as to face the water receiving pan 33 so that water droplets 44 adhering to the lower edge of the ice making drum 6 are guided from the downward inclined portion 42b to the free end portion 42c so as to be dropped on the water receiving pan. Has become.

The ice storage 1B is provided with a conveying device 10 for sending artificial snow to the first screw conveyor 9 while scraping the surface of the artificial snow 4 dropped from the ice making chamber 1A. From the conveyor 9 to the first hopper 11,
The second screw conveyor 12 and the second hopper 13 send the snow to the snow-feeding device 14.

The snow feeder 14 sends out artificial snow from the second hopper 13 into the snow pipe 17 by compressed air sent from the air compressor 15 through the air pipe 16 and the branch pipe 16a. A plurality of snow blowing devices 18 called transporters are connected to the snow pipe 17 at a plurality of points in the middle of the snow pipe 17 via a snow-carrying branch pipe 17a, and a branch air pipe 16b for supplying compressed air from the air pipe 16 to the snow blowing apparatus 18. Is also connected, and the artificial snow 4 is sprinkled with compressed air.

In the drawing, reference numeral 10a denotes a partition plate, which is intended to prevent artificial snow from the snow transport device 10 from flowing into the first screw conveyor 9 in an avalanche shape. Air compressor 1
An air cooling device for lowering the compressed air from 5 to a predetermined temperature or lower, 20 a water storage tank for supplying water for ice making, 21
Denotes a cooling tower connected to the refrigerator 2.

Next, the refrigerant circuit and the water supply circuit of the apparatus according to this embodiment will be described. Refrigerant 2 refrigerant outlet 2a
Is connected to the ice making drum 6 of the ice making machine 3, and the other end of the refrigerant return pipe 22 b is connected to the cooling machine inlet of the refrigerator 2. 2b.

An accumulator 23 is provided in the middle of the refrigerant return pipe 22b so as to separate the liquid refrigerant from the refrigerant returned to the refrigerator 2. Further, a refrigerant forward pipe 22a is provided in the accumulator. Is introduced so that the refrigerant in the accumulator can be sufficiently vaporized by the heat of the refrigerant in the refrigerant outward pipe and returned to the refrigerator.

Further, a pressure gauge 37 for detecting the refrigerant pressure is provided between the ice making drum 6 and the accumulator 23 in the refrigerant return pipe 22b, and when the operation is restarted after the operation is stopped in the intermittent operation, first, The refrigerator 2 is operated in advance, and water is sprayed onto the ice making drum after the refrigerant pressure measured by the pressure gauge 37 is sufficiently reduced.

The other end of the cooling water outgoing pipe 24a, one end of which is connected to the cooling water outlet 2c of the refrigerator 2, is led out of the ice making chamber 1A and is connected to the cooling tower 21 for cooling from the cooling tower. The other end of the water return pipe 24b is connected to a cooling water inlet 2d of the refrigerator 2 via a cooling water pump 25.

A water intake pipe 27 from a water intake source 26 such as a pond or pond is connected to a water storage tank 20 via a water intake pump 28, and a water supply pipe 29 having one end connected to a lower part of the water storage tank.
Are connected to the ice maker 3 via a water supply pump 30. A water supply circuit in the ice making machine 3 includes a water tank 32 for temporarily storing ice making water from a water supply pipe 29 as shown in an enlarged manner in FIG.
A water receiving pan 33 is provided below the ice making drum 6 to receive dripping water from the ice making drum.

The water supply pipe 29 is first connected to a water receiving pan 33 via a float valve 34 and a rising pipe section 29a. The water receiving pan 33 has a return pipe 35 whose other end faces the water tank 32. Are connected at one end. By doing so, ice-making water is flown into the water receiving pan 33, and ice hardly grows on the water receiving pan.

The float valve 34 is opened and closed by a float 34a provided in the water tank 32.
When the water in the water tank 32 is lower than a predetermined water level,
When the float valve 34 is opened and the water from the water supply pipe 29 is supplied to the water tank from the return pipe 35 together with the dripping water from the ice making drum via the water receiving pan, the water tank 3
When the water in 2 exceeds a predetermined water level, the float valve 34 is closed, and the supply to the water tank is stopped.

