In winter, often the streets of the city are covered with mountains of snow. To clear the carriageway and sidewalks, snowplows are used. Special service removes rubble. And what happens to the cleaned snow? Where is it taken and how is it processed? The answer to this can be found in the article.
Need for snow melting
Snow melting plants are necessary in order to melt large masses of snow in a short time. Melt water is then discharged into the sewer or drainage system directly from the location of the installation. The main advantage of the unit is that when cleaning the streets you can not take snow to specially prepared sites. This significantly reduces the cost of street cleaning and saves a lot of time.
The modern market offers a wide range of snow melting plants, which can differ in functionality, size and principle of operation. Units can be located in various parts of the city: in shopping centers, on playgrounds, in parks, courtyards and other places. Savings when using such a device is about 60%, compared with the traditional disposal of snow.
Principle of operation
Despite the wide variety of snow melting plants, the principle of operation is the same. It is based on the use of heat energy, which leads to the rapid melting of snow. The design consists of several compartments: a hopper, a heat generator, and also a filtration system. The main part of the installation is located underground.
On the surface there is a mesh grate for filtering the poured snow. This helps prevent unwanted objects from entering the device. The bunker is located deeper underground. The main functions are carried out there - melting snow and draining the resulting water into the sewer system. The bunker itself is divided into two compartments, snow masses enter one, and heat generators are located in the other, the role of which is played by burners that can operate both on diesel and gas fuels.
Another filter is located under the hopper as additional protection against the entry of debris into the sewer network. After the snow has melted, the second mechanism drives the melt water through the second filter. After that, the water enters the local water treatment plant and undergoes another degree of purification, getting rid of sand particles and small impurities. This helps prevent clogging of drainage and sewage systems.
Types of snow melting plants: mobile and stationary
Installations share:
- By the method of moving the installation and loading of snow - stationary and mobile.
- By type of heat source - external and internal (own).
- The intensity of snow melting is active and passive.
The vast majority of snow melting models work on the principle of melting snow with heated water. The difference between such devices is only whereby the water in the hopper is heated. This may be an apparatus powered by electricity, gas, diesel, solid fuel.
The snow melter can be equipped with its own heat generator (burner), and can use an external one. The latter type of device includes models melting snow using fumes from a boiler room, warm wastewater from a sewage system or waste water from a thermal power plant. Such models are quite in demand. Such devices, as a rule, are stationary.Mobile snow melter burners run on electricity, gas or diesel.
Maintenance and care
The reliability and efficiency of the machine directly depend on the quality of its service. The overwhelming part of the work of maintenance personnel consists in timely cleaning of the receiver and the hopper from unwanted debris and foreign objects. Reliable operation of any machine depends on the timely check and prevention of malfunctions.
When choosing a model for operation, the level of contamination of the cleaned area and the nature of the pavement are taken into account, because it is important to choose an apparatus with a filter, crusher, or another available option.
DIY snow melting plant
Factory snow melters have many advantages, including a guarantee, the ability to process large volumes of snow, as well as a wide range of models that differ in the type of fuel used, power, the ability to work in manual and automatic modes, and much more. However, the cost of such devices is high, the dimensions are huge, and for proper operation requires special personnel. In this regard, many people prefer snow-melting plants of their own production. Such devices are very popular among summer residents and land owners.
The most popular snow melting option is done according to the following principle:
- Take a capacity of about 100 liters. You can make one of several sheets of stainless steel.
- At the bottom of the resulting hopper, holes are made for installing pipes to drain water. As pipes fit ordinary hoses.
- A generator can be used as a burner, in its absence - warm water from the house. However, for the second option, additional pipes will be required to connect the heating system to the installation.
Such a mini-snow melting plant does not differ in cunning and multifunctionality, however, it is perfectly suited for small areas and volumes of snow.