How and from what do artificial snow?

Artificial snow - this is perhaps the most indispensable thing at ski resorts located in the southern parts of the hemisphere. Thanks to the availability of special devices that produce such snow, you can make this winter where it was not in sight. A vivid example of this can serve as the Olympics in Sochi, because without artificial snow, it would be hardly possible to hold winter competitions in almost the subtropics. And today we will devote a separate article to this moment. So what do artificial snow make of?

How is the manufacturing

This substance is made by spraying water in the air. In this case, the liquid is sprayed into the device under high pressure. Thus, the nucleation process occurs, when the liquid crystals solidify in the air and thereby form a snow mass. The dimensions of these crystals are negligibly small and range from 0.1 to 10 microns (1 micron is 0.001 millimeters).

Of what do artificial snow?

Separate particles of ice layer other water droplets. As a result, larger crystals of frozen water form. They are liable until they finally pass the path from the cannon to the surface of the earth. This time is enough to get artificial snow. At home, of course, you can hardly create such a "special effect". The fact is that for such works special technical equipment is used, worth hundreds of thousands of rubles. And you can create artificial snow with your own hands only from paper fiber or cotton wool, for the purchase of such equipment will be too unprofitable.

In order for the crystals of the atomized liquid to freeze completely during the snow making process, falling to the ground, it is sufficient to use this equipment at an air temperature of -3 to -10 degrees Celsius. At this temperature, water particles effectively freeze and become covered with a sufficient layer of ice.

Benefits

The presence of a nucleator significantly increases the likelihood of snow formation. With each new drop of sprayed water, you increase the amount of snow (in a few minutes you can create a layer of several dozen centimeters). And the nucleator can produce both natural kernels (for example, granules of sand, minerals and dust particles) and mechanical (a mixture of water and compressed air) and biological, in any case this apparatus will produce a large number of crystals with a minimum water content.

What is output?

We have already examined what artificial snow is made from, and found out that these are two natural components - water and air. And what the nucleator turns into by the actions of these two substances is called crystals. In simple words, small droplets of water fly out of the cannon, which easily freeze at a temperature of -3 degrees Celsius. In addition, the nuclei of such particles look more natural, since they contain the nucleus of the future crystal already formed. At the same time, such artificial snow is very sensitive to positive temperatures. Since these particles have low resistance to heat, at an air temperature of 0 and more degrees they simply melt, and very quickly. By the way, from one cubic meter of water you can get up to 2-2.5 cubic meters of artificial snow.

What determines the quality of the crystals produced?

The extent to which snow will be of high quality and resistant to changes in temperature is directly dependent on the pressure of the liquid formed in the snow cannon, the design of the tool nozzle and, of course, the humidity and heating of the air itself.

So, in the article we have analyzed what artificial snow is made of, what properties it possesses.