US931033A - Lightning-arrester. - Google Patents

Description

W, E. BT'- LIGHTNING "Q APPLICATION FILED JU.

irai-Jente@ Aug. 70@

2 SHEETS-SHEET l @Homwijo W. E. BUTLER.

LIGHTNING ARRESTER.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 1a, 190s.

93 1,038. mama Aug. 1?, 190g.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

W@ h1 man UNITED 'STATES j rATnNrl onirica-.

WILLIAM E. BUTLER, OF DAVID CITY, NEBRASKA.

LIGHTNING-animeren.

No.l genoss.

' nientsiin lightning arresters and it is designed toprovide a lightning arrester of the mercurytype which will reset itself after each lightning discharg The invention comprises essentially a suitable vessel or containerin which is lodged a quantity ofvmercury. Entering tliemercury is a conductor of suitable material connected i to ground, and also in'close relation to the surface of the mercury are other conductors connectedrto the line. The conductors out oi. contact with the mercury may carryat the' ends adjacent to the mercury surface suitableiinsulating material which itself may bein contact with the mercury, and in such case the insulating material torated so that there are one or more air gaps between the active end of the line terminalsand the mercury surface. Provision is made for t-lie use of the invention either for the protection of a single line or for more than one line, in which case but a single ground isnecessary. V

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the 'following detail description taken in connectionwith the acconipanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which drawin s,

'Figure l is -a'longitudinal section partly in elevation of the improved lightning arrester showing the line connection. is a similar view of a slight-ly modified form. Fig. 3 is a similar view of still another form. F ig. 4 is a likeview of another form. Fig. 5 is a similar view showing' the application i ofthe invention to a single line. Fig. Gis

a view showing the manner of constructing.

the insulating diaphragm @introduced Vbetween theac'tive ends of the terminals of the .line and the mercury surface.

Referring to the drawings and more particularlyto Fig. l, there are shown line wires 1 2, leading by conductors 3 4 to the parts l to :be protected, which parts however have been omitted from the drawings, andit will be understood that any type of instrumentmaybe used yin connection with the lightning arrester wherein it is'desirable to protect the BUTLER,

is suitably pei'- Fig. 2v

Speccation ofL-'tters Patent. Application iea Juiy is, 190s.v ,seriai N0. 443,853.

Patented Aug. i7, 190e.

strokes or of any high voltage current which would be liable to injure the instrument. By the term lightning as has been heretofore, and will be hereinafter used, in this specification, it is to be understood `that notonly ihe vnatural electrical discharges usually called lightning, but also any high voltage current liable to injure the instrument and which might not blow fuses when the latter are used, are to be included in the saine term.

In Fig. l fuses 5 are indicated at each line wire l and 2 and these fuses are designed to protect instruments where heavy currents are liablerto pass over the line wires l and 2, but where such heavy currents are not .liable to be encountered but only the high capable of conducting electric vcurrent but' which at the same time is not affected by or is inert to mercury. Among the materials which may be used for this purpose may be mentioned carbon and iron. In the structure shown in Fig. l, each rod G has its `free end rounded and` there carries a button or diaphragm 7 of insulating material and preferably retractory insulatingmaterial, such for instance as mica. I

l Flic mica diaphragm 7 both in the form shown in'F ig. l, and in the other forms may be shaped as shown in Fig. 6, that is it is provided with a suitable number of perforations 8. The insulating plate, or diaphragm, oi' disk 7 rests upon the mercury surface, which mercury body is indicated at 9 iii the iigures, and is contained in ay suitable vessel l0, which may be made of any vitreous ma- .Y

terial vsuch as glass, or this containing vessel may be made of iron, both of which are unaffected by mercury. Any other suitable material not! affected by mercury may be used as the material for the containing vessellO. y

