In winter, residents of large cities located in the northern regions of the country can observe on the streets workers of public utilities, saving sidewalks and roads from snow. After heavy rainfall, daily volumes of harvested masses can amount to tens of tons, which are removed by snow plows. At the sight of such paintings, many probably wonder about how snow removal ends. What happens to him next? The answer is to start with a description of the overall snow removal process.
Snow disposal process
In winter, city administrations organize special snow disposal facilities. The work on getting rid of snow masses begins with cleaning with special equipment and the efforts of workers. Then there is a collection of precipitation in reception complexes, which can be both stationary and mobile. In the future, a snow-melting installation comes into operation, which produces recycling. As a rule, work is organized in a continuous mode and involves several units of cleaning equipment. Trucks can take snow masses from streets, roads, squares and tracks, and then dump them into special bunkers. Further work depends on the type of snow melting complex.
The device of domestic snow melting machines
In the most common version, Russian snow melters include a heat generating unit, an acceptance hopper and a separate installation for filtering. A snow melting plant of this type can use diesel or gas burners as an element for heating . A feature of such structures is the possibility of using thermal radiation from exhaust gases through the formation of heated air above the snow cover. In addition, the water obtained after processing does not come into contact with the exhaust emissions, therefore units of this type are also beneficial from an environmental point of view.
Such a snow melter has a significant minus, which lies in the inability to process masses with a high concentration of garbage. It is known that snow utilization provides for thorough filtering, after which branches, household waste, stones, sand, etc. remain. If the incoming mass contains too large volumes of foreign objects, then the team serving the installation will have to take special measures to clean the station itself from debris .
Principle of operation
A heating element in the form of a burner generates hot exhaust gas streams that are directed through a heat exchanger located near the snow reservoir. Heated gas in the process of moving along a turbulent flow heats the heat exchanger material, due to which further heat transfer occurs. In the latest versions, the snow melting plant provides double exposure to heat fluxes. In more advanced designs, heated water layers form ascending flows and transfer heat to the loaded snow masses.
To implement the principle of double thermal exposure, the design is developed with the expectation of mixing flows. With this scheme, heat transfer occurs both directly from the burners and from heated reservoirs. Such installations have a system for the forced transfer of heated water. Technically, this is achieved through special equipment - as a rule, snow melting stations of this type are equipped with irrigation systems and pumps. Exhaust gas masses enter the upper zone of the heat exchanger, which already in the cooled state enter the atmosphere through the collector.
The device of foreign snow melting units
The most functional and productive installations offer Canadian developers. In particular, models working on the basis of immersion burners have proven themselves well. The advantages of such equipment include the high efficiency of the thermal process. The design uses a burner placed in the water, therefore, direct contact of the flame with water is realized in a special chamber. This configuration virtually eliminates heat loss.
In addition to the function of traditional L-shaped burners, a Canadian-made snow melting plant is also capable of providing a “dry start” without first filling the hopper with water. Under the immersion heating elements provides a lot of free space, which is used to collect garbage. Perhaps this is the main positive difference between this snow melter and the domestic design. In the process of using such machines, there are practically no problems with blockages, as garbage is removed through a special hatch located at the rear of the unit.
Varieties of Snow Thawers
In addition to the fundamental separation of snow melters by design features, there are also classifications according to the installation method and type of fuel used for burners. As for the type of installation, the machines are divided into mobile and stationary. The former are able to process snow masses directly at the gathering place, while the latter serve as technical support for special points. A snow melting machine can use heating systems, sewage energy, waste water, diesel or other organic fuel as a fuel source. Combination of several heat sources is also practiced, each of which is used in the most favorable conditions for it.
Cost of equipment
Manufacturers sell installations in various formats of technical performance. This may be a small melting station with low productivity, and complexes that can serve the whole city. In the initial segment, snow-melting plants are presented, the prices for which are 300-500 thousand rubles. If you need to fully equip the point of acceptance and further processing of snow masses, then you should prepare for an investment of 1-1.5 million. You also need to consider that you may need separate services for the design and installation of equipment - in this case we can talk about amounts of 100- 200 thousand
Conclusion
The fight against snow cover only from the outside seems to be a simple event, with which utilities should be managed without problems. But not always snow removal provides an acceptable result. The same applies to the final stage of the event - the disposal of snow masses. The more productive and functional the snow melting plant, the more efficiently the remaining cleaning steps are performed. Modern models of snow melts in order to save money are interfaced with other communication systems. For example, combining with heating channels and sewerage can save fuel energy and optimize the operation of equipment.