The invention is a snowmaking automation system and snowmaking automation modules for use with snowmaking guns and hydrants. Embodiments of the snowmaking automation modules described herein may be battery powered, and thus do not require fixed electrical infrastructure, but are designed to use such infrastructure if present on the mountain. In some embodiments, various components of the snowmaking automation system may be wireless and thus do not require hard-wired communications, for example between base stations, servers, databases, repeater nodes and remotely controlled snowmaking guns and hydrants with their snowmaking automation modules installed.

Disclosed is a fan gun snowmaker that utilizes an external nucleation device to create atomized water mist that is broken apart and frozen by a transverse air jet to create frozen nuclei, or snow seed. Further, flat spray nozzles that are normally used for spray washing and power washing are used that create a flat fan spray at the opening of the fan gun, rather than typical cone-shaped sprayers. The fan spray better disperses the water molecules into the cold, ambient air, which then combine with the frozen nuclei to create snowflakes. The fan gun is portable and lightweight and has anchors at each end that also function as jacks.

A hydrant for selectively valving and delivering fluid under pressure to a plurality of different fluid outlets at a plurality of preselected flow rates. The hydrant is provided with a multiple port valve including a hydrant valve housing having at least one fluid inlet and multiple fluid outlets of different flow rate. A valve operating shaft is mounted for axial rotation in the hydrant housing and positioned transversely to a valve seat having a first set of valve ports therethrough annularly arranged on a first circumference about the shaft, and a second set of valve ports are provided through the valve seat and annularly arranged on a concentric second circumference of different diameter than the first circumference about the shaft. The valve ports are connected respectively to the fluid outlet ports. A valve actuator disk secured for rotation with the operating shaft slidably engages the valve seat in a rotary fasion to selectively valve the valve ports open and closed in selected combinations with rotation of the shaft to preselected positions of rotation.

The invention is a dual auto hydrant configured to interface independent pressurized water and compressed air sources with snowmaking equipment, such as a snowmaking gun and methods of using same.

A snow making apparatus includes: a snow making container having an inner space for snow making; a supply unit configured to supply fine snow or fine water droplets to the inner space; a catching unit configured to catch the fine snow or the fine snow formed of the water droplets; and a drive unit configured to move the catching unit toward a place where the fine snow is flying in the inner space. The catching unit is configured to be shaken thereby making snow caught by the catching unit fall off from the catching unit.

The present invention relates to an artificial snow-making facility (1) comprising—a snow-making device (2),—a fluidic water pipe (3) for supplying water to said snow-making device (2),—potentially, a fluidic air pipe (4) for supplying air to said snow-making device (2),—control means (5) for managing the operation of said snow-making device (2),—a power supply for supplying electricity to said control means (5).

According to the invention, said power supply comprises a power generator (6) arranged on one of said fluidic pipes (4),

said power generator (6) comprising a turbine (61) adapted to be driven by the fluid of said fluidic pipe (4).

The invention is a snowmaking automation system and snowmaking automation modules for use with snowmaking guns and hydrants. Embodiments of the snowmaking automation modules described herein may be battery powered, and thus do not require fixed electrical infrastructure, but are designed to use such infrastructure if present on the mountain. In some embodiments, various components of the snowmaking automation system may be wireless and thus do not require hard-wired communications, for example between base stations, servers, databases, repeater nodes and remotely controlled snowmaking guns and hydrants with their snowmaking automation modules installed.

The invention is a snowmaking automation system and snowmaking automation modules for use with snowmaking guns and hydrants. Embodiments of the snowmaking automation modules described herein may be battery powered, and thus do not require fixed electrical infrastructure, but are designed to use such infrastructure if present on the mountain. In some embodiments, various components of the snowmaking automation system may be wireless and thus do not require hard-wired communications, for example between base stations, servers, databases, repeater nodes and remotely controlled snowmaking guns and hydrants with their snowmaking automation modules installed.

A snow making apparatus includes a cylindrical body and a snow making nozzle that jets water droplets into the cylindrical body. The cylindrical body has a proximal end that is opened to a temperature environment where snow can be produced from water droplets jetted from the snow making nozzle. A distal end of the cylindrical body is connected to a pipe member communicating with a test chamber. The snow making nozzle is formed of a two-fluid nozzle. The pipe member communicates with a snowfall hood disposed in the test chamber and having a supply opening that allows snow to fall. The cylindrical body is disposed in an oblique posture so as to be lowered from a proximal end toward a distal end of the cylindrical body.

A nucleation nozzle for forming freezing nuclei for devices for making artificial snow, starting from a jet of pressurised liquid, comprising a compressed air duct having an inlet opening and an outlet opening. A first stretch of the compressed air duct has a cross section which decreases in the flow direction of the compressed air, from the inlet opening to the outlet opening. The first stretch is followed by a second stretch having a cross section which increases in the flow direction of the compressed air from the inlet opening to the outlet opening. There is provided at least one water duct having an inlet opening and an outlet opening. The water duct is separate from the compressed air duct. The outlet opening of the water duct is positioned close to the outlet opening of the compressed air duct.