Operation "snowmelt" Snow melters. Do-it-yourself snowplow: a worthy alternative to factory models Do-it-yourself snow melting

Collecting snow from city streets is only half the battle, it still needs to be disposed of. To do this, operating organizations organize either the removal of snow mass out of the city by dump trucks, or they use snow melting plants that convert snow into a liquid state and drain water into the sewer.

Snowfalls here in Russia happen, as you know, suddenly. And snow removal, especially in large cities, during this period of time turns into a real military operation with the mobilization of all available means and forces. However, collecting snow mass from the roadway and yard driveways is only half the battle. It still needs to be disposed of. How to do it? The easiest way is to load the snow into dump trucks and take it outside the city limits. However, this raises the question: where to pour it? Snow is not garbage, and therefore landfills are not relevant. You can just dump in the field. During the snowy winter, “Mamayev Kurgan” will gather, which will melt almost until mid-summer, raising the groundwater level, flooding village basements and communications. And then, did anyone think that this field will grow? After all, along with snow, de-icing reagents, spilled fuels and lubricants on the road, wear products of brake pads, etc. are also taken out of the cities. As practice shows, trees die from such a cocktail. However, this did not bother anyone before, and even now it does not bother the authorities of a number of small provincial towns with a meager budget.

Another way to dispose of snow is to throw it into the bed of a nearby river. A classic of the genre - right from the city embankment. The logic is simple: snow is the same water, only in a different physical state. It is possible to do so, but how will the inhabitants of the reservoir react to the pollutants mentioned above? And then, will it be possible to avoid overflowing the banks of this river, when the ice begins to drift in the spring and the water artery comes to life?

Another way to get rid of snow is to throw it into a sewer sewer. The idea, in general, is not bad, since the water flowing through the pipe has a positive temperature, which means that this thermal energy is capable of turning snow into water for free with optimal (!) Snow supply to the collector. However, we note that the wastewater temperature is low, which means that the performance of such a snow melter may not be sufficient to ensure the processing of large volumes of snow. If the operator increases the supply of mass to the collector by an amount greater than what the system is capable of melting, then this can lead to blockage of the pipe with all the ensuing (in the literal sense!) consequences. In addition, the direct supply of snow to wastewater does not guarantee that sand and household debris will not get there with it. The first, falling to the bottom, narrows the cross section of the pipe, which means that sooner or later it will have to be cleaned. The second can generally lead to serious blockages. But since the idea itself looks attractive, it is only necessary to improve the recycling technology a little - not to dump snow and ice into the sewer, but water. To do this, the snow mass must be melted and cleaned of debris. This purpose is served by snow melters, or, as they are commonly called, snow melters.

Types of snow melters

Snow melting complexes can be mobile, that is, have their own chassis, or be transported on other vehicles. As a rule, standard trailers or axle units from them are used, if the snow melter has its own supporting frame or subframe. With regard to installations of relatively small capacity, say up to 500 m 3 of snow per day, the wheels can be of small diameter, which reduces the loading height. The operating organization has the opportunity to use frontal mini-loaders to load snow into the receiving compartment. They, along with other equipment, simultaneously collect snow in the service area. Thanks to mobility, snow melters can be quickly transferred from one object to another. As a rule, complexes of small capacity are used in courtyards, compact park areas, and other areas where there is a shortage of space. If we are talking about installations of high productivity, 1000 or more m 3 of snow per day, then they are based on powerful trailers or semi-trailers. This technique is in no way inferior to the classic, relocatable installations, but it is not tied to any particular place. The main thing is to organize access to the water drain point.

The movable complexes mentioned above are delivered to the sites either by trucks equipped with hydraulic hook lifts or by classic gantry trucks. The type of loading mechanism is determined by the mass and overall dimensions of the snow melter. Since the movable units do not have their own running gear, their location at certain points in the city in winter is negotiated with the municipality in advance. The snow mass is loaded into the receiving hopper, as a rule, by a medium-class front loader, which is tied to a short-term snow storage area. Dump trucks operating on the “short arm” are transported to it by snow masses from the surrounding area. In some cases, the productivity of such installations exceeds 1500 m 3 of snow per day. The disadvantage of the equipment is that the operating organization must allocate a site at its base for its seasonal storage. And of course, for transportation to the place of work, a truck with a lifting mechanism is needed.

