Item: GAZ-EX Avalanche Control System
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Title: GAZ-EX Avalanche Control System
Proceedings: Proceedings of the 1992 International Snow Science Workshop, Breckenridge, Colorado, USA
Authors:
- Jacob Schippers [ T.A.S., Z.I. Le Bresson, 38660 Le Touvet, France ] [ GAZ-EX Industries, Inc., 12242 Business Park Drive, Suite 32, Truckee, CA ]
Date: 1992
Abstract: Since 1973, my company has been manufacturing and installing avalanche control equipments. Our 150 CA.T.EX (the "Bomb-Tram") with traditional explosives has been used with good success on three continents. However, to avoid some of the drawbacks associated with more traditional methods (sometimes it was necessary to cut trees or dig trenches in environmentally sensitive areas to install the cable and towers; during snow storms, explosives sometimes hung up on the towers, or ice was formed on the cable, causing derailment ; access to the power station was often dangerous and time consuming), I wanted to develop a system that would allow explosives to be stored all through the winter at the avalanche control device site. Additionally, I wanted a system that would work effectively with remote controls, that could be operated safety and easily accessed from a road or railway, from power stations, from the center of a resort area, etc. I had the idea of using a metal tube with the power generated by ignition at the base of the tube and exploding gas out of the open end. We tested many possibilities on the mountains in the snow. We measured air pressures resulting from the gas explosions (with CEMAGREF assistance) and experimented with many different gases and combinations. A mixture of propane and oxygen finally appeared to be the most efficient.
Language of Article: English
Presenters: Unknown
Keywords: explosives, shock wave, exploding gas
Page Number(s): 72-79
Subjects: gazex avalanche control explosives
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Digital Abstract Not Available
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