Snow flurry suppression device and snow flurry suppression method

Abstract

To provide a snow floating-up suppression device that can suppress snow floating-up while suppressing equipment cost.SOLUTION: The present disclosure relates to a snow floating-up suppression device that comprises a cylindrical nozzle 3 configured to be sprinkled over snow coverage and a water supply part configured to supply water to the nozzle 3. The nozzle 3 comprises: a nozzle hole 31 connected to the water supply part; an injection hole 32 configured to inject water supplied from the nozzle hole 31; a main flow path 33 coupling the nozzle hole 31 and the injection hole 32; and an air duct 35 communicating between the main flow path 33 and an outside of the nozzle 3.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a device and a method for suppressing flying snow. [Background technology]

[0002] Sprinklers that spray water on snow to prevent snow from flying up are known (see Patent Document 1). By soaking the snow with water (i.e., making it wet snow), it is possible to prevent snow from flying up due to wind caused by, for example, the movement of trains. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-22481 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The sprinklers mentioned above are effective at wetting snow when the temperature (i.e., the snow temperature) is high, but they may not be able to wet the snow sufficiently in cold environments. One way to promote wetting snow in low temperatures is to increase the amount of water sprayed, but this requires capital investment in measures to prevent water from seeping into the ground (for example, embankments) and in larger sprinkler equipment, including sprinklers.

[0005] An object of one aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a snow flurry suppression device that can suppress snow flurry while reducing equipment costs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present disclosure is a snow flurry suppression device including a cylindrical nozzle configured to spray water onto accumulated snow and a water supply unit configured to supply water to the nozzle. The nozzle includes a nozzle hole connected to the water supply unit, a spray hole configured to spray the water supplied from the nozzle hole, a main flow path connecting the nozzle hole to the spray hole, and an air passage connecting the main flow path to the outside of the nozzle.

[0007] With this configuration, air is drawn into the nozzle through the air passage and sprayed out of the nozzle together with the water. This breaks down the water particles, which in turn slows their falling speed. As a result, water is prevented from slipping through the snow, promoting wet snow. This reduces the amount of water sprayed and, ultimately, equipment costs, while also preventing snow from flying up.

[0008] In one aspect of the present disclosure, the central axis of the main flow passage may be linear. The central axis of the air passage may intersect with an imaginary plane perpendicular to the central axis of the main flow passage. This configuration increases the amount of air taken into the nozzle, thereby promoting the effect of suppressing snow flurries caused by wet snow.

[0009] In one aspect of the present disclosure, the main flow passage may have a tapered portion upstream of the connection with the air passage, the diameter of which narrows toward the injection hole. This configuration also increases the amount of air taken into the nozzle, thereby promoting the effect of suppressing snow flurries caused by wet snow.

[0010] Another aspect of the present disclosure is a method for suppressing snow flurries, comprising the step of spraying water onto accumulated snow from a cylindrical nozzle, the nozzle including a nozzle hole configured to receive water, a spray hole configured to spray the water supplied from the nozzle hole, a main flow path connecting the nozzle hole and the spray hole, and an air passage connecting the main flow path to the outside of the nozzle.

[0011] This configuration prevents water from seeping through the snow, promoting the wetness of the snow. This reduces the amount of water sprayed and therefore the cost of equipment, while also preventing snow from flying up. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a snow flurry suppression device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] 2A is a schematic front view of the nozzle of FIG. 1, and FIG. 2B is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line IIB-IIB of FIG. 2A. [Figure 3] FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram showing the finger phenomenon, and FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram showing accumulated snow that has turned wet. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a nozzle in an embodiment different from that in FIG. 2B. [Figure 5] FIG. 5A is a photograph of accumulated snow after water is sprinkled by the snow flurry suppression device according to the embodiment, and FIG. 5B is a photograph of accumulated snow after water is sprinkled by a conventional sprinkler device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments to which the present disclosure is applied will be described with reference to the drawings. [1. First embodiment] [1-1.Configuration] The device 1 for suppressing blown-up snow shown in Fig. 1 wets snow on the ground to suppress blown-up snow on, for example, railway tracks, roads, etc. The device 1 for suppressing blown-up snow is a sprinkler equipped with a water supply unit 2 and a nozzle 3.

[0014] <Water supply section> The water supply unit 2 is configured to supply water to the nozzle 3. The water supply unit 2 has a water supply pipe 21, a coupler 22, a rotation mechanism 23, and a commutator 24.

