Dual Auto Hydrant for Snowmaking Air and Water Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional snowmaking equipment lacks a efficient and integrated system for safely providing pressurized water and compressed air to snowmaking guns, leading to operational inefficiencies and increased costs.
Innovation Solution
A dual auto hydrant system that selectively controls the delivery of compressed air and pressurized water to snowmaking guns, allowing for controlled charging and discharging, featuring a piston mechanism with seals to manage independent air and water channels, and includes a water pipeline tap to prevent freezing and a moisture separating filter to ensure dry compressed air.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional separate water and air supply systems are used for snowmaking guns, then the equipment can operate with basic functionality, but the system complexity increases and operational efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines separate water supply and compressed air supply systems into a single integrated hydrant unit. The hydrant contains both a water valve and an air valve within one housing, allowing operators to control both fluids through a single device rather than managing separate supply systems, thereby reducing overall system complexity while maintaining full functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The hydrant is designed as a multi-functional device that simultaneously handles water supply, air supply, and drainage functions. The single hydrant unit performs multiple operations that would otherwise require separate equipment, improving operational efficiency by consolidating controls and reducing the number of components needed.
2Productivity
If pressurized water is continuously supplied to snowmaking guns, then snowmaking operations can proceed without interruption, but water freezing in cold conditions increases maintenance requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The hydrant includes a drainage valve that allows operators to drain water from the supply lines before temperatures drop to freezing levels. This preliminary draining action prevents water from freezing in the lines during cold conditions, protecting the system from damage while allowing operations to resume quickly when conditions improve.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from static continuous water supply to dynamic controlled supply with drainage capability. Operators can adjust the water supply status based on environmental conditions, switching between supply and drainage modes to prevent freezing while maintaining operational flexibility.
3Ease of operation
If compressed air and water are supplied through separate systems, then each fluid can be controlled independently, but the number of valves and control points increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates water valve and air valve controls within a single hydrant housing, reducing the number of separate control points from multiple distributed valves to one consolidated unit. This merging maintains independent control capability while simplifying the operational interface and reducing the total number of components.
4Productivity
If moisture is present in compressed air supply, then the air can be used for snowmaking, but equipment reliability decreases due to potential freezing and corrosion
Solution Approach 1:
The system includes a drainage mechanism that extracts and removes moisture from the compressed air supply line. By taking out the harmful moisture component before it reaches the snowmaking gun, the system maintains snowmaking capability while preventing the reliability issues that would result from moisture accumulation, such as freezing and corrosion.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The dual auto hydrant system enhances operational efficiency by allowing controlled access to water and air sources, reducing energy consumption, and preventing water freezing, thereby improving snowmaking operations and reducing maintenance costs.
Implementation Method 1
a compressed air channel selectively openable or closable by the piston between a compressed air inlet and a compressed air outlet
Implementation Method 2
a water channel selectively openable or closable by the piston between a water inlet and a water outlet
Implementation Method 3
a moisture separating filter to ensure dry compressed air
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 1C
AI summary
The invention is a dual auto hydrant configured to interface independent pressurized water and compressed air sources with snowmaking equipment, such as a snowmaking gun and methods of using same.