US1110549A - Vapor-converter. - Google Patents

Description

P. c. HBWITT.

VAPOR CONVERTER.

APPLICATION I'ILBD JULY 19, 1911.

AIR BLAST i .WITNESSES: INI/ff! T01? l1 TTOHWEY n srafrns PATE 'v rrrc.

PETER COOPER HEWITT, 0F RINGWOOD OR, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOB, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO COOPER HEWITT@ ELECTRIC COMPANY, 0F EOBOKEN, ,NEW

JERSEY, A CORPORATION 0F NEW JERSEY'.

VAPOR-CONVERTER miento.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept. 115, 19.14.

original application filed March 20, v1908, Serial No. 422,218. Renewed February l0, 1911, Serial No. 607,874. Divided and this application led July 19,' 1911. Serial No. 639,258.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, PETER COOPER Hnwrr'r, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Ringwood Manor, county of Passaic, State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vapor-ACmverters, of which the following is'a speciication;

`Vapor converters or rectiers capable of rectifying currents of considerable magnitude are' well-known and commercially used. Such converters usually consist of glass bulbs having lead wires passing through them and carrying the current to electrodes within the bulbs. a t

To provide converters of larger capacity than those now invcommercial use, it is desirable to construct the converter bulbs in such form as to dispense.: with the requirement for blowing large glass bulbs, and also to dispense with the necessity of passing conducting-leads through the glass walls of such bulbs.

it is further desirable to construct the device of such material that the heat generated within the device during its operation may be rapidly and eliiciently dissipated or abstracted.

I have devised a converter wherein the cooling of the apparatus may be effected without the employment of large bulbs of glass or similar material and wherein contact leads from outside to inside of the apparatus are unnecessary, dilerent portions I of the shell of the apparatus acting as portions of the electrodes.

One convenient form of my invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, which is an elevation of my improved converter.

ln this embodiment of the apparatus hollow positive electrodes, 1 and 2, of metal, are illustrated as being connected by bent tubes, 3 and 1, with a metallic receptacle, 5, containing mercury, 6, or other liquid conductor. The mercury may be said to constitute the negative electrode of the converter, while the receptacle, 5, may serve as an easy means of connecting the said .electrode with the source of electric current by means of a suitable lead, 30, extending from a binding post, 31, formed on the receptacle.

l prefer to make the bent tubes, 3 and 4, of metal, although they may be of quartz or porcelain.

The electrodes, 1 and 2, are hollow bulbs where insulating rings, 32 and 33, and an 1nsulating tube, 34, serve to protect each of the clamping bolts, 35, 35, from contact with 'the metal of the flanges, 36 and 3f?. rlhe same sort of connection may exist between the lower ends of the bent tubes, 3 and 4t,

f and the metallic receptacle, 5, but this latter joint is not always essential, or there may be a number of these joints as the case may require. This receptacle, 5, is also bulbous in shape at its central portion and is provided with tubular extensions by means of which connection is made through insulating flange or other joints, 38 and 39, with l the lower ends of the bent tubes, 3 and t, as

, mercury electrode.

already described.

It will be observed that the different parts of the shell or walls of the converter vessel or container form part of the circuit of the converter, the parts, 1 and 2, constituting the positive electrodes and the part 5 being in intimate connection with the negative When a rectifier is constructed in the manner described herein, there is no necessity for the lead wires being conducted into or through any part of the apparatuaunless the supplemental positive electrode hereinafter tobe described should be used, in which case its lead wire can pass through the body of the metallic receptacle, 5, and be insulated therefrom. Thejleads may simply be connected to the exterior of the bulbs, 1, 2 and 5, say by means4 of the 'binding posts, 31, 40 and 41, without pass ing through or into the apparatus.

The capacity of the rectifier may be varied by varying the size of the several electrodes and the diameter of the `connecting tubes. For example, with the positive electrodes, 1 and 2, made in the form of hollow bulbs,

each having a diameter of six inches, and

with the bulbous portion of the metallic receptacle, 5, having a diameter of eight inches, and with connecting tubes each twelve inches long and three inches interna-l diameter, a rectifier may be produced having a capacity for handling currents of large quantity, while by substituting for-the parts named others having larger dlametric measurements, the capacity of the rectifier may be still further increased. These effects may be aided by artificial cooling;

The supplemental positive electrode, 9, may be supported in proximity to the negative electrode, 6, for startingY purposes the mode of starting by tilting the apparatus so as to bring these electrodes into contact and then vseparate them, being now a matter of general knowledge. 1t also may be started by raising and lowering the negative electrode by the receptacle.

f joints,

The lead wire, 10, connected with the electrode, 9, may pass through the metallic receptacle, 5, and be insulated therefrom, say by a suitable insulated bush-ing, 11.

