ICE BLAST PARTICLE TRANSPORT SYSTEM FOR ICE FRACTURING SYSTEM

摘要

An ice fracturing unit (10) for supplying fresh ice particles to a delivery hose (28) for an ice blasting apparatus, having i) counter-rotating ice fracturing rollers (18 and 20); ii) a chute (12) for directing ice sheets downwardly into a nip region of the ice fracturing rollers; iii) a collector (26) for the freshly fractured ice particles as they fall downwardly from beneath the ice fracturing rollers, the collector (26) having a converging portion which directs ice particles downwardly into the delivery hose (28); iv) a housing (22) for the ice fracturing rollers (18 and 20), the improvement comprising: v) air nozzles (34 and 36) for developing a swirl flow of cool air beneath the ice fracturing rollers, to suspend and transport ice particles in a swirl flow away from the ice fracturing rollers; and vi) the swirl flow of ice particles traveling in a spiral-like manner into the delivery hose (28).