Improvements in or connected with the Distribution of Electricity.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Oct., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 31st Dec., 1891-Accepted, 6th Feb., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with the Distribution of Electricity.
We THOMAS PARKER Works Director of the Electric Construction
Corporation Limited of Wolverhampton in the County of Stafford and JOHN
HAROLD WOODWARD and EDMUND SCOTT GUSTAVE REES both of Wolver-
hampton aforesaid, Electrical Engineers to the said Corporation do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows: :―
The object of the present invention is to decrease the number of wires necessary
for the working of an electrical distribution system, such as that described in our
former Specification, No. 16110 of 1890.
In all systems of electrical distribution with feeders working on to a network of
secondary mains, it is usual to employ two independent wires running from the
point of the network at which the feeders are connected back to a voltmeter at the
regulating apparatus at the central station. According to our present invention,
these pilot or voltmeter wires are utilised for working a switch or switches in the
distribution system.
With this object the wire is connected in circuit with the
winding of a magnet such as that employed for actuating the switch provided in
the aforesaid system of distribution described in the Specification No. 16,110, 1890
and which connects the low-tension circuit of a motor generator or transformer
with the distributing mains. This switch may be constructed as described in
the Specification accompanying our application for Letters Patent, dated
18th August 1891, No. 13,942. To work the switch by means of the magnet, it
is simply necessary to complete the circuit through the magnet from a point in one
lead of the network to a point in the return lead for a short interval, and then
break it again, and according to our improved arrangement we place the voltmeter
permanently across the wires which go to the secondary network, and when the
voltmeter reading indicates that the switch employed to connect the low-tension
network to the motor generator or transformer requires putting " on
or "off" the
circuit is made or closed for a short interval (short-circuiting the voltineter) and
then opened or broken, leaving the voltmeter still reading across the mains, the
momentary fluctuation produced on the voltmeter being disregarded. The volt-
meter requires to be of such a resistance that the current working the voltmeter
would not be sufficient to influence the magnet and switch.
"
In certain cases such as the above mentioned system of electrical distribution
(the magnet coils of the motor generator being excited from the low pressure
armature) where it is not advisable to take a wire from the magnet winding of the
motor generator to the switch station, the main coils for energizing the field
magnets may be connected permanently across the brushes of the low-tension
armature, the motor generator being started from the switch station by passing a
current through the high-tension armature from the primary or high-tension mains,
setting the brushes of the motor generator with a slight lead in the direction of
rotation, or otherwise distorting the field produced by the current through the
armature relatively to the magnetic circuit or by passing the current supplied to
the high-tension armature through a few extra coils on the magnets thus giving an
initial field to assist the motor generator in starting.
Dated this 24th day of October 1891.
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with the Distribution of Electricity.
We THOMAS PARKER Works Director of the Electric Construction
Corporation Limited of Wolverhampton in the County of Stafford and JOHN
HAROLD WOODWARD and EDMUND SCOTT GUSTAVE REES both of Wolver-
hampton aforesaid Electrical Engineers do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The object of the present invention is to decrease the number of wires necessary
for the working of an electrical distribution system such as that described in our
former Specification of Letters Patent No. 16,110 of 1890.
We will refer to the accompanying drawings in explaining this invention and the
manner in which it may be carried into effect Figure 1 representing it applied to a
detached circuit or network not connected to a switch station, and Figure 2
representing it in connection with a network brought into or near a switch station,
corresponding respectively to Figure 1 and 2 in the aforesaid Specification of
Letters Patent 16,110 of 1890.
In systems of electrical distribution with feeders it is usual to employ wires
specially provided for actuating a voltmeter at the regulating apparatus the said
wires being connected across the mains. These are usually called "pilot, wires.".
According to our present invention and referring first to Figure 2 of the
accompanying drawings these pilot wires or voltmeter wires (marked z) are utilised
for working a switch or switches in the distribution system. With this object one
of the wires running to each voltmeter is connected in circuit with the winding of a
magnet such as that employed for actuating the switch t provided in the aforesaid
system of distribution described in the Specification No. 16,110, 1890 and which
connects the low tension circuits of a motor generator or transformer with the
distributing mains. This switch may be constructed as described in the Specification
accompanying our application for Letters Patent, dated 18th August 1891,
No. 13942. To work the switch by means of the magnet, it is simply necessary to
complete the circuit through the magnet from a point in one lead of the network to
a point in the return lead for a short interval and then break it again, and according
to our improved arrangement we place the voltmeter permanently across the wires
which go to the secondary network, and when it is necessary to connect or dis-
connect the low tension network to or from the motor generator or transformer the
circuit through the voltmeter wire or wires and the switch magnet is made or closed
by a switch such as that shewn at w for example (which corresponds to switch O
in the aforesaid Specification of Patent 16,110 of 1890) so as to short circuit the
voltmeter and then opened or broken so as to leave the voltmeter in the pilot wire
circuit reading across the mains as usual the momentary fluctuation produced on
the voltmeter by the operation of the switch to being of course disregarded. The
voltmeter requires to be of such a resistance that the current passing through the
voltmeter would not be sufficient to influence the magnet and switch.
Figure 1 shews the pilot wires utilised for operating a switch such as t acting to
complete and break a circuit like that operated by the solenoid or magnet marked I
in Figure 1 of the drawings of the Specification of the said Letters Patent 16110
connecting or disconnecting the low tension armature B with the distributing
mains D. The pilot wires are arranged with a switch wo as in Figure 2 of the
accompanying drawings which switch corresponds to the switch O in the aforesaid
Specification of Patent No. 16110 of 1890 and one of these wires with the wire j
acts as the circuit for the solenoid J of the switch K so that by operating the
switch which corresponds to the switch N in Figure 1 of the aforesaid
Specification of Patent No. 16110 of 1890 the current is caused to actuate the
switch to cause the contact maker K to open and close circuits as described with

page_text: regard to the contact makers K in Figure 1 of the said Specification of Patent
No. 161100
The voltmeter in this case may be connected to either z or j.
In certain cases such as the above mentioned system of electrical distribution
where it is not advisable to take a wire (such as that marked G in the drawings of
the aforesaid Specification of Patent No. 16110%) from the magnet winding of the
motor generator to the switch station, the main coils c for energizing the field magnets
may be connected (as at wo³ in the accompanying drawings) permanently across the
brushes of the low tension armature B the motor generator being started from the
switch station by passing a current through the high tension armature A from
the primary or high tension mains S setting the brushes of the motor generator
with a lead in the direction of rotation, or otherwise distorting the field produced
by the current through the armature relatively to the magnetic circuit or by
passing the current supplied to the high tension armature through a few extra
coils on the magnets, thus giving an initial field to assist the motor generator in
starting.
In the drawings accompanying this Specification the parts which correspond to
those shewn in the drawings accompanying the Specification of the said Patent
No. 16,1100 are marked with the same letters of reference as those used to denote
the corresponding parts in the said drawings of Patent No. 16110".
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The use of pilot or voltmeter wires to carry currents for actuating switches
substantially as hereinbefore explained.
2. In motor generators whose magnet coils C are excited from the low pressure
armature B means for starting up from the primary or high tension mains the
magnets of the motor generator not being energised, consisting in setting the
brushes of the motor generator with a lead in the direction of rotation or otherwise
distorting the field as described or by passing the current for the high tension
armature through coils such as substantially as hereinbefore explained.
Dated this 31st day of December 1891.
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
Agents.