JPH02233793A - artificial snow - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain artificial snow capable of keeping the cold state for a long period, having high stability, easy to maintain and control and producible at a low cost by freezing a gel produced by reacting a polyhydric alcohol, etc., with polyvalent metal and water. CONSTITUTION:The objective artificial snow is produced by reacting (A) a polyhydric alcohol and/or a polybasic organic acid (preferable examples are sodium alginate, guar gum and PVA) with (B) a polyvalent metal (preferable examples are Pb, Cu, Cd, Ba, Sr, Ca, Co, Ni, Zn, Mn, Mg, Hg and Al) and (C) water and freezing the obtained gel preferably at -20 to 0 deg.C. The freezing of the gel is performed e.g. by spraying and freezing the gel by high-pressure spray, etc., or freezing a gel granulated by a granulator.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] <Industrial Application Field> The present invention relates to artificial snow, and more specifically, it is inexpensive,
Regarding extremely stable artificial snow. <Prior Art> Conventionally, artificial snow at artificial ski resorts and the like is produced by injecting high-pressure water into the atmosphere at temperatures below 0°C, for example. However, the equipment for producing artificial snow is very expensive and requires a large amount of energy, and in order to maintain and manage the produced artificial snow, it is necessary to maintain the temperature around 0°C. , economic problems arise. Recently, a method has been proposed to produce artificial snow by aerating water-swellable materials and water and freezing them (Top Publication No. 63-50052).
Publication No. 6).

However, artificial snow using water-swellable materials has economical problems because the cooling time is short and energy consumption is significant, and it is necessary to absorb water below the maximum water-holding capacity of the water-swellable materials. water management is difficult. In addition, the water-swellable material has the disadvantage that the ice forms in a honeycomb shape when frozen, resulting in a lack of stability as artificial snow due to the growth of ice crystals due to sublimation or recrystallization of the ice. .

Ice cream ice crystal precipitation inhibitors, that is, polyhydric alcohols and/or polyvalent organic acids, are known as agents that prevent ice sublimation and recrystallization. When artificial snow is produced, the stability of the snow is good, but since the ice crystal precipitation inhibitor is water-soluble, it has the disadvantage that it contaminates the clothing of skiers and the like.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> An object of the present invention is to provide artificial snow that has a long cooling time, excellent stability, and is easy to maintain and manage. Another object of the present invention is to provide reusable artificial snow. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide artificial snow that is extremely economical. Means for Solving the Problems According to the present invention, artificial snow is provided which is obtained by freezing a gelled product obtained by reacting a polyhydric alcohol and/or a polyvalent organic acid, a polyvalent metal, and water. It will be done. The present invention will be explained in more detail below.

The artificial snow of the present invention is characterized by being made by freezing a specific gelled material.

In the present invention, the gelled product refers to polyhydric alcohol and/or
Alternatively, it is a reaction product of a polyvalent organic acid, a polyvalent metal, and water, and is a substance that becomes jelly-like when reacted.
The polyhydric alcohol and/or polyhydric organic acid prevents freeze-drying of artificial snow and improves its durability, as well as prevents the growth of frozen products and retards the sublimation rate of ice to improve stability. I can do it. Examples of the polyhydric alcohol and/or polyhydric organic acid include those having a structure similar to cellulose, such as alginic acid, sodium alginate, guar gum, methylcellulose, xanthan gum, and tamarind seed polysaccharide, which are used as ice crystal precipitation inhibitors for ice cream. Preferred examples include compounds having many hydrophilic functional groups, and linear polyhydric alcohols and/or polyhydric organic acids such as polyacrylic acid and polyvinyl alcohol. Further, the polyvalent metal to be reacted with the polyhydric alcohol and/or polyvalent organic acid can be selected from various types depending on the affinity of the polyvalent metal. The polyvalent metals include lead, copper,
cadmium, barium, strontium, calcium,
cobalt, nickel, zinc, manganese, magnesium,
Examples include mercury and aluminum, which can be used as polyvalent metal salts, for example. Examples of the polyvalent metal salts include calcium chloride, barium chloride, strontium chloride, magnesium chloride, mercuric chloride, mercuric acetate, aluminum chloride, lucium phosphate, calcium carbonate, calcium citrate, calcium tartrate, calcium borate, Examples include borax and calcium sulfate. In the present invention, a gelled product can be prepared by dissolving a mixture of the polyhydric alcohol and/or polyvalent organic acid and polyvalent metal powder in water. Further, by including a small amount of an organic solvent such as alcohol or acetone in the mixture, "stickiness" can be prevented during dissolution.

