Abstract

Snow-making apparatus comprises the combination of a bulk water nozzle for projecting a spray of water particles into the air, and a plurality of nucleators for injecting ice particles (nuclei) into the spray to provide nucleation sites about the water particles freeze and form snow particles or crystals. Each nucleator comprises discrete nozzles for respectively projecting air and water particles to a location at which they collide in the open air to form ice particles. Because the ice particles are formed "externally" of any housing, the "freeze-up" problem associated with the "internal-mix" nucleators of the prior art is avoided. Preferably, each of the water nozzles of the external mix nucleators projects a relatively thin "sheet" of water which collides with a similar pattern of compressed air which acts (a) to break-up the water into relatively tiny droplets (e.g. 5-100 microns in size) which quickly freeze to form the ice nuclei of about the same size, and (b) to project a relatively flat pattern of ice nuclei towards the bulk water spray.