IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR AND MEANS OF CONVERTING HEAT INTO ELECTRICITY
Year: 1881

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Carter Ramsden at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 8th January 1881.
JOHN CARTER RAMSDEN, of Gristhorpe Hall, near Filey, in the County of York,
Gentleman. "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR AND MEANS OF CONVERTING HEAT
INTO ELECTRICITY."
This Invention consists of appliances by means of which heat is converted into
electricity and conducted so as to form one main current, or divided and subdivided,
thereby admitting the application of the current or currents to one or more points,
applications, and uses.
Apparatus and means for purpose aforesaid comprise a furnace within which
the spliced or contact parts of plates, rods, or bars of metal (by preference iron and
copper) are received, the other ends of such plates, rods, or bars continuing and
extending beyond or outside the furnace, the external portion of each plate, rod,
or bar being enclosed by open ended cylinders or tubes of porcelain or other
non conducting medium of electricity and resistant of high temperatures. To the
outer extremities of the plates, rods, or bars is attached a bar of metal, such as
bismuth or other metal adapted for conveying electricity, and to each of these
plates, rods, or bars is attached a wire, which each pair of wires being continued
and the circuit closed or completed by any of the ordinary appliances according
to the use to which the electricity is to be applied. When more than one series or
line of plates, rods, or bars are to be used in contributing to one pair of wires, the
bars above referred to will be connected by like bars and the circuit wires attached
to the latter. Referring now to the furnace and means by which heat is to be
generated and applied to the spliced contact portions of the plates, rods, or bars (by
preference) of copper and iron, resulting in the conversion of heat into electricity,
I employ a furnace, by preference rectangular in form and open at each end,
having a flue or exit way. Each end of the furnace is contracted, forming what
may be designated as the fire box, and at the mouth of each is arranged two tubes
having fine orifices, one of the tubes being in communication with refined petroleum
or other volitile hydro carbon contained in a vessel, the other tube being in com-
munication with a supply of steam. When steam is discharged over the orifice of
the hydro carbon tube it exhausts and discharges the hydro carbon in the form of
1

page_text: spray, being thus intermingled with the steam. On being fired a flame of intense
heat is generated, and being free from sulphur and other impurities there is no
deposit upon the parts of the plates, rods, or bars acted upon.
In order to ensure the application of a uniform heat to the furnace the supply of
hydro carbon must be maintained at a uniform level by ball, valve, or other like
device; so also the pressure of steam should be uniform. This regulating and
measuring the fuel supplied will accomplish the desired result, and the excess of
heat may be conveyed from the outlet flue to the boiler or steam supply, utilizing
surplus or excess of heat.
It will be seen that whatever number or series of spliced or contact parts of the
plates, rods, or bars are within the furnace the whole may be connected with and
contribute as one source of supply; or each separate series of plates may have and
supply its own wires, thus admitting of any desired division or subdivision of the
whole electricity generated.