One end of a drain pipe 39 having a normally closed drain valve 40 is connected to the lower end of the riser pipe section 29a of the water supply pipe 29, and the float valve 34 is closed and water is closed. When the supply of water to the tank 32 is stopped, the drain valve 40 is opened, and the riser 2
9 is discharged to a water tank.

One end of a watering pipe 7 is connected to the lower part of the water tank 32, and the other end of the watering pipe 7 is connected to a number of watering branch pipes 7a via a water supply pump 36, a strainer 31, and a watering valve 38. Water is sprayed onto the surface of the ice making drum 6 from a number of water spouts opened in the water sprinkling branch pipe 7a.

In the above-described embodiment, the base 43 of the water drop guide 42 for draining is attached to the guide plate 41, but it is attached to the water receiving pan 33, the base of the scraping blade 8, or the casing of the ice making machine. You may do so.

The water droplet guide 42 has a mountain shape having an upwardly inclined portion 42a and a downwardly inclined portion 42b.
If the portion from the portion in contact with the ice making drum to the free end 42c is inclined downward, the shape is not necessarily a mountain-like shape, but may be, for example, a linear shape. As long as it has flexibility, it may be, for example, a thin plate or a bar.

In the above-described embodiment, the rotation of the ice making drum 6 is constantly performed regardless of the operation or stoppage of the artificial snow generating apparatus, thereby preventing rotation failure of the ice making drum due to icing between the ice making drum and the scraping blade 8. However, in the second embodiment, it is assumed that the rotation of the ice making drum is stopped when the snowmaking apparatus is stopped. When the operation of the ice making drum is resumed, the ice making drum is first rotated in the reverse direction to make contact with the scraping blade. Is released, and then the ice making drum is rotated in the forward direction to return to normal operation.

[0033]

The ice making drum 6 is cooled by the refrigerant from the refrigerator 2 and the ice making water blown from the water spray pipe 7 to the surface of the ice making drum 6 freezes. It is scraped off by the scraper blade 8 by rotation and falls as artificial snow. Some of the ice-making water sprayed on the ice-making drum flows down to the lower edge of the ice-making drum without freezing, and water drops 4 on the lower edge of the ice-making drum.
It becomes 4 and adheres.

Most of the water droplets 44 are directly dropped into the water receiving pan 33, but the water droplets 44 transported to the vicinity of the scraping blade 8 by the rotation of the ice making drum touch the downwardly inclined portion 42b of the water droplet guide 42, and the same. The water is dropped from the free end portion 42c to the water receiving pan 33 along the downward inclined portion. Therefore, the water droplets 44 that have not been completely frozen on the surface of the ice making drum become the guide plates 4 for artificial snow.
1 can be prevented from dropping onto the ice block,
Unlike the conventional apparatus, the ice blocks hinder the fall of artificial snow, and the ice drum is hardly rotated due to icing between the ice drum and the scraping blade.

Further, since the ice making drum 6 always rotates regardless of the operation or stoppage of the artificial snow generating apparatus,
Even if the ice at the upper part of the ice making drum is melted by stopping the refrigerator, there is no danger that a thick ice layer is formed at the lower part of the ice making drum, and the ice layer forms the ice between the scraping blade and the ice making drum as in the conventional apparatus. It is possible to prevent the rotation of the ice making drum from becoming defective.

In the second embodiment, when the snowmaking apparatus is stopped, the rotation of the ice making drum is also stopped. When the operation of the ice making drum is resumed, the ice making drum is first rotated in the opposite direction so that the ice on the scraping blade is frozen. Since the ice making drum is released and then rotated in the forward direction, even if a thick ice layer adheres to the lower part of the ice making drum, there is almost no possibility that the ice making drum will not rotate properly.