[0015] Water supply pipe 21 has nozzle connection port 21A, coupler connection port 21B, and protrusion 21C. Nozzle 3, which will be described later, is connected to nozzle connection port 21A. Coupler 22, which will be described later, is connected to coupler connection port 21B. Protrusion 21C is a portion that protrudes radially outward from nozzle connection port 21A of water supply pipe 21.

[0016] The coupler 22 is a cylindrical member connected to a water supply pipe (not shown) that sends water from a water supply source to the snow-drift suppression device 1. Inside the coupler 22, a pipe that connects the water supply pipe and the water supply pipe 21 is arranged.

[0017] The coupler 22 is configured to rotatably connect the water supply pipe 21 to the water supply pipe. That is, the coupler 22 is fixed to the water supply pipe and supports the water supply pipe 21 so that it can rotate about its axis.

[0018] The rotation mechanism 23 is configured to rotate the water supply pipe 21 by utilizing the pressure of the water sprayed from the nozzle 3. The snow flurry suppression device 1 is able to spray water over a wide area using the rotation mechanism 23. The rotation mechanism 23 has a blade 23A, a pressure receiving body 23B, and a restoring spring 23C.

[0019] Blade 23A is attached to water supply pipe 21 so as to be rotatable around the central axis of coupler 22. Blade 23A abuts against protrusion 21C of water supply pipe 21 when water is not being sprayed from nozzle 3.

[0020] Pressure-receiving body 23B is disposed at a position where it collides with water jetted from jet holes 32 of nozzle 3. Pressure-receiving body 23B is attached to blade 23A. Pressure of water jetted from nozzle 3 causes pressure-receiving body 23B to rotate blade 23A in a direction away from protrusion 21C.

[0021] The restoring spring 23C is configured to be twisted by the rotation of the blade 23A and generate a restoring force, that is, the restoring spring 23C biases the blade 23A in the direction opposite to the rotation direction caused by the water pressure.

[0022] When blade 23A rotates due to the pressure of water sprayed from nozzle 3, pressure-receiving body 23B moves to a position where it will not be hit by water. As a result, the water pressure that rotates blade 23A disappears, and blade 23A rotates toward protrusion 21C due to the bias of restoring spring 23C. Furthermore, blade 23A thus rotates collides with protrusion 21C, causing water supply pipe 21 to rotate around the central axis of coupler 22.

[0023] Commutator 24 is a cylindrical member for reducing the diameter of the water supply passage. Commutator 24 is disposed inside nozzle connection port 21A of water supply pipe 21. A portion of the tip of commutator 24 is inserted inside nozzle 3 (specifically, reduced diameter portion 33A, which will be described later).

[0024] <Nozzle> The nozzle 3 is a cylindrical member configured to spray water toward accumulated snow. As shown in Figure 2, the nozzle 3 has a nozzle hole 31, an injection hole 32, a main flow path 33, an intake hole 34, and an air path 35.

[0025] The nozzle hole 31 is connected to the nozzle connection port 21A of the water supply pipe 21. The injection hole 32 is configured to inject water supplied from the nozzle hole 31. The diameter of the injection hole 32 is smaller than the diameter of the nozzle hole 31.

[0026] The main flow passage 33 connects the nozzle hole 31 and the injection hole 32. The central axis P1 of the main flow passage 33 is linear. The main flow passage 33 has, in order from upstream, a reduced diameter section 33A, a first straight section 33B, an expanded diameter section 33C, and a second straight section 33D.

[0027] The reduced diameter portion 33A is a portion that is connected to the nozzle hole 31 and whose diameter continuously decreases toward the injection hole 32 (i.e., downstream). The first straight portion 33B is a portion that has a constant diameter and connects the reduced diameter portion 33A and the expanded diameter portion 33C.

[0028] The expanded diameter portion 33C is a portion whose diameter expands in a stepped manner downstream. The second straight portion 33D is provided downstream of the expanded diameter portion 33C and is connected to the injection hole 32. The second straight portion 33D has a longer axial length than the reduced diameter portion 33A, the first straight portion 33B, and the expanded diameter portion 33C.

[0029] The suction hole 34 is an opening for sucking air into the main flow path 33 from outside the nozzle 3. The suction hole 34 is provided on the outer surface of the nozzle 3, on a surface that intersects with the axial and radial directions of the nozzle 3.

