US1084594A - Induction-generator. - Google Patents

Description

I. E. NORTON & F. A. WILSON.

INDUCTION GENERATOR.

APPLICATION FILED DEG. 1, 1911.

Patented Jan. 13, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

IEQ IV/AII Witnesses 2/.

I. E. NORTON & I. A. WILSON.

INDUCTION GENERATOR.

uruoumu FILED 1120.1, 1911-.

Patented Jan 13, 1914.

3 BHEETSSHEIIT 2.

min/eases Invenio rs E-ed E. JVbrZ'o n. Fred \fl. Wis o w.

F. NORTON & I. A. WILSON.

INDUCTION GENERATOR.

APPLICATION FILED 11110.1, 1911.

Patented Jan. 13, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Inventors; fled E'Noflion.

' .Fi'eddlmbson. 19%. 39M

minesses UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FBED E. HORTON, OF LYNN, AND FRED A. WIL SON, F NAHA NT, MASSACHUSETTS.

INDUCTION-GENERATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 13, 1914.

Application filed December 1, 1911. Serial No. 663,184.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, Fmm E. NoR'roN and Farm A. WILSON, both citizens of the United States, and residents, respectively, of Lynn and Nahant, in the county of Essex and Stateof Massachusetts, have invented an tion with the accompanymg drawings, is a' Improvement in Induction-Generators, of which the following description, in connecspecification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to inductionelectrio generators.

In order that the principles of the invention may be readily understood, we have dis:

- closed asingle form of apparatusfor carrying the same intoefiect, wherein- Figure 1 shows mainly in side elevation oneelement or rtion of that form of apparatus prefera ly employed in the prac-' tice of our invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a transverse section thereof upon the line 33. of said figure and looking in the direction of the arrows thereon; Fig. 4 shows mainly in side elevation but partially V in vertical section a modified form of our invention; Fig. 5 is a transverse section of that form of apparatus shown in 4 upon the line 7-7 of said figure; Fi 5 is a similar cross section upon the line 7" of said figure; Fig.6 shows in side elevation a modishall first referbriefly to certain well known forms of apparatus from which as a rudimentary disclosure our inventionlhas been.

developed. p

It is well-known that if a pair of insulated spheres charged, one positively and the other negatively, and a conductor be brought close to the positively charged sphere, so as to touch a terminal,;the

positive charge of said conductor. repelled y the positively charged sphere, is imparted to said terminal.

Similarly, movement of said conductor close to the negatively charged sphere results in imparting to a second terminal the negative charge of said conductor repelled by said negatively charged sphere. By the comple tion of a circuit through said terminals a positive charge of electricity flows from the first to the second, the negative charge going to the first terminal. Return movement of said conductor toward said positively charged sphere will carry with it a positive charge to said first terminal, and by moving said conductor alternately from one of said spheres to the other, alternately touching said terminals, a continuous supply of positive electricity may be taken from the first terminal which will flow toward the second terminal. The charges upon the said spheres are static charges, and exceptingfor imperfect insulation, no flow takes place from them. They are inductors and analogous to I gravity are substituted for the reciprocating conductor previously described. Said col- 7 lector is usually composed of two or more pairs of inductors and collectors which may be cross connected and are excited reciprocally, needing no other excitation than a slight initial charge to one of them.

The apparatus embodying our invention is based upon the principles of certain simple induction generators, one of which is ometimes known as the Thompson water dropping collector or electrometer, and which ishereinbefore described in a multiplied form. According to our invention the parts are so multiplied and modified in form that the effectiveness of the inductors and the capacity of the collectors is so .greatly increased that we are able to utilize the energy of a jet of saturated steam at high velocity.

By the novel form and arran ment of the parts, we are able to convert t e kinetic energy of a steam jjet. moving at high velocity into electric energy atsuch a moderate potential that it may be collected andused in a manner impossible in any apparatus heretofore known.

