Snow-making apparatus

Abstract

A snow-making apparatus has a housing, an evaporator roller rotatable in the housing, and a rotary distributor connected to the roller for circulating a coolant through the evaporator roller and thereby cooling the roller. Nozzles on the housing project a mixture of water and air at the evaporator roller such that the liquid freezes into a layer of ice crystals on the roller. A doctor blade smooths the layer of ice crystal on the rotating roller, and a scraper blade scrapes the ice crystals off the roller.

We claim: 
     
         1 . An apparatus for making snow, the apparatus comprising:
 a housing;   an evaporator roller rotatable in the housing;   a rotary distributor connected to the roller for circulating a coolant through the evaporator roller and thereby cooling the roller;   nozzles on the housing for projecting a mixture of water and air at the evaporator roller, whereby the liquid freezes into a layer of ice crystals on the roller;   a doctor blade for smoothing the layer of ice crystal; and   a scraper blade in the housing scrapes the ice crystals off the roller.   
     
     
         2 . The snow-making apparatus defined in  claim 1 , wherein the scraper blade is mounted near a lowest point of the evaporator roller ( 1 ). 
     
     
         3 . The snow-making apparatus defined in  claim 1 , further comprising:
 drive means for rotating the roller at a speed of 10 to 50 rpm.