The most productive snow melting complexes are stationary. They, as a rule, are mounted on snow storage sites, to which dump trucks transport snow from all parts of the city. Since stationary installations do not change their location during their operation, they are provided with all the necessary engineering communications at the design stage. In fact, we are talking about capital construction with all the ensuing difficulties. As a rule, cheap natural gas or thermal networks are used as an energy source. In the latter case, the complexes are located in the immediate vicinity of boiler houses, thermal power plants and other industrial facilities. Since the stationary complex is capable of processing more than 3000 m 3 of snow per day, both powerful front-end loaders and dump trucks can dump the snow mass into its receiver. In the latter case, an entrance is organized to the receiving bunker.

Note that in all cases it is necessary to organize the transportation of snow to the place of its storage, and this is money, and a lot of it. It is for this reason that the location of snow melting complexes in large cities is determined in advance, according to the distribution of the load and intensity of urban traffic. The shorter the “shoulder” of transportation, the lower the costs.

Energy for snow melting plant

Depending on the principle of operation, the thermal energy used to melt the snow mass can be transferred directly or through a heat exchanger. In the first case, the high-temperature gas resulting from the combustion of the fuel is blown through the snow mass in the receiving hopper by means of a powerful hair dryer. When cold and hot bodies come into contact, the snow passes into the liquid phase - water. With this method of melting, the combustion products of the fuel, its unburned fractions, also get into the latter, which negatively affects the environment. In the second case, the melting of the snow mass occurs when heat is transferred to it from the heat exchanger. It is a kind of system of pipes or gas pipelines through which heated liquid or hot gases pass. At the same time, there is no direct contact of the snow mass with the energy carrier, which means that there is no pollution of the water at the outlet of the snow melter. From an environmental point of view, this method of melting is preferable.

As for the fuel used by snow melters, natural gas is the cheapest type of fuel. This determines its use in stationary snow melting installations. The gas consumption for melting 1 m 3 of snow is approximately 1 m 3 . Hereinafter, we average the figures, since the consumption depends on the density of the snow mass, the presence of ice inclusions in it, etc. In general, for large cities, the option is win-win, but in practice there are problems with providing the installation with power. Connecting to a gas pipeline is a troublesome business even for the city administration and requires a number of lengthy approvals from various inspections. In addition, an industrial facility connected to a gas pipeline must meet a number of requirements, and very strict ones, in terms of safety. For this reason, the installation is located at a relative distance from residential buildings, office buildings and other urban infrastructure facilities. In addition, the operation of a gas boiler cannot be called quiet, and combustion products must be discharged into the atmosphere. Note that in our case it does not make sense to consider the supply of natural gas from cylinders, as it is organized on vehicles. Firstly, the gas consumption by the installation is quite large, which means that large volumes are needed for its storage. This time. Filling the cylinders of the installation from a mobile gas tanker will take quite a long time. This is two. There are very few special gas tankers as such. It's three. Therefore, organizing the power supply of the installation according to an autonomous principle is extremely troublesome and very costly. We also do not consider options for boilers powered by liquefied propane-butane gas. The reason is problems with refueling cylinders. In addition, the cost of liquefied gas is higher than natural gas.

Among stationary snow melters there are models that can run on two types of fuel, such as natural gas and diesel fuel. Diesel fuel is widely used as an energy carrier for mobile installations. There is no doubt, with respect to natural gas, the cost of melting 1 m 3 of snow for diesel versions is much higher. So, the cost of fuel will be approximately 2-3 liters of diesel fuel per "cube" of snow mass. In addition, the maximum performance of the installation during heavy snowfalls may not be sufficient. And of course, the noise from the boiler and exhaust gases are not the advantages of the equipment. Nevertheless, diesel modifications are the most widely used among liquid fuel installations. There are no problems with their filling. Fuel can be purchased at any gas station. The payback period is relatively short. In addition, the design of diesel burners has been worked out to perfection over many years of production.

