VORTEX SNOWMAKING HEAD (VSH)

Device for external snow making at ski resorts. The VSH discharges air significantly colder than any conventional external snow making head (approximately 60 ºF colder). The cold air inside the VSH condenses and freezes vapor, therefore the VSH discharge is enriched with frozen nuclei. The VSH’ s discharged air is a spinning cyclone that provides efficient coalescing with water, as both air and water jets mass and heat exchange outside the Head.

The main features of the VSH are:

• 30-50 percent less air (compared with the conventional design) is required to convert unit of water into snow
• Makes snow at 27 ºF wet bulb with 2.6 to 1 air/water ratio @ 90 psi air and 300 psi water
• Capacity: 65 scfm at 90 psi
• Snow quality: base building snow at 27 ºF wet bulb with 80% frozen particles; skiable snow at 23-24 ºF wet bulb.

The caption from Jiminy Peak Ski Resort (Mass., USA) “You know that we are fanatics about snowmaking at Jiminy Peak - we’re always working to make even more snow better and faster everytime. But you didn’t know that we teamed with a physicist to create and patent the most radical new snowmaking tachnology in the world - a Vortex heat exchanger. . We’re adding 145 Vortex equipped guns to our arsenal for this year, so we can make 50 % more snow at one time.”