US407660A - System of protection from lightning - Google Patents

Description

-(No Model.)

C.l F. HILL. SYSTEM 0F PROTECTION PROM LIGHTNING.

Patented-July 23 NA PETERS. Pmlwumagnpmr, wamlngmn, D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

CHARLES F. HILL, OF HAZLE'ION, PENNSYLVANIA.

SYSTEM OAF PROTECTION FR'ONI LIGHTNING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 407,660, dated July 23, 1889.

Application tiled November 16, 1888. Serial No. 291,024. (No model.)

To all whom t 71mg/ con/ocra:

Be it known that I, CHARLES F. I-I1LL,a citizen of the United States, residing at Hazleton, in the county of Luzerne and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvement-s in System for Protecting Receivers ot In fiamm able Substances troni Lightning; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ot' the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. v

My invention relates to systems 'for protecting receivers ot inflammable or explosive substances from light-ning; and it consists of the novel combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

Vrlhe object of my invention is to protect oil-tanks and receivers'ot inflammable sub stances from the danger of being struck by lightning, to which they are peculiarly subjeeted, owing to the surrounding atmosphere within a number of 'feet of the tank being saturated with the inflammable vapors which escape from the tank, and which surrounding atmospheric belt is peculiarly subject to ignition or explosion by the passage through it of the electric spark or ot a stroke of lightning from a storm-cloud.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective view showing my system applied to an oil-tank. Fig. 2 is a plan View thereof, showing the tubular poles in crosssection. Figs. 3, 4., and 5 are detail views.

Referring to the drawings, in which 'like letters of reference denote corresponding parts in all the iigures,Adesignates a cordon of vertical tubular metallic poles, which are located at suitable intervals around an oiltank B, of any suitable well-known construction, it being understood that the invention is applicable to receivers of all kinds of explosive or inammable materials, liquid, solid, or gaseous, suchl as powder magazines and mills, oil-tanks, or derricks, and other structures for storage of such substances. This cordon of surrounding tubular poles is located some distance from the tank or other structure, outside of the surrounding atmospheric belt which is permeated with the inflammable vapors that escape from the tank,

and the poles extend some distance above the tank.

C designates a metallic conductor or yable which is extended upward from the ground through one ot the tubular metallic posts to the upper extremity thereot', and is then passed horizontallyacross and somel distance above the tank or other structure to the pole on the opposite side ot' the tank, and then through said pole to the ground. C is another metallic conductor or cable, which is likewise arranged across and some distance above the tank and then passed through two ot the tubular poles to the ground in the same manner as the conductor C. These conductors C C cross or lap cach other some distance above the middle ot the tank, and they are electrically connected together by soldering or otherwise, (see Figs. 2 and 4,) and the lower ends ot the conductors are extended through the lower extremities of the tubular poles and wrapped or coiled exteriorly around said poles, as indicated in Fig. l, to secure a good eartlrconnection. A tinial D is fixed in the upper end of each ot' the tubular metallic poles, and to the tinials are connected the conductors or cables.

Each of the tubular poles is made of a number of sections, preferably of galvanized gas-pipe, which sect-ions are suitably coupled together by the ordinary couplings d, (see Fig. 4,) and the lower' section o'f each pole, which is inserted in the ground, and around which the conductor or cable is coiled, is made of greater diameter and provided with lateral perforations. A

To effect the moisteni ng of the earth around the base of the poles, and thus secure a goed earth-connection of the conductors or cables, which will enable them to conduct and discharge electricity to better advantage,l have provided each of the tubular poles with a scries of water-collecting vessels F, F', and F2. (Shown more clearly in Fig. The vessels communicate by suitable openings f, made in the tubular post, with the interior space or chamber ot the post, and they are thereby enabled to discharge the moisture, dew, or rain collected therein into the post, from which the water escapes through the open lower end and the lateral perforations to meisten the surrounding earth in which the IOO pole is embedded. No novelty, however, is herein claimed for the water-eollecting vessels, as the same form in part the subj ect-matt er o'ii' a p rior patent, No. 301,520, granted to me April 19,1887.

I also contemplate the employment oli' another cable or conductor G, which passes horizontally from one pole to another olf the cordon of surrounding poles and is connected with the conductors C (J, this conductor (l being located outside of; the vertical planc ot' the tank and in the same horizontal plane as the conductors (l C. (See Fig. 5.)

To further divert and neutralize a stroke of lightning, and thus in a greater measure aliord protection to the tank or other structure, I provide a metallic net ll, which is arranged some distance above the tank, immediately over the same. This net is made of a series of metallic wires, which are woven intimately together andthe edges thereof bound or secured in a substantial. manner, and. thel net is secured to and supported by the se ries et conductors or cables C l G, as shown in Iligsxl and 2. This horizontal. net is of greater area than the diameter of the tank, so that the latter is located completely within the edges of: the net, and, if desired, the net may be connected to the tubular poles, so as to be further strengthened and relieve the cables or comluctors from undue strain.

,lt will be observed that the surroumling cordon ol' poles, the several coinluctors or eables, and the metallic net supported by the latter are located at some distance :from and above the tank and are completely isolated therefrom, whereby an electric discharge Vfrom a storm-cloud directed toward the tank or other structure will be completely taken up by the metallic net and the eomluetors and carried or discharged into the earth without injury to the tank.

Having thus fully described 'my invention, what I claim. as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A system for protecting receivers of inflammable or explosive substances from lightning, consisting ol. a cordon oli' poles located some distance from the structure and having,r their upper' ends extended above said strnelure, a metallic net suspended horizontally above the structure by the poles, and conductors connected to said netand embedded at their lower extremities in the earth, substantially as and for the purpose described.

A syst-em for protecting .receivfiers of inflammable or explosive substances from lightning, consisting olf a cordon of tubular metallic poles located some distance from the structure, a series of eomluctors arrangml horizontally some distance above the tank and passing' longitudinally through the poles from end to end tl .reol and having.;l their lower ends coiled exteriorly around the Vlower embedded ends ol said poles, and a metallic net connected to and. supported by the horizontal portions of the coiulnctors, said net heilig' located some distance above and entirely isolated. l'rom the strl'leture to be protected7 substantially as described.

ln testimony whereof. lallix my signature in presence ol two witnesses.

CHARLES I HILL. Witnesses:

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