Snow
The one thing that ski or snowboarding resorts can’t survive without – now made available at any temperature, any season, around the year
Existing snow-production solutions require below freezing air temperatures and depend on climatic conditions such as humidity and wind or produce low-grade snow (based on ice crushing), that requires higher energy consumption.
The VIM All Weather Snowmaker is capable of producing up to 1,720 m3 (60,741 ft3) per day of spring-quality, environmentally friendly snow at all ambient temperatures, enabling businesses to secure and even extend their peak season beyond the limitations of seasonal temperatures, without having to compromise on quality.
VIM All Weather Snow Maker technology is ideal for any situation – critical links, receding glaciers, finishing zones, adventure and sport events.
The Snowmaking Process
The VIM All Weather Snowmaker is based on IDE’s proven Vacuum Ice Maker (VIM) technology, which has been operating for more than 30 years worldwide.
Inside the VIM All Weather Snow Maker freezer, water is exposed to a deep vacuum. The vacuum forces a small portion of the water to evaporate, while the remaining water freezes and forms a water-ice mixture called slurry.
This ice slurry is pumped out from the freezer and into an ice concentrator that separates water from ice crystals. In order to maintain deep vacuum inside the freezer, water vapor is continuously evacuated from the freezer, compressed and fed into a condenser using IDE’s centrifugal compressor. Condensing the vapor requires cooling water supplied by a standard water chiller.
Specifications |
VIM400 (Snow) |
VIM850 (Snow) |
| Snowmaking Mass Capacity (at 4.5°C/40°F feed water temperature) |
560 ton snow/day | 1,120 ton snow/day |
| Snowmaking Volumetric Capacity1 (at 4.5°C/40°F feed water temperature) |
860 m3/day | 1,720 m3/day |
| Designed Power Consumption | 235 kW | 397 kW |
| Snow Quality | “Spring Snow” | |
| Snow Grain Size | 0.5 – 1.0 mm 0.02-0.04 inch |
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- Considering average snow density of 650 kg/m3 (40.6 lb/ft3) at the snow concentrator chute outlet. After being drained from any access water the snow density is typically 550 kg/m3 (34.3 lb/ft3). | 2 The above power consumption refers to the VIM unit only and does not include the supporting cooling system (Chiller, Cooling Tower and Cooling Tower circulation pump).
Benefits
Get our All Weather Snowmaker Executive Brief