[0030] The air passage 35 communicates between the main flow passage 33 and the outside of the nozzle 3 (i.e., the suction hole 34). The central axis P2 of the air passage 35 is linear and intersects with an imaginary plane S that is perpendicular to the central axis P1 of the main flow passage 33. In other words, the angle Θ between the central axis P2 of the air passage 35 and the central axis P1 of the main flow passage 33 is greater than 0° and less than 90°.

[0031] Air passage 35 is connected to second straight portion 33D. Therefore, reduced diameter portion 33A, first straight portion 33B, and expanded diameter portion 33C are located upstream of connection portion 33E between main flow path 33 and air passage 35.

[0032] Water supplied from nozzle hole 31 flows through main flow path 33 and is sprayed from spray hole 32. At this time, air is sucked in through suction hole 34 by the water flow, passes through air path 35 and is mixed with the water in main flow path 33. As a result, water containing air is dispersed from nozzle hole 31.

[0033] [1-2. How to prevent snow from flying] The method for suppressing blown-up snow of this embodiment is carried out using the device 1 for suppressing blown-up snow of Fig. 1. That is, the method for suppressing blown-up snow of this embodiment includes a step of spraying water from a nozzle 3 toward accumulated snow.

[0034] For example, at temperatures below -1°C, normal watering of snow does not promote wet snow formation. This is due to the fingering phenomenon, in which water paths P (i.e., finger flow) are formed extending downward from the surface of dry snow D, as shown in Figure 3A. In the fingering phenomenon, water supplied to the snow flows downward through the water paths, preventing wet snow formation.

[0035] On the other hand, the nozzle 3 of the snow flurry suppression device 1 sucks in air, increasing the water spray speed and increasing the spacing between the water particles. As a result, the diameter of the water particles becomes smaller. Furthermore, as the water particles become finer, the falling speed of the water particles also becomes slower.

[0036] As a result, as shown in Figure 3B, no water path P is formed in the dry snow D, and a water film W is formed on the surface of the dry snow D, turning the accumulated snow into wet snow. This water film W prevents the snow from flying up.

[0037] [1-3.Effects] According to the embodiment described above in detail, the following effects can be obtained. (1a) Air is drawn into the nozzle 3 from the air passage 35 and sprayed from the spray holes 32 together with water. This breaks down the water particles, which in turn slows the falling speed of the water particles. As a result, water is prevented from slipping through the snow (i.e., the fingering phenomenon), and snow is made wetter. This reduces the amount of water sprayed, and thus the cost of equipment, while also preventing snow from flying up.

[0038] (1b) Since the central axis P2 of the air passage 35 intersects with the imaginary plane S perpendicular to the central axis P1 of the main flow passage 33, the amount of air taken into the nozzle 3 increases, which promotes the effect of suppressing snow from flying up due to the snow becoming wet.

[0039] (1c) By providing a reduced diameter section 33A upstream of the connection point between the main flow path 33 and the air passage 35, the amount of air taken into the nozzle 3 is increased, which promotes the effect of suppressing snow from flying up due to the snow becoming wet.

[0040] 2. Other Embodiments Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, it goes without saying that the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can take on various forms.

[0041] (2a) In the snow flurry suppression device 1 of the above embodiment, the central axis P2 of the air passage 35 does not necessarily have to intersect with the imaginary plane S that is perpendicular to the central axis P1 of the main flow passage 33. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the central axis P2 of the air passage 35 may be perpendicular to the central axis P1 of the main flow passage 33.

[0042] (2b) In the snow flurry suppression device 1 of the above embodiment, the main flow path 33 does not necessarily have to have the reduced diameter section 33A. For example, as shown in Fig. 4, the diameter of the main flow path 33 may be constant from the nozzle hole 31 to the injection hole 32.

[0043] (2c) The function of one component in the above embodiments may be distributed among multiple components, or the functions of multiple components may be integrated into one component. Also, part of the configuration of the above embodiments may be omitted. Furthermore, at least part of the configuration of the above embodiments may be added to or substituted for the configuration of another of the above embodiments. All aspects included in the technical idea identified by the wording of the claims are embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0044] 3. Working Example The following describes the content of the tests conducted to confirm the effects of the present disclosure and their evaluation.