At this time, the strength etc. of the gelled product can be variously selected depending on the type of polyhydric alcohol and/or polyvalent organic acid and polyvalent metal, the concentration used, and the amount of water. By forming poorly soluble salts with polyvalent metals, the strength and water solubility of the gel can be adjusted. Furthermore, contamination of clothing can be prevented by adjusting the degree of gelation.
In C1 of the present invention, the amount of water in the gelled product is not particularly limited, but preferably 10 to 10% of the total weight of the polyhydric alcohol and/or polyvalent organic acid and the polyvalent metal.
It can absorb 100 times its weight of water, and the amount of water absorbed can be adjusted according to the desired snow quality. Next, in order to freeze the gelled product, the temperature is below 0°C, preferably -2
It is desirable to freeze in the range of 0 to 0°C. At this time, in order to make artificial snow, there are three methods: spray-freeze the gelled material using high-pressure spray, freeze it after pulverizing it with a granulator, or break it into granules with a jaw crusher etc. after freezing. This can also be done using the following method. The artificial snow of the present invention can retain water in the gel even after it is thawed after being frozen, so it can be used as artificial snow again by simply refreezing after thawing. can. In the present invention, by using a gelation retarder such as sodium tripolyphosphate or losorbit to adjust the gelation rate, the mixing time with water can be increased sufficiently. The blending ratio of the gel retarder is preferably 1 to 15 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of polyhydric alcohol and/or polyhydric organic acid. Furthermore, in the present invention, a fluorescent brightener such as paraaminostilbene or the product name "Totubucide 400J" is added to the gelled product.
(manufactured by Palm Care Asia Co., Ltd.), product name: “Fine Side CPJ (manufactured by Tokyo Fine Chemical Co., Ltd.)”
It is also possible to add preservatives such as.

Effects of the Invention In the artificial snow of the present invention, the specific gelled material is absorbed and frozen, so the gelled material and the ice are frozen together. Therefore, the sublimation rate of the ice is reduced, and the artificial snow itself is frozen. It is possible to make the structure extremely stable and prevent clothing from being contaminated. In addition, as mentioned above, due to its stable structure, artificial snow can be kept cold for a long time and the energy required for maintenance can be reduced, making it extremely economical and an excellent alternative to conventional artificial snow. Expected to be used.

EXAMPLES> The present invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to Examples and Comparative Examples, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

The middle part of the example represents parts by weight. 1J12 Sodium alginate 4.0 parts, calcium sulfate 8.2
1 part, 0.8 part of sodium tripolyphosphate, 0.1 part of the trade name "Topside 400J" (manufactured by Baumchem Asia Co., Ltd.) as a preservative, and 1 part of ethyl alcohol were mixed, and then dissolved in 85.9 parts of water. After preparing the gelled product, it was sprayed at -20°C using a high-pressure sprayer to produce artificial snow. Weight loss after freeze-drying the obtained artificial snow at -50°C for 12 hours and the freezing The shape of the dried artificial snow was measured when it was brought to room temperature.The results are shown in Table 1.

Sodium alginate 6.0 parts, calcium sulfate 5.0
1 part, 0.8 parts of sodium tripolyphosphate, 0.1 part of the trade name "Fineside CPJ (Tokyo Fine Chemical Co., Ltd. 3%) as a preservative, and 1 part of ethyl alcohol, and then dissolved in 87.1 parts of water. After cooling the gelled product, it was frozen in a -10"C freezer. Next, the frozen gelled material was crushed into pieces of 3 m+ or less using a jaw crusher to produce artificial snow.

The obtained artificial snow was freeze-dried in the same manner as in Example 1, and various measurements were performed. The results are shown in Table 1.

5 parts of guar gum, 1.25 parts of calcium borate, 0.5 parts of low sorbitol, and the product name "Topside 4" as a preservative.
00J (Balm Chem Asia Co., Ltd. O.I Department, product name [Hakkor SH Conch] as a fluorescent whitening agent)
(Showa Kagaku Kogyo Co., Ltd. ml) 0.01 part and 1 part of methyl alcohol are mixed, then dissolved in 92.14 parts of water to form a gelled product! After that, artificial snow was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 2. The obtained artificial snow was freeze-dried in the same manner as in Example 1, and various measurements were performed. The results are shown in Table 1.

5 parts of polyvinyl alcohol with a soil average degree of polymerization of 2000, 0.5 parts of borax, 0.8 parts of sodium tripolyphosphate, and a fluorescent whitening agent under the trade name "Hakkor SH Conch" (
After mixing 0.01 part of Showa Kagaku Kogyo Co., Ltd.) and then dissolving it in 93.69 parts of water to prepare a gelled product, the gelled product was granulated to a particle size of 3IIIml and placed in a -10°C freezer. It was frozen to produce artificial snow. The obtained artificial snow was freeze-dried in the same manner as in Example 1, and various measurements were performed. The results are shown in Table 1.

10 parts of resin for artificial snow under the product name "Perm Snow" (manufactured by Perm Snow, Ltd.) is swollen with 100 parts of water.
After granulating to 3as, they were placed in equal rows in a -10°C freezer to produce artificial snow. The obtained artificial snow was freeze-dried in the same manner as in Example 1, and various measurements were performed.

The results are shown in Table 1.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A polyhydric alcohol and/or a polyvalent organic acid, a polyvalent metal,
Artificial snow is made by freezing a gelled product that reacts with water.