Now about water and electric heating systems. In the first case, to connect the snow melter, or rather its heat exchanger, it is necessary to “crash” into the heating network. It can be a hot water pipeline or a heating line. In fact, we get a similarity to a stationary one, tied to a specific installation site, but with a significantly lower (up to 25–30 m 3 / h) productivity. This is a yard option that works without noise and does not emit exhaust into the atmosphere. Steam doesn't count. Note that all maintenance of the installation, in fact, comes down to checking the tightness of the heat exchanger circuit. Any plumber can do this.

As for electric heaters, let's say right away that it is unprofitable to use heating elements for melting snow. So, in order to melt 1 m 3 of snow mass, about 25 kW is needed. In general, this is an expensive pleasure if there is no nuclear power plant nearby or the city does not compensate for the costs.

In winter, residents of large cities located in the northern regions of the country can observe utility workers on the streets, relieving sidewalks and roads from snow. After heavy rainfall, daily volumes of harvested masses can amount to tens of tons, which are taken out by snow plows. At the sight of such pictures, many are probably wondering how the snow removal ends. What happens to him next? The answer should start with a description of the general snow removal process.

Technological process of snow disposal

City administrations in winter organize special points for the disposal of snow. Work on getting rid of snow masses begins with cleaning with special equipment and the efforts of workers. Further, the precipitation is collected in receiving complexes, which can be both stationary and mobile. In the future, the snow-melting plant comes into operation, which makes the disposal. As a rule, the work is organized in a streaming mode and involves several units. Trucks can bring snow masses from streets, roads, squares and paths, 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, a receiving hopper and a separate installation for filtering. As an element for heating, a snow melting installation of this type can use diesel or diesel engines. A feature of such structures is the possibility of using them by forming heated air above the snow cover. In addition, the water obtained after processing does not come into contact with the generated exhaust, therefore, units of this type are also beneficial from an environmental point of view.

Such a snow melter also has a significant disadvantage, which is the inability to process masses with a high concentration of debris. It is known that the disposal of snow provides for thorough filtration, after which branches, household waste, stones, sand, etc. remain. .

Principle of operation

The heating element in the form of a burner generates streams of hot exhaust gases, which are directed through a heat exchanger located close to the snow reservoir. The heated gas in the process of moving along a turbulent flow heats the material of the heat exchanger, due to which further heat transfer occurs. In the latest modifications, the snow melting plant provides double exposure to heat fluxes. In more advanced designs, heated water layers form updrafts and transfer heat to loaded snow masses.

To implement the principle of double thermal action, the design is developed with the expectation of mixing flows. With this scheme, heat transfer occurs both directly from the burners and from the heated formations. Such installations have a system of forced transfer of heated water. Technically, this is ensured by means of special equipment - as a rule, snow melting points of this type are equipped with irrigation systems and pumps. The exhaust gas masses enter the upper zone of the heat exchanger, which, already in a cooled state, exit into the atmosphere through the collector.

The device of foreign snow-melting units

The most functional and productive installations are offered by Canadian developers. In particular, models based on submersible 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 water, so direct contact of the flame with water in a special chamber is realized. This configuration virtually eliminates heat loss.

In addition to the function of traditional L-shaped burners, the snow melting unit of Canadian origin is also capable of providing a “dry start” without first filling the bunker with water. Under the immersion heating elements, there is a lot of free space, which is used for collecting debris. 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, since debris is removed through a special hatch located at the rear of the unit.

Varieties of snow melters

In addition to the fundamental division of snow melters according to design features, there are also classifications according to the method of installation and the type of fuel used for burners. As for the type of installation, the machines are divided into mobile and stationary. The former are capable of processing masses of snow directly at the collection point, while the latter serve as technical support for special points. As a fuel source, a snow melter can use heating networks, sewage energy, waste water, diesel or other organic fuel. The combination of several heat sources is also practiced, each of which is used in the most favorable conditions for it.

