défi-16

#2 MECHANICAL SNOW REMOVAL: HOW DO YOU COOL THE WATER?

Virtually all ski resorts now use snow cannons to perfect their snow cover. This need will only become more pronounced in the coming years as temperatures rise.

In this context, it is important to be able to optimise the manufacture of artificial snow by trying to reduce the various resources used, both in terms of the water used and the energy required.

ISSUES

  • The efficiency of the process of creating artificial snow depends on many factors, such as the temperature of the ambient air and its humidity level, the temperature of the water that is sprayed, the length of time the cannon is used, etc.
  • Obviously, we have little influence or real leverage to influence ambient temperature and humidity. The length of time the guns are used to obtain a certain volume of artificial snow is strongly correlated with these parameters and the temperature of the water.
  • One of the only possible ways of influencing and improving artificial snow production is therefore to manage water temperature.
  • This parameter is crucial to the efficiency of artificial snowmaking: the lower it is, the shorter the gun can be used, regardless of other external parameters. The energy used to produce snow is therefore reduced, as is the volume of water needed to obtain a given volume of snow.
  • As far as possible, we would therefore like to be able to reduce the temperature of this water so as to maximise the efficiency of the cannons, without adversely affecting the overall energy balance of the process. What’s more, the proposed solution should be cost-effective in the medium term and not require too much investment to implement (like passive cooling towers, for example).

DESIRED AREAS OF INNOVATION

  • Reduced set-up costs
  • Reducing the overall energy balance
  • Increased production of artificial snow

CONTACT

Fabien Navilloux

Head of Mechanical Snowmaking

+41 79 833 48 35

f.navilloux@televerbier.ch

 

Lionel May

Operations Manager

+41 27 775 26 80

l.may@televerbier.ch

 

TELEVERBIER

Route de Médran 41
1936 Verbier

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THE CHALLENGE HOLDER

Téléverbier is the largest ski lift company in French-speaking Switzerland, managing and operating 3 ski areas (Verbier, La Tzoumaz and Bruson). With 36 installations, 203 km of pistes and a maximum altitude of 3,300 m, Téléverbier offers ski and other snow sports enthusiasts access to a veritable white paradise.

www.televerbier.ch