Therefore, according to the apparatus for generating artificial snow according to the present invention, there is almost no possibility that the ice making drum will not rotate properly or the falling of the artificial snow will be hindered, so that the artificial snow can be generated stably. it can.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the entirety of an artificial snowmaking system for a ski resort including an artificial snow generating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram showing a refrigerant circuit and a water supply circuit in the embodiment of the artificial snow production device according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged sectional view of a water supply circuit in the ice making machine.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the ice making drum.

FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged front view of the above.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged front view showing a lower part of an ice making drum in a conventional artificial snow production device.

FIG. 7 is a front view showing a change in the ice layer around the ice making drum after the operation of the refrigerator is stopped in the conventional artificial snow production device.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Building 1A Ice making room 1B Ice storage 2 Refrigerator 3 Ice making machine 4 Artificial snow 5 Communication opening 6 Ice making drum 7 Water sprinkling pipe 8 Scratch blade 9 First screw conveyor 10 Snow artificial conveyance device 11 First hopper 12 Second screw conveyor 13 Second Hopper 14 Snow Feeding Device 15 Air Compressor 16 Air Pipe 17 Snow Conveying Tube 18 Snow Blowing Device 19 Air Cooling Device 20 Water Storage Tank 21 Cooling Tower 22a Refrigerant Outgoing Tube 22b Refrigerant Returning Tube 23 Accumulator 24a Cooling Water Outgoing Tube 24b Cooling Water Return pipe 25 Cooling water pump 26 Water intake source 27 Water intake pipe 28 Water intake pump 29 Water supply pipe 30 Water supply pump 31 Strainer 32 Water tank 33 Water receiving pan 34 Float valve 35 Return pipe 36 Water supply pump 37 Pressure gauge 38 Watering valve 39 Branch pipe 40 Branch Pipe valve 41 Guide plate 41a Inclined Surface 42 Water Drop Guide 43 Base of Water Drop Guide 44 Water Drop

Claims (3)

[Claims] An ice making drum, which is a cooler to which a refrigerant is supplied from a refrigerator, and a water sprinkling pipe for spraying water on an outer peripheral surface of the ice making drum, water is sprinkled from the water sprinkling pipe while rotating the ice making drum. In an artificial snow generating apparatus for generating artificial snow by scraping ice generated on an outer peripheral surface with a scraper blade, a water receiving pan is provided below the ice making drum, and a base is fixed at a suitable position around a lower end of the ice making drum, and a free-standing pan is provided. A water droplet guide having a downwardly inclined portion on the end side is provided.A part of the downwardly inclined portion of the water droplet guide contacts or has a slight gap with the lower end edge of the ice making drum in front of the scraping blade in the rotation direction of the ice making drum. An artificial snow generating apparatus in which the free end of the water droplet guide faces the water receiving pan. 2. An ice making drum, which is a cooler to which a refrigerant is supplied from a refrigerator, and a water sprinkling pipe for sprinkling water on an outer peripheral surface of the ice making drum, and water is sprinkled from the water sprinkling pipe while rotating the ice making drum. In an artificial snow generating apparatus that generates artificial snow by scraping ice generated on the outer peripheral surface with a scraper blade, when an intermittent operation in which the operation and stop of the artificial snow generating apparatus are repeated is performed, the operation of the refrigerator and water sprinkling are stopped. The ice making drum is always rotated even if the ice making drum is rotated. 3. An ice making drum, which is a cooler to which a refrigerant is supplied from a refrigerator, and a water sprinkling pipe for sprinkling water on the outer peripheral surface of the ice making drum, and sprinkling water from the water sprinkling pipe while rotating the ice making drum. In an artificial snow generating apparatus that generates artificial snow by scraping ice generated on the outer peripheral surface with a scraper blade, when an intermittent operation in which the operation and stop of the artificial snow generating apparatus are repeated is performed, the operation of the refrigerator and water sprinkling are stopped. Then, the ice making drum is also stopped, but when the operation is resumed, the ice making drum is once rotated in the reverse direction and then rotated in the forward direction.