Snow cannon
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A snow cannon (also called snowgun, snow maker or snow fan) is a device used to produce snow artificially. The term artificial snow is mistakenly used for the produced snow; a more accurate term is man-made snow. A snow cannon works by atomizing water with compressed air and allowing it to freeze into snow. The device is often used by ski hills and ski resorts to supplement naturally occurring snow and extend the skiing season. However, for the purposes of skiing, most enthusiasts consider man-made snow to be inferior to naturally occurring snow. This is due to the fact that man-made snow does not form snow flakes like natural snow; instead, man made snow forms crystals that are more dense than natural snowflakes.
A snow cannon usually consists of a high pressure water nozzle onto which a high pressure jet of air is blown. Pressurized water flows from a high pressure hose, which forms small droplets of water. The droplets are then blown on by a high pressure air hose to break them up even farther into tiny droplets (almost a mist). If the surrounding air temperature is near or below freezing, the droplets of water tend to evaporate and rapidly cool. This method only works when the ambient air is at 0°C (32°F) or lower.
If the relative humidity is low (10%), artificial snow can be made when the temperature is as high as 4.5°C (40 °F). This is possible because of the rapid evaporation and evaporative cooling caused by the low humidity. If the wet bulb temperature is below -2°C (28.4°F), snow can be made. There is a direct relationship between relative humidity and air temperature which affects the quality of snow.
Homemade snow cannons are gaining in popularity.
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