Abstract
A method for producing low lying fog as a special effect, for example in stagecraft, comprises the step of enriching the fog that emerges from a fog machine with water. The fog is wetted with water, mixed and approximately saturated. For this purpose, finely atomized water having a droplet size of 2 to 10 can be used. A corresponding device comprises a mixing zone (6), in particular a mixing chamber (7, 13, 20) connected to the fog machine (1), and a fan (2, 11, 19) having a downstream atomizer (3, 12, 18), e.g. an ultrasonic atomizer for water. The fog is mixed with the enriched air stream, if necessary in a counter-current, and reaches the open air as a heavy low lying fog via a water separator (14) and possibly a cooling unit (17).
Claims
1-2. (canceled)
3. An apparatus for making ground fog as an effect, the apparatus comprising: a housing forming a mixing chamber having two inlet ports and an outlet port; a fog machine that vaporizes a glycol-based fog fluid and feeds the vaporized fluid as a fog through one of the inlet ports to the mixing chamber downstream of the fog machine; an ultrasonic water atomizer for creating water droplets and mixing the fog in the mixing chamber with the water droplets; a fan for conveying ambient air through the other of the inlet ports into the mixing chamber to overpressurize same and force an air stream carrying the fog and water droplets out the outlet port; and a baffle in the mixing chamber immediately upstream of the outlet port for separating excess water from the air stream before exiting the mixing chamber through the outlet port.
4. The apparatus defined in claim 3, wherein the fog formed in the fog machine is guided into an intake area of the fan in whose overpressure airstream the ultrasonic atomizer is provided in the center of the fan or in the vicinity thereof.
5. (canceled)
6. The apparatus defined in claim 4, wherein the airstream and fog meet one another in the mixing chamber at sharp acute angle in counterflow, and emerge from the mixing chamber on an axis of symmetry thereof as the ground fog.
7. The apparatus defined in claim 3, wherein the ultrasonic atomizer is in the center of the fan that blows water-enriched air into the mixing zone.
8. The apparatus defined in claim 3, further comprising: a cooler integrated into the mixing zone or downstream from the mixing chamber.
9. The apparatus defined in claim 8, wherein Peltier elements form the cooler and are downstream of the baffle.
10. The apparatus defined in claim 3, wherein there are a plurality of the baffles spaced apart between the mixing chamber and the outlet port.
Description
[0007] Embodiments of the object of the invention are shown schematically in the drawings, in which:
[0008] FIG. 1 is shows a schematic view of a first variant,
[0009] FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a second variant,
[0010] FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a third variant, and
[0011] FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view of an alternative embodiment according to FIG. 2.
[0012] All of the embodiments start from a standard fog machine 1. These apparatuses usually operate on the basis of a vaporizer and have a tank for a fog fluid. According to FIG. 1, a fan 2 is downstream from the outlet of the fog machine 1 and accelerates the fog from the fog machine 1 as needed and in whose overpressure area a water atomizer 3 is arranged. The latter is fed via a conduit from a water reservoir 5. The water atomizer 3 can be a spray nozzle if the water is fed in and/or suctioned out at superatmospheric pressure. It is especially advantageous, however, if the water atomizer 3 operates on the basis of ultrasound, as is known in air humidifiers. The fog absorbs the ultrafine water droplets in a mixing zone 6 that is formed by a mixing chamber 7 and leaves the apparatus, which is an accessory for the fog machine 1, at an outlet port 8 as a water-enriched, heavy ground fog. Both the fan speed and the quantity of atomized water can be controlled, so that the ground fog can be adapted to requirements. The adjustments are made in such a way that the ground fog does not leave any traces of moisture on a stage or the like. If the fog machine 1 is already equipped with a fan at the outlet, then the fan 2 is omitted, and the atomizer can be mounted directly in the expelled stream of fog. According to FIG. 1, the positioning of the atomizer 3 in the center of the fog airstream is advantageous. Alternatively or in addition, atomizers 3 can also be provided as a ring in the fog airstream.
[0013] FIG. 2 shows a variant of an apparatus that is downstream from the fog machine 1. This apparatus has a housing with an inlet port 9 for the fog of the fog machine 1 as well as a second inlet port 10 for suctioning air through a speed-controlled fan 11. An atomizer 12 is provided that is inside the housing and that is connected to a water reservoir (not shown). According to FIG. 2, the atomizer 12 sprays upward, that is, directly into the mixing zone with the inflowing fog and the air being blown in by the fan 11. The area of the housing is referred to as the mixing chamber 13. The water-enriched fog passes into a water separator 14 before it emerges from an outlet port 15. Here, the water separator 14 comprises a plurality of baffles 16 that form a labyrinth for the fog that passes through and removes excess water from the fog. The excess water runs back to the atomizer 12. A cooler 17 for the fog that passes through is also located in the water separator 14 and can be formed by Peltier elements, for example. FIG. 3 shows to an embodiment in which the atomizer 18 is not on the bottom of the mixing chamber 13 (FIG. 2), but rather, as in FIG. 1, directly downstream from an intake fan 19 for fresh air. The fog is united in the mixing chamber 20 with the water droplets from the valve stream. Here, only one baffle 21 for separating excess water is shown schematically. The enriched, heavy fog must rise over this baffle 21, loses water that is not sufficiently bound to the fog molecules in the process, and passes behind the baffle 21 to a lower outlet 22 that can be surrounded by a cooling collar, if anything.
[0014] FIG. 4 relates to FIG. 2 but can also be applicable analogously to other embodiments. The two inlets 9 and 10 do not guide the fog stream and the airstream parallel to one another, but rather toward each other at a sharp acute angle, here with a point of intersection in the cloud of water droplets sprayed upward from the atomizer 12. An especially thorough mixing and binding of the ultrafine water droplets to the fog occurs. The water separator 14 ensures that the emerging fog remains enriched with water but loses no excess water so as not to wet the stage, the actors, the audience, or other objects.
[0015] In addition, it should be pointed out that the fog and water droplets can also be mixed in counterflow. In FIG. 4, for example, the water atomizer 12 can be aligned obliquely against the incoming fog and against the stream of the fan 11. This also results in an increase in efficiency and better binding of the water droplets to the fog.
