METHOD OF PRESERVING ICE NUCLEI FOR SNOW FORMATION
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method for making snow, which comprises:
- a. forming in a first zone water droplets;
b. forming an ice nuclei and water droplet mixture in a second separate zone by;
i flowing a stream of moist compressed air through a conduit, ii expanding adiabatically the compressed air to form ice nuclei by spontaneous nucleation, iii contacting the compressed air stream with a thin film of water, whereby water droplets are formed having a vapor pressure higher than the vapor pressure of the ice nuclei, iv commingling the water droplets and ice nuclei to form the mixture of ice nuclei and water droplets to inhibit the evaporation of the ice nuclei;
c. maintaining the integrity of the mixture until the water droplets formed in the first separate zone are infected by the ice nuclei formed in the second zone whereby the infected droplets exchange their latent heat with the atmosphere and eventually become snow-like crystals.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A nozzle having first and second axially aligned orifices spaced apart. An annular disc-like chamber is disposed between and surrounds the orifices. A carrier fluid, such as compressed air, is discharged from the first orifice, through the chamber and from the second orifice which results in an airstream containing ice nuclei. A liquid, such as water, flows through the chamber in thin-film form and into the carrier fluid flowing through the chamber. The liquid then flows across the peripheral edge of the second orifice and is broken up into droplets of substantially uniform size which are dispersed in the airstream.
18 Citations
6 Claims
-
1. A method for making snow, which comprises:
- a. forming in a first zone water droplets;
b. forming an ice nuclei and water droplet mixture in a second separate zone by;
i flowing a stream of moist compressed air through a conduit, ii expanding adiabatically the compressed air to form ice nuclei by spontaneous nucleation, iii contacting the compressed air stream with a thin film of water, whereby water droplets are formed having a vapor pressure higher than the vapor pressure of the ice nuclei, iv commingling the water droplets and ice nuclei to form the mixture of ice nuclei and water droplets to inhibit the evaporation of the ice nuclei;
c. maintaining the integrity of the mixture until the water droplets formed in the first separate zone are infected by the ice nuclei formed in the second zone whereby the infected droplets exchange their latent heat with the atmosphere and eventually become snow-like crystals.
- a. forming in a first zone water droplets;
-
2. The method of claim 1, which includes:
- dispersing completely the water droplets throughout the ice nuclei stream.
-
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the formation of the mixture includes:
- discharging the ice nuclei in the central part of the mixture; and
surrounding the central part of ice nuclei by the water droplets.
- discharging the ice nuclei in the central part of the mixture; and
-
4. The method of claim 3, wherein the water droplets of the water droplet mixture are substantially uniform in size.
-
5. The method of claim 1, which includes:
- flowing the water in thin-film form in a direction substantially normal to the direction of flow of the compressed air.
-
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the water droplets in the water droplet mixture are of a substantially uniform size.
Specification