Cost of equipment

Manufacturers implement installations in various technical formats. It can be a small smelting station with low productivity, or complexes capable of serving an entire city. In the initial segment, snow melters are presented, the prices for which are 300-500 thousand rubles. If full equipment of the point of acceptance and further processing of snow masses is required, then one should prepare for an investment of 1-1.5 million. 200 thousand

Conclusion

The fight against snow cover only from the side seems to be a simple event, which should be managed without problems by public utilities. But snow removal does not always provide 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 other stages of cleaning are performed. Modern models of snow melters are also interfaced with other communication systems in order to save money. For example, combination with heating channels and sewerage allows saving fuel energy and optimizing the process of equipment operation.

Russia, as you know, is a northern country, and winters in most of its territory are severe and snowy. The last factor in many respects distinguishes the Russian winter from, say, the European winter.
To paraphrase the well-known expression “Generals are always ready for the last war”, we can say that most utilities (and others who are faced with the need to dispose of snow) are always ready for last winter. But winter always comes unexpectedly for them, bringing with it blizzards and snowfalls. That, in turn, entails regular traffic problems.
According to the practice that has been preserved since Soviet times, snow on city streets is not disposed of. It is collected and dumped by dump trucks to landfills outside the city, which is inefficient and completely uneconomical. This practice results in the payment of a large number of hours of work for people and equipment, tons of diesel fuel, and in addition, it takes a large amount of resources from utilities, which are forced to send trucks to fight snow, and not to some more economically viable projects. It should also be noted that in some cases, especially after heavy snowfalls, columns of dump trucks loaded with snow themselves create traffic jams, especially at the exits from the city.
However, in our time there is a more cost-effective and convenient means of solving this problem. This is a snow melter (it is also a snow melter) or a stationary snow melting point.
Snow melters are classified:

• by type of movement - into movable (mobile) and stationary. Moving installations, in turn, are divided into transportable (trailed and other types) and self-propelled;
• according to the method of loading the snow mass - by an excavator or front loader, built-in snow feeder (self-propelled), with dump loading (snow melting plants);
• according to the type of heat source used - external (for example, hot water from a common DHW system) or own (diesel engine, coal firebox);
• according to the method of melting snow - active or passive.

In most modern devices, the snow entering the receiving hopper is melted with heated water. The only question is how exactly to heat this water.

Heat sources for snow melters can be:
Electrical installation (water is heated by heating elements). The snow melter can be equipped with its own mini-power plant, for example, on diesel fuel, or be connected to a common electrical network;
Burner operating on gas, liquid or solid fuel;
Hot water from the public water supply system;
Steam from the boiler room;
Return water coming from CHP;
Sewer drains.
When choosing a snow melter, first of all, you need to consider how much snow and ice mass will pass through it. Mobile snow melters are usually diesel or electric. Diesel fuel installations spend on melting one cubic meter of snow, depending on the power, 3-4 liters of fuel per hour. Electric for the same amount of snow - an average of 30 kW / h. Both of them are advisable to use for melting a small amount of snow, when loading about 5-6 cubic meters per hour.
If it is necessary to dispose of significantly large volumes of snow, you should pay attention to stationary snow melting points (snow melting plants). They operate, as a rule, either from a hot water supply system, or from industrial water discharged by a local thermal power plant, or ... from sewerage systems.
It is the last version of the snow melting machine that is the most cost-effective in terms of economics. The temperature of sewage, even in winter, is always stable, it is approximately +17 degrees Celsius. This is enough to melt the snow.
Thus, wastewater is an almost free source of thermal energy.

General scheme and principle of operation.
Structurally, the snow melter consists of a receiving compartment equipped with a crusher and a separator, a melting chamber, a heater and an engine (if necessary) and a collector connected to a common sewage system.
The receiving compartment of a stationary snow melter is necessary, since in Russia there is no pure snow in cities. In the receiving compartment, snow and ice pass through a crusher that splits large pieces, and a separator that separates debris - fallen leaves, stones, tree branches and other non-meltable elements. Note that in the case of mobile snow melters, the role of the crusher and separator, as a rule, is played by manpower - workers breaking ice and sorting garbage.
In the melting chamber, the cleaned snow is mixed with warm water, melts, and the melting products are discharged through the collector into the general sewerage system. The heater (if any) can be placed both directly in the melting chamber and outside it. Also in the snow melter there may be a mixer device that mixes the snow mass to accelerate melting.
Typical layout of a snow melter with its own heat source:

Drawing by Sergei Zhuravsky

A) The heater is placed directly in the melting chamber.