Having one end dipping into the mercury 9 is a rod ll of carbon, or iron, or other Asuitable inaterial,aud this rod is connected llO by a conductor 12 to ground.` Suppose now that a lightningdischarge should be received upon veither line 1 or 2. -The air gap be'- tween the end ofthe rod6 and the surface of the mercur is purposely small so that the impedance o ered by the instrument to be protected will cause the lighting discharge t'opass from the rod 6 through the small .air gap to the mercurysurface, and from there it finds an easy path through the rod 11 and ground conductor 12. The l:lightning discharge will arc 'across the space between the ends of the rod 6` and the surface of the mercury body 9, and as soon as the discharge stops then any displacement of the mercury will be remedied by the mercury again seeking its normal level. With this structure thereisf'no burning out of the terminals of change in relation of the terminals constitutthe lightning arrester circuit on each side or either side of the spark gap vand there is no as to present a large surface adjacent to the mercury surface and thus increase the area Y of the effective spark gap without increasing the distance between the ends of the rods 6 and the surface of the mercury. In both the structures shown in Figs. 1 and 2, it is possible to use the mica disk without perforation's if it be made small, since on entering the. mercury the latter is depressed adjacent to the mica and the surface is therefore conv caved adjacent tothe end 'f the rod 6. In

Fig. 3 the ends of' the rod 6 are made substantially flat and are brought to close relation to the surface of the mercurybut out of contact therewith, and the mica insulation is omitted. In Fig-4 the mercury vessel 10 is entered through the bottom by a conducting block 14 carried at one end of a strip 1 5 supported by an insulating block 16, and this stri 15 is connected by a conductor 17 to groundp' A single line wire 18 is designated and this is connected to a strip 19, also carried by the insulating block16, and the strip 19 carries a= block 20 having its-free end in closev relation to the surface of the mercury 9 within the vessel 10. In Fig. 5 asimilar arrangement is shown, that is an Aarranger'n'ent for a single line wire. In this case the line wire 21 terminates in a block 22 having its free end vcovered by a mica or' other insulating plate 23. Extending through the bottom `of the mercury vessel 10 Arelatively ground. In all these casesv the ground con! nection yis of courseperfect, being made.

through mercuryl and cannot therefore 'corrode or become disconnected, thus endangerf ing the instrument that the lightning arrester 1s designed to protect.

In each instance, the carbon or iron conductors used 1n connection with the ground conductor, are

of ample size as is also the groundconductor to carry olf any charge which may be imposed upon the line whether by a lightning stroke or by crossing a high tension servicev conductor. IVherever there is danger of the line conductors 1 and 2 becoming'crossed or charged with heavy electric currents liable to injure the instruments, then fuses 5 will be included in the line conductors on the service side of the conductors 3 and 4.

Since the rods 6 may be made of ample area, there is no danger of their active ends becoming corroded or burned out by the passage of the lightning stroke, and the mica insulation is also unaffected bythe heat-ll generated by the passage of the current across the air gap.

When the air gap is through 'perforationsin the mica disk or plate then the length of the air gap is determined by the thickness of the mica plate, bbut where an unperforated mica button is used at the ends of the rods 6, then the air gap will bel exterior to this mica button, and the length of the vair gap will depend entirely upon the degree of immersion of the mica. button into the mercury surface, the terml immersion being Vused relatively only since the mercuryvsurface will be concaved to a greater or less extent by the contact of thel button '7 therewith.

It is of course within the scope of the invention to divide the mercury and use two ground connections one for each line.

A proper amoiuit of 'air space above the mercury is provided to take care of all mercury vapor which may be produced on the passage" of high volta-ge currents, which vapor will afterward 'condense and fall back into the liquid mercury.

' What isclaimed is:Y

1. In .a lightning arrester, a .grounded-- 'bodyof mercury, a bare circuit terminal "separated from`the surface of the mercury but withinA striking distance thereof and l carryino` refractory insulating material of small area bridging the air gap.

f3. In a lightning arrester, agroun body of mercury, a bare circuit terminal within Astriking distance of the surface of the mercury and an vinsulator of refractory ioo 'body of mercury,

.the surface of the lperforated material carried by the vcircuit terminal and bridging the air gap.

4. In a lightning arrester, a grounded a -circuit terminal having an. exposed end Within striking distance of mercury, and an insulating body of less area thanthe end ofthe circuit terminal *adjacenty to the mercury and interposed between the bare end of the circuit terminal andthe surface of the mercury. Y v

5. AIn a lightning arrester, a grounded body of mercury,

and a circuit termmal haying the end Vadjacent to the mercury in contact with but insulatedl from the surface of the mercury and. within striking distance thereof, the said insulation being of suchl thickness as to engage the surface of the mercury when the terminal is in operative relation to said mercury but separated therefrom by an air gap. v

In testimony thatvI claim the Iforegolng as my own, I have hereto axed my signature in the presence oftwo Witnesses.

WILLIAM E. BUTLER. Witnesses:

A. M. WALLING, J. R. EVANS.

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