I cut a deal with my electrical shop teacher. If i tell him how we can relate an electrical class to ski lifts and snowmaking and learn about how they work and the electrical portion of them then hell take my shop to our local mountain Wachusett. Can anyone tell me how ski lifts and snowmaking equipment work and how i can relate it to electrical
Most ski lifts drive their cables from an electric motor. (This provides efficient torque control and emergency shut-down capability.) Snow making equipment uses electric drives for the water pumps and air compressors. (They make snow by freezing a sprayed water mist with the expansion cooling of the compressed air.)
Your electric drive motors run on high voltage. Three phase 480v. All of your controls and safety systems run on low voltage. Battery powered, 24 or 48 volt. This is so that the lift can operate properly in the event of a power outage that cuts power to the drive. Lifts have backup drives, usually a diesel generator that can supply power to the electric drive motor, or an actual gas or diesel motor that can be coupled to the gearbox and drive the lift itself. Controls are usually a programmable logic control that monitor proper operation of different components of the lift and through a series of relays send power to the drive. Snowmaking is as aforementioned powered by large electric pumps and air compressors. Air and water are pumped usually from a central location and piped around the mountain to hydrants. Here, the snow guns are connected to the air and water. Some types of guns simply blow the water and air to make snow, while some have motors on them. These plug in to electrical pedestals, high voltage, that are located at the hydrant locations. These power large fans that help disperse the water and also control oscillating guns.