Drawing by Sergei Zhuravsky

B) The heater is placed outside the melting chamber.

Maintenance of snow melting installations.

The quality of work of any snow melting machine is directly proportional to the “quality” of the snow mass loaded into it. Practice shows that 95% of all maintenance of any snow melter consists in cleaning the receiver from various debris.
The snow collected on the roads contains dirt, rubble, fallen leaves, broken branches - everything that can be found on the city highway. A snow blower that works for the benefit of public highways needs more operator control than a snow blower that clears snow from the roofs of buildings or any closed area. When choosing a snow melter, it is important to consider the degree of normal snow contamination at the future site of its operation in order to determine whether you need a model with a crusher and a separator, or you can get by with a less expensive one. But any snow melter needs periodic cleaning of the melting chamber.
On average, with the correct selection of the installation, taking into account the approximate level of contamination of the snow-ice mass in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bits operation (a machine with a separation function should work in the “dirty” area), the snow melting chamber usually needs to be cleaned once a week. It should be noted that one of the factors on which the cleaning rate depends is the internal configuration of the melting chamber. In addition, models of snow melters equipped with a mixer are more difficult to maintain.
Also, the collector, through which the discharge of the snow melter is connected to the sewer, is subjected to periodic inspection and cleaning, if necessary. Some models of snow melters have exhaust filters that can also become clogged.
Stationary snow smelters running on waste water have their own unique treatment systems and, accordingly, a maintenance schedule.

Domestic and foreign snow-melting installations.
At present, snow melting installations (SPU) are represented on the Russian market in a fairly wide range. It includes domestic brands - "OSA", "Gorynych", SPU produced by LLC "Totem" and foreign - products of the companies "TRECAN", "Snow Dragon" and some others.
Let us give as an example a description of three samples of mobile SPU of domestic and foreign production. When calculating the performance, we agree to assume that one cubic meter of loaded raw, melting snow weighs approximately 400 kg. In total, 1 ton of snow has a volume of approximately 2.5 cubic meters.

Diesel SPU D-30 manufactured by Gorynych LLC.
This snow melter belongs to the class of mobile non-self-propelled (transportable) installations. The method of transportation is a platform with a hook loader. Machine type - diesel two-volume SPU with loading of snow mass by a forklift.

Main technical data D-30:

The D-30 snow melter is the second in terms of power increase in the range of diesel snow melters of the Russian Gorynych brand. With a relatively compact size for its class, it is well suited for installation in a large enterprise, given its high performance.

Viktor Krokhin, factory representative, Tver:
“We purchased a D-30 snow melter to clean the internal territory of the enterprise - roads, roofs of workshops and an office building. For us, the main thing is that the roads are cleaned quickly. I want to note that it is very important to immediately choose the right place for installing the machine so that trucks delivering snow do not interfere with other vehicles - we, for example, have buses running around the territory. And so the system as a whole is quite satisfied. For our needs, its performance is enough.”

Snow melting machine SPU-5 "Totem" from the company "VTK-prom".
This domestic development also belongs to the class of diesel mobile snow melters. The installation is carried out on the basis of a towed trailer platform, on which an aggregate compartment with a fuel tank and a control panel, a snow-ice mass melting chamber and a water discharge sector connected to the sewerage system are mounted in one housing.

Main technical data of SPU-5 “Totem”:

The SPU-5 "Totem", with dimensions similar to the D-30, is more mobile and, thanks to the trailer scheme, is better adapted to frequent changes in deployment. But you have to pay twice as much power for this. SPU-5 is well suited as a vehicle for operational snow removal in case of emergency. By the way, the manufacturer also offers a modification of the SPU-5, which runs on gas.

Lidia Korobeynikova, employee of the housing and communal services enterprise, Voronezh:
“If the mountain does not go to Mohammed, then Mohammed will go to the mountain. We needed a snow melter that can be easily transported from place to place. He connected it to the sewer, melted the snow, hitched the car to a tractor and towed it to another area of ​​the city. We usually don't get a lot of snow, so the SPU-5 copes quite well. The main thing is that it is unpretentious in maintenance.”

