Valves in action -
Strainers and filters SF 6.00
Particle filtering for snowmaking systems in an indoor skiing resort
Climate change is making winter sports activities in the mountains more difficult, as the lower limit for snow-safe ski areas has shifted upward by several hundred meters. Snowmaking systems in the form of snow lances or propeller snow guns (snow cannons) are increasingly used to imitate natural snowfall.
They mechanically generate the so-called technical snow for ski resorts, training centers and for large indoor snow paradises. The appropriate snowmaking system is selected depending, among other factors, on slope, average temperature, wind situation and required amount of snow. For the production of smaller areas of snow at very warm ambient temperatures, snow factories are used of which all the refrigeration equipment is arranged ready for operation in a 40' container.
Technical snow differs greatly in texture from natural snow. Natural snow crystals have a hexagonal shape, while the machine-made snow retains the round shape of the fine water droplets formed in the nozzles of the snowmakers. Because of its round ice particles, technical snow has a higher density and remains on average 2-3 weeks longer than the natural snow.
TASK // Filtering of particles during the production of technical snow
In a Southeast Asian indoor snow paradise, snow cannons supply technical snow over an area of 1,200 m². The snowmaking system consists of pumps for extracting the water as well as compressors and various supply lines for water, electricity and air. The required water is pumped from the network of the municipal water supply and sterilized, filtered and cooled in a control center. Via pressure hoses it reaches the nucleators of the snow guns. These generate a mixture of water and compressed air, which is projected into the air via mixing nozzles and then cools down to form so-called ice nuclei. At the same time, pure water nozzles spray a water mist onto the ice nuclei so that both combine and crystallize into snow as they fall. The Mankenberg SF 6.00 dirt traps are installed in front of the pumps and in the water supply lines upstream of the snow guns. They filter out existing particles in order that the sensitive nozzles of the snow guns do not become clogged.
SOLUTION /// Pot strainer SF 6.00
The SF 6.00 is made entirely of deep-drawn stainless steel with excellent corrosion resistance. The sieve has a clear mesh size of 0.5 mm. The streamlined pot shape with the flat screen positioned perpendicularly to the direction of flow at a flow rate of 1 - 8 m³/h produces very low pressure loss in the large dirt collection chamber.
The long-life EPDM body seal is highly resistant to weather influence and the water that flows through the supply lines into the snow cannons.
The upper and lower parts of the body are connected to each other only by profile clamps and screws, which allows quick and easy maintenance and cleaning.