[0045] <Watering performance> For the snow-blowing suppression device 1 shown in Figure 1, nozzles 3 of Test Nos. 1-11 were prepared in which the diameters of the injection holes 32 and the suction holes 34 were varied as shown in Table 1. Note that the angle Θ between the central axis P2 of the air passage 35 and the central axis P1 of the main flow passage 33 was set to 45° for all nozzles 3.

[0046] [Table 1]

[0047] For nozzle 3 of test Nos. 1-11, the spray distance, flow rate, and dynamic water pressure were measured in the "front direction" where the axial direction of nozzle 3 was horizontal, and in the "45° direction" where the axis of nozzle 3 was tilted 45° upward from the horizontal. These results are shown in Table 1 above.

[0048] In terms of evaluating the nozzle 3, a nozzle with a long spray distance and a small flow rate is preferable from the viewpoint of achieving both a water spray effect and a reduction in water consumption. In Table 1, for example, test No. 3 can be said to be preferable.

[0049] <Snow flying prevention performance> At a temperature of -16°C, the density of the upper snow layer is 134 kg / m 3 Water was sprayed onto snow with a moisture content of 0% using the snow flurry suppression device 1 shown in FIG. 1 and a conventional water spraying device (i.e., a sprinkler without a nozzle 3).

[0050] The amount of water sprinkled by the snow flurry suppression device 1 was 1300 L / hour, and the amount of water sprinkled by the conventional sprinkler device was 1600 L / hour. Photographs of the snow surface 30 minutes after the start of sprinkling are shown in Figures 5A and 5B.

[0051] FIG. 5A shows snow accumulation after watering using the snow flurry suppression device 1. FIG. 5B shows snow accumulation after watering using a conventional watering device. In FIG. 5A, the sprayed water droplets collect on the snow surface, causing the entire surface to freeze. On the other hand, in FIG. 5B, cavities have formed due to "water paths." In addition, unevenness has formed on the surface. Furthermore, the snow on the surface in FIG. 5A did not peel off, but the snow on the surface in FIG. 5B peeled off easily.

[0052] Next, the performance of the Snow Flying Suppression Device 1 was compared with that of a conventional sprinkler system under different temperature conditions. With the Snow Flying Suppression Device 1, it was confirmed that the snow turned wet when the temperature was -15°C or higher. In particular, the Snow Flying Suppression Device 1 was able to wet the snow to the extent that it could effectively suppress flying snow when the temperature was -6°C or higher. On the other hand, the conventional sprinkler system was unable to wet the snow when the temperature was -1°C or lower. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 1...snow blowing suppression device, 2...water supply section, 3...nozzle, 21...water supply pipe, 21A... nozzle connection port, 21B... coupler connection port, 21C... protrusion, 22... coupler, 23...rotation mechanism, 23A...blade, 23B...pressure receiving body, 23C...restoring spring, 24... Commutator, 31... Nozzle hole, 32... Injection hole, 33... Main flow path, 33A... Diameter reduction part, 33B...first straight portion, 33C...expanded diameter portion, 33D...second straight portion, 34...suction hole, 35...air passage.

Claims

1. a cylindrical nozzle configured to spray water toward accumulated snow; a water supply configured to supply water to the nozzle; Equipped with The nozzle is a nozzle hole connected to the water supply unit; an injection hole configured to inject water supplied from the nozzle hole; a main flow path connecting the nozzle hole and the injection hole; a linear air passage that communicates the main flow path with the outside of the nozzle; Equipped with the main flow path has a reduced diameter portion whose diameter decreases toward the injection hole, the air passage is connected to the main passage at a position closer to the reduced diameter portion than the injection hole, The central axis of the air passage intersects with an imaginary plane perpendicular to the central axis of the main flow passage. Snow flurry prevention device.

2. It includes a process of spraying water onto the snow from a cylindrical nozzle, The nozzle is a nozzle hole configured to receive water; an injection hole configured to inject water supplied from the nozzle hole; a main flow path connecting the nozzle hole and the injection hole; a linear air passage that communicates the main flow path with the outside of the nozzle; Equipped with the main flow path has a reduced diameter portion whose diameter decreases toward the injection hole, the air passage is connected to the main passage at a position closer to the reduced diameter portion than the injection hole, The central axis of the air passage intersects with an imaginary plane perpendicular to the central axis of the main flow passage. How to prevent snow from flying.

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