Snow melter TRECAN 20-PD
This is a diesel towed mobile unit of the Canadian manufacturer TRECAN, which has been producing snow melting equipment for about half a century. It is made according to a single-circuit scheme, equipped with a “dry” start function, that is, it does not require mandatory filling of the melting tank with water. The machine has an on-board computer, it is able to independently filter out sand, gravel and other non-melting elements. They are placed in a special compartment and removed manually after the machine is stopped.

Main technical data of TRECAN 20-PD:

As can be seen from the table, TRECAN 20-PD is the most productive and powerful of the snow melters reviewed in our review. This model is the most advanced in technical terms, which, of course, cannot but affect its price. Nevertheless, TRECAN snow melters are actively used by many enterprises in Russia, although some users note that in Russian realities this machine is serviced by the capriciousness of domestic analogues.

Alexander Almazov, head of the warehouse complex, Surgut:
“Do you know how much snow we get in winter? The mountains. Siberia anyway. We specifically decided to buy a “Canadian”, with the expectation that conditions in Canada are similar to ours. In addition, it was important for us to have a separator, since there is enough technical waste in the industrial area. The calculations were justified, the territory is cleared of snow promptly, there are no complaints about the car. Although, of course, you need to watch her carefully.”

Comparative characteristics of SPU:

Outcome:
In our review, we got acquainted with the general principles of operation of snow melters and considered three of them as a good example. The models we have chosen are united only by the fact that they all belong to the class of mobile systems running on diesel fuel. These are non-self-propelled units of a movable type, which, however, have their own diesel engine, which, of course, runs on “winter” fuel. All three units meet modern environmental requirements. At the same time, it should be noted that the installation of a Canadian manufacturer, distinguished by its technological excellence, was originally designed to work in more benign conditions, on the clean streets of Canadian cities. As practice shows, despite the built-in separator, it still requires preliminary cleaning of the snow mass from large debris.

A snow melter is a device for processing, or, in other words, melting snow and ice in an urban environment. Their use is extremely necessary in the winter season, when, after heavy snowfalls, utilities take out tons of snow that need to be disposed of. To date, 48 stationary snow melting stations operate in Moscow. How do they work - about this in today's issue!

The principle of operation of any snow melting installation is based on the use of heat, leading to the melting of snow. The installation consists of a receiving hopper or chamber, a heat generation unit and a filtration system.

On the surface of any installation there is a grating, on which trucks pour snow masses. At the first stage, the primary processing of the brought snow takes place - the gratings trap the largest debris. The very same snow-melting chamber is located inside the installation underground. It is there that the direct process of forced melting of snow takes place.

As a heating element, the snow melting plant can use diesel or gas burners. In this case, the bunker is divided into 2 compartments: burners are placed in the first, and snow masses accumulate in the second. Burners form streams of hot gases and direct them through a heat exchanger, which melts solid deposits in the chamber.

After the formation of melt water, a special mechanism filters out the remaining debris, and the liquid passes through local treatment facilities that trap sand and other small particles and is discharged into the sewer. This prevents clogging of sewers.

From the moment of unloading the snow masses and until they are completely dissolved in the melting chamber, about 3-4 minutes pass. During this time, the plant is able to process up to 10 tons of imported sediments.

There is also an easier way to melt snow - using running water. Snow masses are dumped into a bunker filled with hot water, where it melts naturally. At the same time, the snow is constantly mixed with incoming running water, heated to eighteen, and sometimes even thirty degrees. As snow masses are discharged into the smelter, the water level in the bunker rises. Excess water passes through vertical drain pipes and filters and is then discharged into the sewer network.

Stationary snow melting stations are often combined with heating channels and sewerage, which makes it possible to optimize the operation of the equipment.

In addition to stationary installations, there are also mobile stations. They work on the same principles, but due to their size they are able to melt smaller volumes of snow: about 90 cubic meters per hour versus 300. The average operating time of such a melting plant without refueling is about eight hours.