Bymeans of inductors of practical form we exert a powerful inductive effect on the articles of steam or moisture carried therein and by-the use of expanding nozzles we impart a high velocity to the steam and in positive side, the former being indicated at 77 and the latter at 88. Terminals 9, 10 are connected to wires 11, 12 leading to lamps arranged in parallel at 13 or in series at 14 or to a: motor at 15 as desired; or they ma be connected to any apparatus requirlngt e use of electric power. I Steam from any suitable source is admitted by pipe 16 and preferably passes into the expansion cap 17. The plates are supported in any suitable manner and ma be properly spaced by strips 18 or the li e, as indicated in Fig. 3. An exciter 19, as shown in Fig. 1, of any of the well-known forms of dynamo is connected to the grid shaped plates 5, 6 by'wires 20, 21. Such exciter may be.driven-by any available source of power including the wires 11, 12. If now the supply of steam under pressure be admitted to the pipe 16, it expands in' cap 17 and passes at high velocity between the induc'tors 55. These inductors are charged with a staticchar e from exciter 19 (for example) to a positive potential. The steam will have been partly condensed by expansion, and when the particles of water impinge on the collectors 7, they will acquire a negative charge and the positive electricity will be repelled toward andbeyond'the terminal 10. As the particles leave the collec- .-tor 7, they will be attracted by inductor 5,

and part of the velocity'of the steam will be lost in driving them toward inductor 6, which, being negatively charged by exciter 19, will in turn repel them. There is thus a double resistance to the motion of the par- "ticle in approaching the collector. 8. When the particle touches the collector 8, its negative charge is repelled by the inductors 66, and will flow toward the terminal 9. Thus, a positive charge is sent to the terminal 10 and .a negative charge is sent to the terminal 9 for each pair of conductors passed by the particle. By having-a large number of inductors and collectors, the velocity' of the steam may. be diminished gradually by comparatively small attractions and repulsions from .the inductors. The collectors all being in parallel, the quantity of electricity may be indefinitely increased and its pressure correspondingly lowered, at the same time absorbing the energy of the steam. 7

It will be evident from the foregoing description thatthe inductors of alternately posltive and negative sign are arranged in order, so as to permit or secure a continuous motion for the carrying body; that is, for the minute particles of water carried by the steam jets. The limitations of the previously known apparatus are removed by our invention and enormous quantities of electricity may be generated at comparativxsl y low pressure.

steam for generating electricity is not new. Sir William Armstrong constructed an apparatus to demonstrate that electricity could be developed from a jet of steam from an insulated boiler impinging upon a suitable insulated collector. The difiiculty again appeared, however, that the quantity of electricity generated was small, the pressure enormous and the efiiciency very low. S far as we are aware no further progress in this direction has been made other than that which the previously referred to laboratory experiments developed, Our ap aratus herein disclosed, while it embod ies these well known principles, is of great practical value and efficiency. The present methods of generating electricity depen upon an indirect method of using the expansive power of steam; inasmuch as the steam engine derives its power from the eX- are aware that the use of a current of' pansion of steam behind a piston, which drives a shaft carrying a magnet and through the well known magnetic-electric reactions generates a current; The stea turbine develops the energy of a jet of steam moving at high velocity to turn a s a driving likewise a magnetic-electric dynamo.

In the practice of our invention, we utilize a jet of steam carrying minute particles of water passed through inductors and collectors subject to static repulsion and at: traction in a manner fully analogous to the driving of copper Wires through a magnetic field. In our apparatus the application of the energy of the steam is direct and no intermediate steps in transformations of energy take place. cation of an electric stress to the moving mass of steam or other suitable vapor that constitutes the eflicient feature of our invention; to the end that a continuous and controllable supply of electricity may be made available. Obviously, the apparatus It is this direct app1i-'.

suitable form and, construct-ion.

- te ry or an ordinary dynamo. The excitation may be either continuous in one direction or alternating, and the resulting ourrent will be correspondingly either continuous or alternating.

Our invention is not limited to the use of water vapor or steam, as any volatile liquid,'whose vapor condenses to liquid during expansion may be employed, or even a non-conducting gas carrying particles of a conducting substance may be utilized.

