GB838531A - An electric liquid jet current converter - Google Patents

Abstract

838,531. Mercury and other conducting liquid switches. LICENTIA PATENT-VERWALTUNGS-G.m.b.H. July 27, 1956 [July 27, 1955; Aug. 18, 1955; Dec. 17, 1955], No. 23285/56. Class 38 (5). [Also in Group XXXV] A centrifugal jet converter has two or more symmetrically-arranged jets with a circle of fixed contacts such that at least one but not more than half of the jets are directed against fixed contacts at one time, but if the converter is arranged for commutation one more jet is directed against a fixed contact during the commutation period. The invention can be applied to a known converter (Fig. 1) with an electric motor 3 driving a shaft 4 carrying two jet arms 7, 7<SP>1</SP> on a head 6 in a mercury pool 8. The jets strike fixed contacts 15 supported by insulators 18 on a plate 10. Numerous arrangements are described with two, three, or four jets and with the gaps between the contacts at least equal to the length of the contacts. In Fig. 4, for example, four jet arms 71 ... 74 are spaced at 90 degrees and each contact 31, 32 extends through 45 degrees for use as a single-phase full-vane rectifier. An alternative position for the contact 32 is shown by dash-lines. In Fig. 6, a six-phase arrangement is shown with the contact for one phase sub-divided in two parts 44, 47. In Fig. 13, the contacts are arranged to overlap electrically for commutation and are connected to transformer windings in two-star formation with an interphase choke 92, the corresponding windings 81<SP>1</SP>, 84<SP>1</SP>, &c. being wound on the same limb of the transformer. With one set of star-connected windings reversed the star-points may become the D.C. terminals (Fig. 14, not shown).