In the next snowfall collapse, I thought about whether it was possible to make a snow melting furnace with my own hands. From school, I remembered that a cubic meter of snow is 3 times less dense than water - in my mind I tried to solve the problem of how much hot water (at a temperature of 80 degrees) is needed to heat 10 m3 of snow to a temperature of +5 degrees. At the same time, it is -10 degrees outside and the snow temperature is probably also -10 degrees ...

10 m3 of snow is 3000 kg. it all comes out…. The density of water is 1 kg/l, the heat capacity is 4200 J/kg. Thus, initially we have m0 = 3000 kg of water at a temperature t0 = -10 °C. A certain amount of water with a mass m1 is added at a temperature t1 = 80 °C. The final temperature of the mixture is equal to tcon, and its mass is m0 + m1.
Let us compose the heat balance equation for the process:
m1*Cv(t1-t2) - heat released in the process;
m0*Cv(Tcon-T2) - heat received in the process;
m1*Cv*(t1*t2)=m0*Cv*(Tcon-T0)
m1=m0*((Tcon-T0)/(t1-t2)).

Thus

m1=3000*((80-(-10))/(80-5))= 3600
therefore it is necessary 3600 liters of water. Although, it seems to me somehow not correct to write that 3000 kg of snow at -10 degrees is 3000 kg. water at -10 degrees (because water will freeze at zero degrees and become ice). On the Internet, I found that the specific heat capacity of snow is 2100 J / kg ... hmm, it’s not clear, of course, what kind of snow was meant there, “powder” that had just fallen out, or packed with dirt and debris, collected in heaps .... In any case, I think it’s clear that you need from 1800 liters (if the heat capacity of snow is still 2100 J / kg) to 3600 liters (if it is closer to water, with a heat capacity of 4200 J / kg)!
Next, we calculate the parameters of the pump and heating installation. Although, there are two options here - with circulating water (and a container with heated water) and with a flowing water heater. Consider both options, but first we need the parameters of the pump.
So, it is necessary to melt our 10 m3 of snow in 10 minutes, which means that we must pump 3.6 m3 of hot water with a pump, say, in 5-8 minutes and pour them onto the snow. This is a pump with a capacity of about 500 liters per minute.

First heater option: this is if we have a container of 3600 liters in which we preheat water to 80 degrees (pumping it through a low-power heater), then dump it on the snow and melt it to +5 degrees and again draw this water into the container, and then we heat it again up to 80 degrees.
How much time do we have for this?
Probably about 15 minutes is the time until the remaining 3000 liters of water are dumped and the bunker is loaded with snow again.
So, 3600 kg of water with a heat capacity of 4200 J / kg must be heated by 75 degrees.
The energy for this is 3600 x 4200 x 75 = 1134 MJ = 315 kWh.
Moreover, if we need to do this in 15 minutes, then the heater power should be 315 x 4 = 1260 kW.

If such a heater works on diesel fuel (42624 kJ / kg), then 26.5 liters of diesel fuel are needed to melt 10 m3 of snow .... Later I looked at the fuel consumption on industrial snow melters and it says that they spend up to 30 liters of diesel fuel on this amount of snow. This is more true, since I neglected in my calculations the need to heat the bunker itself, in which the snow melts ....

Second heater option: if we don’t have any capacity, we immediately take water from the melted snow, heat it up to 80 degrees and water the snow….. We need the same energy, 315 kWh, and we need to do it in 10 minutes, this is 1890 kW heater power .

Let's see a ready-made existing analogue on this topic:


Maximum performance– 25 m³ / hour
Melting chamber capacity– 3.8 m³
Maximum fuel consumption– 3 l/m³ of snow
Time to reach operating mode at initial start- 5 minutes
Number of burners-1 PC.
Burner type– diesel with electric drive
Power consumption- 2.7 kW
- from a household network 380 V
- from the onboard power plant
Burner drive:-electric
– Autonomous – On-board power plant
- main - Network 220 V
Fuel tank capacity– 800 l
Dry weight– 2.1t
Dimensions(l / w / h) - 3.5 × 2.08 × 2

