Snowmaking System Engineering

SMS Engineering ProcessDelta SMS advantages

Snowmaking System Engineering Procedure

1. Site survey
2. Data collection for design


1. Preliminary Design Phase:

  1. 1) Site Survey: required facilities location & soil status
  2. 2) MCB location, Sizing, Layout
  3. 3) Pipeline Mountain Distribution & Specification(Air & Water)
  4. 4) Drainage Vault location
  5. 5) Underground Tank Location & Sizing
  6. 6) Weather Station Location
  7. 7) Major Equipment Specification:
    • Air Compressor
    • Water Pump
    • Fluid Cooler
    • Motor Control Center
    • Control Valve
  8. 8) Air/Water Hydrant Location
  9. 9) System schematic Flow Diagram
  10. 10) Control System schematic Design
  11. 11) Power One-Line Diagram
  12. 12) Power Receptacle Location for Fan Gun
  13. 13) Motor List
  14. 14) Air & Vacuum Vent Location
  15. 15) Valve Schedule
  16. 16) Application Standards

2. Project Schedule

3. Procurement Schedule for the Equipment

4. Construction Schedule

Detail design Drawing list

  1. 1) Process & Instrumentation Diagram
  2. 2) Air/Water Pipeline Mountain Distribution
  3. 3) Air/Water Piping Details
  4. 4) Air/Water Hydrants Mountain Layout
  5. 5) Air/Water Hydrants Assembly Details
  6. 6) MCB Control Room Details
  7. 7) MCB Control Room Details
  8. 8) MCB & PPH General Layout, Elevations, Foundations
  9. 9) MCB & PPH Foundation Section & Details
  10. 10) Garage Building Layout & Foundation Details
  11. 11) MCB Air System Isometric Drawings
  12. 12) MCB Cooling System Isometric
  13. 13) PPH Water System Isometric
  14. 14) PPH water System Layout
  15. 15) PPH water System Sections & Details
  16. 16) MCB Air Intake System
  17. 17) MCB Air System Layout
  18. 18) MCB Air System Sections & Details
  19. 19) MCB Cooling System Layout
  20. 20) MCB Cooling System Sections
  21. 21) MCB Instrument Air Plan
  22. 22) MCB Instrument Air Section & Details
  23. 23) Instrumentation & Control Plan
  24. 24) Instrument & Control Devices Arrangement
  25. 25) Power System One Line Diagram
  26. 26) Electrical power Distribution Plan
  27. 27) MCB & PPH lighting Plan
  28. 28) Control & Instrumentation Typical Details
  29. 29) Fan-gun Power Outlet Station
  30. 30) Fan-gun Power Mountain Distribution
  31. 31) Pump & Compressor Starter Diagram of Principle
  32. 32) Control System Plan
  33. 33) Instrument Air Compressor Diagram of Principle
  34. 34) Solenoid Valve Control termination Diagram
  35. 35) Drain Valve Vault Controller Layout & Wiring Diagram
  36. 36) Control System Terminal Enclosure Layout & Wiring Diagram
  37. 37) Pump & Compressor Motor RTD's Termination Wiring Diagram
  38. 38) Motor Space Heater Control Termination Diagram
  39. 39) Control Valve Pneumatic Schematic Diagram
  40. 40) AC & DC Power Supply & Communications Diagram
  41. 41) Communications System Termination Diagram
  42. 42) Weather Station Layout & Details
  43. 43) Others if necessary


Delta Snowmaking System Special Advantages

Delta Snowmaking Systems have a distinct advantage over other snowmaking systems because of Delta’s integrated high technology concepts that produce more snow on a “System Wide Basis” more efficiently and at a lower cost.

The Integrated High Technology is the:

  1. Delta design and engineering-specialized techniques and over 30 years of proven results.
  2. Higher Air Pressure of 10.3bar(150psi) that results in more efficient snowmaking because of the effective available energy delivered at the gun to remove heat from the water. The terminal velocity of the water droplet is lower because of the smaller droplet size therefore providing a longer flight time for total freeze out of the water particle. Higher air pressure is also more effective at marginal temperatures. On a system performance basis the higher air pressure will perform approximately 40% better than systems running at 7bars air pressure.
  3. The Delta Control System Software for full & semi automatic interactive control can increase the snowmaking performance by as much as 50% over manually run systems.Air compressionAir compression2
    ● Advantages of Snoforce™ FULL-AUTOMATIC SYSTEM

    1. General
      1. Fastest on-line and off-line method of control for starting-up and shutting-down of the snowmaking system. This features advantage is equivalent to approximately an additional 2.7% increase in snowmaking production over a semi-automatic system.
      2. The automatic system adjustments to the nozzles then temperature changes occur are performed more quickly. This enables the system to have almost full utilization of the snowmaking window of operation. An additional 2% increase in the snowmaking production is achieved by using this method of control over the semi automatic system.
      3. The automatic system can be programmed to make snow in certain area by priority each day. The automatic system, in theory, can be started up and operational without operators or snowmaking crews. This includes the plant machinery and snow-guns on the fill.
    1. Technology
      1. As per A-a) above, the calculation is as follows; (for example) total snowmaking hours 494 over a 40 day period. Even if the snowmaking system shut-down every day and restarted every day, the maximum would be 40 starts @ 30 nozzles @ 20 seconds each = 6.6 hours.
        The semi automatic start for 30 nozzles is approximately 30 minutes x 40 starts = 20 hours. The differential is 13.6 hours at 13.6/494 = 2.7%
      2. As per A-c) above, the estimate is as follows; the response time of full automatic or Delta semi-automatic is negligible because Delta AUTOTRAK dose the same thing as full automatic to follow temperature changes. Resetting and adjustment is estimated at 10 hours or 10/494 = 2%
      3. Depending upon labor law, the system could theoretically operate without personnel.
    1. Economics
      1. The combination of B-a and B-b above would increase snowmaking production by approximately 4.7%.
  1. The Delta nozzle. The Delta nozzle on a system wide basis can increase the system performance by as much as 40% to 80% over other snowmaking nozzles. This highly efficient air/water ratio nozzle is the end producer of snow that uses lower air consumption per volume of water consumption than other snowmaking nozzles.

  1. FUEL TANK
    No fuel tank was specified because no engine driven compressors were recommended.
  2. WATER COOLING
    No water cooling tower was specified because Delta does not recommend water cooling towers as an economical investment for the rate of increase in snowmaking production until the water temperature exceeds 12℃.
  3. BOOSTER PUMP HOUSE
    Delta snowmaking system design for the client does not require the use of any booster pump houses therefore none are specified.
  4. VALVE BLOCK HOUSE-M.O.V.FIELD LINE ISOLATION
    Delta snowmaking design for the client does not require or recommend the use of Valve Block Houses and Motor Operated Line Isolation Valves. The pipeline is a circulatory design buried to 1.5m that does not require the use of that equipment.