A Acuum pump, 12, may be applied to the device or several bulbs by means of the tubing, 13, 14, provided with insulating 42, 43 and 44. By these means the objectionable vapors generated during the operation of the rectifier may be drawn out by the pump. -nasmuch as the mercury vapor thus drawn out may be needed after condensation in order to replenish the losses at the negative electrode the pump may be discharged through a pipe, .16, into an open receptacle, 17, from which the vapors 1njurious to the operation of the apparatus may escape, while the condensed mercury vapor may return lin the form of mercury through a tube, 18, up into the receptacle, thereby replenishing the losses of the negativeelectrode, 6. By making the tube, 18, of appropriate length, say 29 inches plus,

the upper surface of the mercury may bel maintained at the proper height within the receptacle, 5, by atmospheric pressure, and

this may be adjusted by movement of the vessel, 17.

The several electrodes may be connected in the usual way to an alternating current source, the anodes or positive electrodes being joined, for instance, to the terminals of a transformer secondary, 19, and the negative electrode being joined through `a load circuit, 45, containing translating devices, 46, 46, to an intermediate neutral point, 20, on the said secondary. The primary of the transformer is shown at 21. At 22 is shown a source of current, the terminals of the source being connected to the lead, 10, and to a binding post, 47, on the wall ofthe receptacle, 5, which contains the negative electrode, 6.

The tube, 18, may, if desired, be supplied with a check-valve or other valve for'preventing the outflow of mercury from the receptacle, 5, such check-valve being illustrated at 48. To coole-the apparatus I may .make use of any suitable cooling means,

such as an air-blast, 49,'or I may use liquid cooling means. c

Respectlng the structure herein described other and are preferably composed of material having a high heat conductivity, and that the means are supplied for abstracting from the devioe the heat generated during its operation. Moreover, the positive electrodes are of such material and present such an amount of surface as to cause minimum resistance to the transition of current from the electrode to the vapor, while the negative electrode is of such a character as to permit a change of state or condition necessary at such electrode with but small loss of electric energy and is capable of repairing itself and compensating for such loss, and

being continually restored to its originall condition by its nature and surroundings, Means for maintaining the negative electrode are shown in the present application. Still further the vapor columns themselves are of such a sha e as tend to prevent the danger of short c1rcuiting between any two positive electrodes.

The tubular structure connected with the pump may be crooked, as shown, and of small bore so as to increase the resistance to the passage of current between the electrodes by this path.

This application is a d-ivision of my application Serial Number 422,218, filed March 20th, 1908, renewal Serial Number 607,874, filed ,February 10th, 1911.

I claim asmy inventionit will be noted that`the sections of the conil verter or rectifier are insulated from each 1. A rectifier for alternating current, comof good conducting material as the electrodes, and hollow.. ortions of quartz connecting the electro e portions and secured thereto, the whole forming an hermetically sealed container.

2. A mercury vapor apparatus comprising an exhausted container and a liquid cathode therein, said apparatusbeing exhausted to prising a container having separated parts a high degree of purity, and a relatively long downwardly projectlng tubular connection between said cathode and the atmosphere, in combination with means for starting a fiow of current in said apparatus, said means including a supplemental anode and means for temporarily raising the level of the cathode into contact with said supplemental anode. n

3. A mercury vapor apparatus comprising an exhausted container and a liquid cathode therein, said apparatus being exhausted to a high degree of purity, Aand a relatively long downwardly projecting tubular connection between said cathode andthe atmosphere, in combination with means for starting a flow of current in said apparatus, said means including a supplemental anode and means for temporarily raising the level of New York and'State of New York this 18th the calthodedinto (ollitact withdsaid suppleday of July A. D. 1911. menta ano e, sai ast name means consisting of an open'receptacle inclosing one PETER COOPER HEWITT' 5A end of said tubular connection to the atmos- Witnesses:

phere. f L. A. COLEMAN, Signed at New York in the county of R. B. Hnwn'r.

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