Stable operation at temperatures down to -20°С
Yeah, here we looked and calculated how ready-made industrial machines work - and now let's see what kind of machine I need?
So, I want her to go herself and eat snowdrifts in inconvenient places (between garages, cottages, in yards) - wherever it is difficult to remove snow with the help of "big" equipment.
And since she herself “eats” snow, then let her be able to polish potholes on the roads .... in general, in front it is milling-rotor let it be:


The design is not very clearly visible there, here it is essentially the same, but it can be seen much better:


Only the snow should not be thrown aside, but melted and sent to the container at the back! But how much capacity do I want? This is a very important question. Let's calculate the weight of additional units first, then it will be clear how much weight remains on the melt water tank.
So, in front we have a bucket with a milling-rotor part, it should weigh from 300 to 500 kg. At the back we have a heater and a tank for at least 150 liters of fuel. If a 150 liter tank can itself weigh 50 kg, then the oven must weigh another 200 kg. It turns out that the heater + fuel with a tank is another 400 kg or so.
About a ton or two remains on the container. Yeah, so I want a plastic container on the back:


But, if the capacity is so small in volume, then the machine will not have very high productivity - this is a big minus on one side! But there is also an advantage to this.
After all, low productivity is, first of all, a small amount of snow per minute that it removes (say 100 kg per minute), then this snow can be melted “on the spot” in the space above the bucket, install a snow melting chamber where snow comes from the bucket and hot water from the heater .
And already melted snow is taken back to the tank - this greatly simplifies the design, as it solves the problem of snow delivery! If the snow melts “on the spot”, then you don’t need to deliver it anywhere! (Instead, it is necessary to pump the melted water into a container, which is easier to do - just lay a water hose and install a pump).
Let's look at the approximate cyclicity in the operation of the machine:
With a capacity of 1500 liters, a maximum speed of 100 kg. snow per minute, the container will be filled in 15-20 minutes and, as we remember, 15 liters of fuel will burn in the heater. Then, the water is drained into the sewer - this is another 15-20 minutes. And you can start the cycle again!
Those. A "full" cycle lasts 40 minutes and on one refueling, the machine will perform 10 cycles - that's almost 7 hours of "clean" work!

During this time, the machine will be able to remove 45 m3 of snow (15 m3 of water) and burn 150 liters of diesel fuel ....

Economic part:
How much does it cost to remove snow from hard-to-reach places? I think from 300 rubles. per cube
And 45 m3 of snow is about 15,000 rubles, while the cost of 150 liters of diesel fuel is 5,000 rubles.
But, this is not taking into account the milling cutter and “polishing” of the road - I think that many residents of cottage villages will chip in for 5000 - 8000 rubles so that they cut potholes and clean at least a couple of “pockets” for passing oncoming cars .... and work there for 2 hours))
I think that various country baths, hotels, rest houses and eco-villages for tourists can become another big consumer of services - it is important for them to have good roads and normal parking inside. And if it is relatively easy for them to clear the roads (there is no need to take the snow anywhere, just “walk” with a tractor), then on their territory they only have shovels and they will quickly have large snowdrifts there!
To "polish" the road from potholes and ruts - you need a grader! Or a caterpillar tractor ... Or such a machine with a cutter and the ability to quickly and cheaply transport the machine out of town.
And in the parking lot inside the territory, such a car can eat snowdrifts easily and put things in order .... of the alternative options, only a front-end loader based on a tractor is not at all agile, as we understand it!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Okay, let's look at the car chassis that exist and which could be the basis of such a setup.
I think it should look something like this:


The barrel at the back is NOT plastic, so that in the summer the car could work as a vacuum cleaner. Although, in winter, a steel barrel is extra heat loss and more diesel fuel consumption, but there's nothing to be done, you have to pay for versatility ...
And in front, it should be like this (you just need to install the snow-melting part on top of the bucket, while leaving the opportunity to simply discard the snow, for work outside the city):


As I see it, Silant, a domestic manufacturer of unique chassis and utility vehicles from Nizhny Novgorod, won the “tender”. He has almost everything that I need to be completely happy, only a heat exchanger for melting snow still needs to be done - we will consider this issue in the next article.