While gases such as air may be utilized, we

prefer to use water vapor or steam.

The action of the collectors and inductors does not depend, in the practice of our invention, solely on the transfer of a quantity of electrlclty, as there is afurther action due to the condensation of the vapor which may develop'still further energy than that due to the transfer alone.

,t In Figs. 4, 5 and 5, we have re resented a further form of apparatus embo ying our invention, wherein the steam inlet pipe is indicated at 22% and the steam expansion'cap at 23. The series of inductors 24,25, are consolidated into preferably thin glass sheets which are so relatiyely ,ositioned' that the steam is developed into t in'sheets, thus'add-ing to the eifectiveness'of the inductors. In this form of apparatus the collectors are indicated at 25 {as being L-shaped and being of wiregauze or any other suitable metal having interstices for the passage of steam. This arrangement of .cells and elements :may be indefinitely multi lied either by end to end extension or by a ding layers of cells. The number of, elements may be very great, thus sub-dividing the work, so that each element only abstracts avery small quantity of'ener By placing the glass plates VeryclQSeFy together, the

lnductlve effect is largely-increased.

In Figs. 6, 6 and 7, we have shown a 'modified formof collector 26, wherein'the steam passages 27 receiving steamf from'th'e" .pipe 28 are so shaped that they'fiin efiect form nozzles. These nozzles may so proportioned that at each. stepof the flow of the steam-or other vapor just enough'velocity is added to carry itto the next'set of collectors.

be constructed in the 'manner we'l known may be of any well known type.

If desired, these passa es may in ordinary steam turbines. By the employment of this form of our invention, the effect of friction, which may be considerable in the case of the form of collectors previously described, will be almost eliminated.

The form of collector previously described as of wire gauze allows the passage of steam through its interstices. This, while perfectly practical, affords more or less tortuous and restricted passages, and control of steam is not so easy as is desired. Therefore, for such wire gauze we have, in this form of the invention, substituted, as shown in said Figs. 6 and 7 metal grids having therein nozzle shaped openings or passages 27. The material stillacts as collectors as previously described, and' the holes or perforations permit the passage of steam. By properly shaping these holes in the manner commonly resorted to in the use of steam nozzles, the speed of flow is controlled in a desirable manner.

From Fig. 6, the casings have been removed and the collectors are exposed to view' flatwise. The nozzle shaped apertures 27 are, in said figure, shown with the diamond shaped section of metal remaining between them. In said Fig. 6, the general form of the whole apparatus is represented as enlarging toward the outer end, a desirable feature of the apparatus to accommodate the increasing volume of the steam.

In Fig. 7 the nozzle shaped passages 27 are shown in one portion thereof as perforated grids. In said figure, the said-nozzleshaped openings are represented as rectangular in cross section with two sides parallel steam as described. This particular form of nozzle is not essential to the operat on of the invention, but represents a possibllity of economical manufacture.

.Within the scope of the invention, any suitable form of nozzle may be employed, as the invention is not limited to any specific construction of the grids themselves.

and two sides formed to control the flow of Y In Fig. 8 we have indicated in a diagrammatic manner a generating plant for practising our invention. Therein the boiler is indicated at 29 which supphessteam through pipe 30 to the apparatus which is here represented as provlded w1th a casing 30. The said apparatus conslsts of lnductors andfcollectors preferably arranged as pre- :viously described and as shown n Figs. 4, 5

and 6", and one element thereof being shown in-Figs. 1, 2 and 3. The steam passes from the said apparatus to a condenser 31 which citer 32' char es the inductor in the'manner- 'reviously escribed and I current is led Item the collectors by wires 33 and 34 to lamps35 .arranged in parallel or lamps 36 varranged in series,or to a motor 37, as desired. A vertical section taken through the casing 30" of Fig. 8 would be rectangular The exand would\ correspond in structure to Figs. 5 or 5 excepting that in Fig. 8 we have represented a casing 30 which does not appear in Figs. 5 and 5.

In Fig. 8 the inductor connections are represented at the steam entrance end, corresponding in .this respect to Fig. 1 and the collector terminals are indicated at the steam trolled by a solenoid 39 an exit end, being similar in this respect to the arrangement shown in Fig. 1. Obviously, however, these terminals may be laced at any suitable point and in Fig. 6 t e collector terminals are shown at the steam entrance end. I

Figs. 6 and 8 show a type of apparatus enlarging toward the steam'exit end, but obviously the apparatus may be of any other suitable shape.-,,-

The valve 38 in the steam ipe is con- (i spring in such manner that the electric pressure may be kept constant. Any of the wellknown devices for regulating steam engines or tur-' bines may be employed for the urpose of controlling the steam supply; and either the electricpressure' or quantity may be controlled as desired in any suitable manner.

Obviousl employed fbr the purpose of our invention, and the mechanical arrangement of parts such as the inductors, collectors, exciters, etc. may be widely varied within the scope of our invention.

In order that the application of our invention may be appreciated, let us consider a channel (see Fig. 2 with its one channel or Fig. 4 with four channels) one foot square (thus containing'one s uare foot of area) traversed by a current of steam at a veloclty of three thousand feet per second. Associate one hundred of these channels measuring together one foot in height, and we are considering an apparatus containing-one cublc foot of volume and one hundred square feet of surface exposed to the electrical act1on of our invention, and which may use ten pounds of steam per second. At a speed f flow of three thousand feet per second this would therefore give a condenser surface, to use a term associated with static machines,

of threehundred thousand feet per second.

If. one hundred series of inductors as above described areused, th s would mean,

I therefore, that a condenser having thirty each second to the potential of the inductors.

million square feet" of. surface is charged The energy due to ten pounds of steam per "second at three thousand feet velocity per "second is about twenty sixhundred horse ower. Comparisons may be 1 made with Static machines butthese would be of little value.- No known form of apparatus can produce'the results shown by the above computation.

Having thus described one illustrative emcontact with said collectors thereb anysuitable materials may be understood that although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense and not for purposes of limitation, the S00 e of the invention being set forth in the 0 owing claims.

- Claims:

1. An induction generator comprising in combination inductors,means for electrically charging the same, insulating walls separating said inductors and between which a channel is formed, collectors in said channel and inlet and outlet passages connected to said channel whereby a mass of va or may move therethrough in co-active re ation to but insulated from said inductors and in to transfer electricity to and from said col ectors.

2. An induction generator comprising in caused to pass over said collectors.

3. An induction generator com rising in combination inductors, means for e ectrically charging the same, insulating walls separating said inductors, and forming a channel and collectors, exposed in said channel.

4. An induction generator comprising in combination a plurality of sets of inductors,

means for electrically charging the same, and insulating walls between wh1ch the inductors are positioned, said walls forming passages whereby a mass of vapor can be passed into co 'active relation with said inductors.

5. An induction generator comprising in combination inductors, means for electrically charging the same, and insulating-walls,

separating said inductors and forming a pas.- sage whereby a mass of vapor can be passed therethrough in cooperative relation with said inductors. I

, 6. An induction generator comprising in combination inductors, means for electrically charging the same, insulating walls separating said inductors and between which a channel is formed, and inlet and outlet passages connected to the channel whereby a mass of vapor may move therethrough in coact-ive relation to said inductor.

7. An induction generator comprising in combination inductors, means for electrically charging the same, collectors positioned in proximity to said inductors and insulating walls separating saidinductors and between which a, channel is formed containing said collectors and inlet and outlet passages connected to said channel whereby a separating said inductors and between which a channel is formed, collectors positioned in said channel and having nozzle-shaped apertures and inlet and outlet passages connected to, said channel whereby a mass of vapor may move therethrough 1n co-active relation to. said collectors.

9. An'induction generator comprising in combination inductors, means for electrically charging the same, insulating walls separating sai inductors and between which a channel is formed, collectors in said channel

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